Active Advent on Instagram: Movement at work

One of the network of Active Practices, Chorley Surgery, near Preston, got the jump on the usual New Year’s resolution with a brilliant idea – Active Advent! When the PAL team heard about it, we had to share it with you all - a fun way to keep moving and smiling through the winter. Over to Dr Hamish Grant to explain more.

We are all aware that being sedentary for long periods is not good for our health. However, in General Practice we work in busy jobs that require a lot of time spent in front of a screen.

So how do we maintain our own health whilst working to improve the health of our patients? Where can we squeeze in some movement into our already overflowing working days?

I have my own favourite ways to keep moving at work, but I thought that there must be others out there who have alternative ideas I could borrow. The idea for the “Active Advent” project was to provide a platform to allow those working in Primary Care to share ideas on how to avoid sedentary behaviour at work.

Working with the fantastic team at The Chorley Surgery, and supported by the RCGP Physical Activity and Lifestyle team, we posted on Instagram #ActiveAdvent each day throughout Christmas 2021 with an example of how to keep moving at work. If you have a look, you’ll see it was done in a fairly light-hearted way in order to keep spirits high through the dark days of December. There are some great ideas, so please do visit the Instagram page if you are looking for inspiration, and do comment if you want to share how you keep moving at work!

About the writer

Dr Hamish Grant is a GP at the Chorley Surgery near Preston.