According to one recent study, nearly 46% of the workforce in the UK say that they’re simply too busy to exercise on a daily basis. The same thing is true for many countries around the world, including here in Australia. In an era where it’s been proven that not exercising is worse for your long-term health than smoking, it’s easy to see why this is such a problem.
People are so wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of each day that they don’t have the time to devote to improving themselves, let alone the time required to actually help improve the communities around them.
But what if there was a way to do both at the exact same time? What if there was an opportunity this summer for Aussies to stay in shape and do their part to make the world a better place in one fell swoop?
Luckily, there is. Plenty of them, in fact.
Find the Organisations That Already Fit Into Your Lifestyle
A recent study revealed that walking moderately for even just 15 minutes will make a positive impact on your long-term health. If you’re a dog owner, you probably find the time to squeeze in that 15 minutes by walking your furry little friend – but what if you could impact your community while walking your dog?
Luckily, you can. Organisations like Walk for a Dog by WoofTrax allow you to support all of your favourite animal organisations just by walking your dog. All you have to do is download the free app, get as many of your friends to join as possible and watch the donations roll in for your favourite charity. You get to improve your community by doing something that you were already going to do anyway.
Another example of a company in this category is Conscious Step, who have introduced a new pair of socks that promote breast cancer prevention via their unique and colourful design. By way of one ordinary purchase, you get to instil within yourself an extraordinary purpose – each pair results in a donation that goes directly to a non-profit. Bombas will also donate a pair of socks to homeless shelters for every pair that you yourself purchase.
Other Key Ways to Make an Impact
There are also companies that exist that allow you to take a more active role in your own health, donating money to charities as you get fitter over time. GOQii is an example of that, which is an app that allows you to earn “Karma” points as you walk. Over time, you can convert those points into monetary donations to charities like the Food for Education program, Work to Empower Women Against Violence and more.
An app called atlasGO is very similar, albeit with a more professional angle: it’s only available for employees via their employers. All your employer has to do is select the non-profit of their choice, create personalised teams and choose the length of their fitness challenge. Free designs and branded mockups are provided to help keep the entire experience “in-house.” As employees get more healthy on a daily basis, atlasGO also supports the charities in question. When you consider that healthier workers are generally more productive workers, it’s easy to see why this is such a good idea.
All of these programs aim to get people to stay healthy, regardless of how busy they are, AND do their part to support and empower worthy causes as well. They just go to show that no matter how busy you think you are, or how stressful life seems to get, there’s always time left in the day to give back to ourselves and to others.
Staying Fit and Making a Difference Are One in the Same
All of this is to say that yes, we all lead busy lives – there isn’t one of us that is alone in that fact. Getting outdoors, exercising and staying in shape is difficult to schedule on the best of days, to say nothing of how hard it can be to find the time for your health and the wellness of someone less fortunate as well. But it’s not impossible and it can be as simple as taking the first step.
