The Sanitas Wellbeing Universidad Europea de Madrid Research Chair has demonstrated that an increase in the levels of muscular strength reduces musculoskeletal disorders, one of the main causes of absences from work.

The practice of physical exercise in the workplace increases the levels of muscular strength and reduces the possibilities of suffering from musculoskeletal disorders that are one of the main causes of absenteeism and time off work according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. It is no wonder that between 60% and 90% of the Spanish population suffers from back pain at some stage during their lifetime. These are the first results of a study on the impact of physical activity on health set up by the Sanitas Wellbeing Universidad Europea de Madrid Research Chair and presented by Águeda Benito, Rector of Universidad Europea de Madrid, José Manuel Sánchez, General Manager for Marketing, Clients and New Business at Sanitas and Dr. Alfonso Jiménez, co-director of the Research Chair.

Adapting people’s life habits to the business environment is, however, one measure that is able to improve physical conditions and, at the same time, improve the corporate efficiency of the organizations in which they work. People spend a large part of their day at their place of work, over an extensive period of their lives which is why the study proposes the inclusion of healthy lifestyles into the working environment.

Greater quality of life and life expectancy
Physical exercise at work also increases cardiovascular capacity and improves quality of life. The first results of the research that is being carried out demonstrates that employees who train 2, 3 or more times a week, increase their average oxygen consumption by up to 86% representing an improvement in cardiopulmonary capacity.

The World Health Organization has indicated that an increase in oxygen consumption signifies an increase in the quality of life and life expectancy of the population. After the first six weeks of training, the individuals that took part in the study – over 50% of the employees at the Sanitas headquarters – gained in cardiac efficiency and needed fewer heartbeats to send the same amount of oxygen to their tissues.

For Manuel Sánchez, the first results of the research undertaken by the Research Chair “offer society a tool that is able to improve our lives that can be applied to any business organization independently of its size and geographical spread”.

The results of the research undertaken by this Research Chair that is directed by Drs. Alfonso Jiménez, Oscar García and Claudia Cardona together with professors at the School of Sports Science at Universidad Europea de Madrid, ratify the scientific belief that those who carry out regular physical exercise, in this case within the business environment, enjoy better health and that this, in turn, plays a significant role in preventing illnesses. In addition, another hypothesis regarding the employees has been proven: that their good physical wellbeing means that they are able to work under better conditions.

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