Over 70% of Belgian employees don't get enough exercise, a new report by Belgium's external service for protection at work, IDEWE Group, indicates.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), people should exercise moderately at least five days a week for half an hour (for example, briskly walking or cycling at less than 20 kilometres per hour), or three days a week for a little less than half an hour if they are exercising intensely.
Only 29.8% of Belgian employees meet these standards. According to the report, male employees in Belgium exercise slightly more than women, with 33% of men compared to only 25.5% of women exercising enough.
Partly a consequence of the lack of exercise, 55.4% of Belgian employees are overweight. Almost one in five (19.3%) Belgians has a Body Mass Index of over 30, meaning that they are obese.
“Too little exercise is harmful to health," said Director of the Knowledge, Information and Research department of the IDEWE, Lode Godderis in a statement.
"If you exercise enough, you have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. Exercise strengthens muscles and bones, leads to less stress and can improve sleep quality. All the more reason to put 'more exercise' at the top of your list," Godderis added.
These statistics were compiled by the examination of the general health of more than 300,000 employees from across nine sectors in Belgium. Overall, the data of 234,901 employees were included in the report.
Evie McCullough
The Brussels Times
