may, 2019 | Th e HealtH
Opinion
Exercising
in the workplace
clients better. We know that as of now, insurance coverage in general
does not include the treatment for mental illness. Th at opens up the
responsibility for us support these individuals in any way we can.
Stop implying to any family members, friends, or colleagues
that their mental health issues are something they can simply get
over with. Stop looking at the mentally challenged as if they are
damaged and a nuisance. And stop disregarding your employees’
state of mental health when they show clear signs of overworking
and burnout.
Th e key to helping them is to help them, not to stigmatise them.
Be the person they can rely on, and help save a life or two in the
process.
Lastly, to the ones currently facing problems in mental health.
Help is actually everywhere. You just need to know where to look.
Happy Ramadan, and Assalamualaikum.
Th e corporate yoga alternative
I
Editor
Norman Hussaini
Diff erent
Strokes
BY adi satria
24-25 ageing and fertility
• Our fertility’s expiry date
• The woes of delaying
25 Home versus gym workout
26 are your sunglasses providing
enough UV protection?
Is working out at home so different from working out
at the gym?
We all know that sunscreen helps protect our skin
from UV rays. But what about our eyes, is slapping on
a pair of sunglasses really do the trick?
27
Why health education is
important
Kevin Zahri’s fi ve year plan involves tackling the root
of the issue – Malaysia’s current fi tness education in
schools
28 I scream for healthier ice cream
29 Sticking to a kidney friendly diet
• Two guys wanted to have healthier ice cream,
now they have Calli
Don’t let your eating habits eat into your health
• Deadly products which can harm your kidney
30-31 Nana al Haleq: empowering the
world through fi tness
There’s no doubt about it, strong is the new sexy
03
the benefi t
of Corporate
yoga allows
employees
to learn how
to manage
stress and
anxiety. More
importantly
it brings
employees
together as a
team thereby
boosting
morale at the
workplace.
REMEMBER decades back in my first 10
years working in an advertising agency, the
opening of fitness clubs was the trend then.
One of them was within our office build-
ing and we became the early members of the
club. It had all the basic workout equipment
but the main attraction was the spa and almost
every evening we took a couple of hours break to
work out and enjoy the facilities. We even had fit-
ness instructors who also advised us on nutrition.
We felt energized and some of us went back to
the office to continue finishing whatever assign-
ments to meet our deadlines. However, this
activity soon became unsustainable, mainly due
to the need to go to the gym (weak excuse) and
most of us dropped out.
Healthy employees lead to healthy business.
Besides physical health, mental health is the main
challenge of the corporate world. Focus and mind-
fulness are of utmost importance at the workplace.
As time and distance to a gym can be a demo-
tivating factor, more and more companies around
the world are adopting the Idea of bringing yoga
to the work place.
The benefit of Corporate Yoga allows employees
to learn how to manage stress and anxiety. More
importantly it brings employees together as a team
thereby boosting morale at the workplace.
Through guided visualization in a yoga session,
employees not only learn learn to concentrate
but also to relax. Regular practice will result in
employees developing a more positive attitude and
communicate better, boosting confidence.
One of the most common health issues is back
pain. With hours on the PC it also affects one’s
eyesight. Yoga not only focus on the body parts
but also on the eyes and special exercises done in a
routine yoga session will help to relieve the strain
on the eyes besides strengthening the joints and
all other body parts.
It has been proven that by just practicing
yoga with a minimum of an hour a week can help
decrease back pain.
Studies in the UK shows that 46 percent of
absenteeism from work is due to mental health
issues such as stress, depression and anxiety. This
is also true in Malaysia and this affects company
productivity.
I suppose the key benefit of having yoga in the
workplace is that there is no equipment needed.
Just a clean space to hold a class, some rubber
mats which can also be a personal item, and a good
instructor from a reputable yoga academy such as
the MAYI Yoga Academy.
In the long run, the cost of having a weekly yoga
session in the company premises will be much
lower as the prevention of illnesses, burnouts,
hostility between colleagues, depression and other
work related health issues can save the company
from exorbitant medical bills.
Yoga also teaches one to consume the right
nutrition which also prevents non communicable
diseases like diabetes, hypertension and high
blood pressure, the major killer in Malaysia today.
It is time companies put a little more focus on
the health and mental wellbeing of its employees.
Corporate Yoga is indeed the answer to a better
and more productive work environment.
If you would like to know more please email to
adelena@mayiyogaacademy.com — The Health
ADI SATRIA, a veteran in marketing communications
went through a stressful career path in his early days
until he discovered the benefits of exercise and yoga
was one of them. He wished that Corporate Yoga was
available during his career as a director in a major
media company.