Retail Reigns Supreme As Fittest Profession
Kiwis working in the retail and hospitality sectors are ‘rushed off their feet’, according to a study on the most active and sedate common professions.
A recent study commissioned by leading weight management company Jenny Craig analysed how many steps individuals in a variety of common professions took throughout a working day.
Retail workers proved to be the most active during their workday, clocking up 1316 steps per hour while office workers and journalists tended to stay close to their desks, with each profession recording an average of 513 steps and 420 steps every hour, respectively.
The hospitality industry took out second place, with cafe and restaurant staff walking an average of 1291 steps per hour waiting tables, serving food and pouring drinks at the bar. Tradesmen’s hard work paid off with participants treading 1112 steps per hour to finish in third.
Nurses also achieved an impressive result, walking the hospital corridors to average 1088 steps per hour over a lengthy 12 hour shift.
When it came to Tran Tasman rivalry, New Zealand participants out-stepped their Australian counterparts in both the most active and sedate professions categories.
New Zealand retail professionals walked more than double the average steps per hour compared to Australian participants. Kiwi office workers averaged around 200 more steps than those at desks across the Tasman.
Amy Smith, General Manager Jenny New Zealand and Australia says the study was a novel way to highlight the importance of incidential exercise throughout a working day.
“Exercise and keeping active plays an important part in weight management and a healthy lifestyle. Incidential exercise and doing small things throughout the day, especially for desk-bound jobs can have a big impact across the week and in the long term,” said Ms Smith.
Dr Andrew Rochford, medical spokesperson for Jenny says “research shows we should aim for a minimum of 10,000 steps per day in order to boost all round health and maintain a healthy weight.”
“The New Zealand retail, hospitality and nursing sectors achieve close to this target within their working day which is very encouraging but other industries could benefit from making small changes to increase overall steps per day,” concluded Dr Rochford.
If you are in a desk bound professions, adopt these novel solutions to include fitness into your workday.
- Instead of emailing your co-workers, get out of your seat and ask the questions,
- Walk to work or get off the train or bus one stop early,
- Avoid lifts or escalators, opt for stairs
- Go for a walk in your lunch break
- Have stand up meetings with your co-workers or even walking meetings!
“Wearing a pedometer is a great way to track your daily steps and an essential tool if you’re aiming to lose weight. By doing so you could be shocked at how much exercise you’re actually doing each day,” concluded Andrew.