Grant: CIHR Fellowship

The workplace presents an environment where people tend to sit for prolonged periods of time and do not regularly engage in physical activity (PA), two factors that have negative health consequences, particularly related to obesity and diabetes. Finding ways to increase PA in the workplace can improve health, reduce sick days, and increase productivity. Traditionally prescribed, sustained aerobic exercise ("cardio") is impractical for many office employees who are unfit and low on time. Such barriers can be overcome by adopting high-intensity interval training (HIIT) - short-duration exercise that involves multiple brief, high-intensity efforts, separated by periods of rest. Stair climbing HIIT can benefit physiological health in less time than traditional exercise training. Further, recent studies show promising psychological implications of engaging in HIIT. Given that stair climbing HIIT is time-efficient and can be easily incorporated into one's daily schedule, there is considerable potential for using it in the workplace. Phase 1 of this research will involve office employees undergoing an 8-week HIIT program of either a) one short HIIT session completed during lunch break or b) brief exercise bouts performed throughout the workday as "exercise snacks." The exercise will consist of stair climbing, which is an effective, lifestyle-based form of HIIT. Phase 2 will deliver an 8-week optimized HIIT program designed to be sustainable. We will measure physical and psychological health, work productivity, sick days and PA behaviour during and up to 6-months following the program. This research will be the first to determine the health, work productivity, and PA behaviour benefits of practical HIIT programs delivered in the workplace. This research has important implications for employees who may be at risk for chronic diseases, employers seeking greater output from employees, and for Canadian society - which benefits from healthier and more productive workplaces.