Workplace exercise is a labour market issue, professor says

Employees should have the opportunity to exercise during working hours because inactive lifestyles increase the risk of illness, according to physiology professor Magni Mohr, Kringvarp Føroya reports.

Many people spend eight hours a day sitting in an office chair in front of a computer screen. Mohr said this makes it important for employees to have opportunities to exercise at work.

Speaking on the radio programme Heilsuhornið, he discussed the importance of physical activity for employees who spend much of their working day sitting down.

“Most of us spend a lot of time at the workplace and have a lifestyle that is largely at odds with our physiology,” Mohr said.

He said there was a close connection between the risk of major diseases affecting the population and how physically inactive people are.

“Being able to be active and exercise at the workplace is a labour market issue. It is something the labour market should address in relation to the risk of illness,” Mohr said.