With great success and many participants, the first two-day conference titled “Exercise in the workplace – Benefits, Prospects” took place last weekend, 18 & 19 November, in Xanthi.
ena Development Consultants, through its #enaevents service and as proud co-organiser of the conference, hosted in its multipurpose space #enahub, a meeting point for people and ideas from every field, with the shared goal of growth, education, innovation and entrepreneurship, the talks of the first day, which the #enateam and all the participants followed with undiminished interest. Members of the ena team also took part in the practical exercises on the second day of the conference, giving themselves a “gift”, as they learnt how to improve their posture while at work and beyond, while also boosting their work performance.
Day 1 – #enahub
The event was opened by Stavros Amoiras, Director of Strategic Planning & Development at ena Development Consultants, who welcomed the audience to #enahub and spoke about the importance of initiatives such as the conference “Exercise in the workplace – Benefits, Prospects”. Mr Amoiras stressed the value of the information that such initiatives offer for employee health and wellbeing. Emi Chatzipanagioti, President of the Cultural and Scientific Association ‘The Art of Living’, then also welcomed the audience.
The first presentation, titled “Prevention and management of musculoskeletal strain in healthcare staff – Implementing an exercise protocol within the hospital”, was given remotely by Paraskevi Sakellari, Physiotherapist NdT, MSc, PhD(c) DPESS-DUTH, General Hospital of Komotini. Ms Sakellari spoke about the statistical study she carried out on musculoskeletal strain among healthcare staff and how the problem can be prevented and managed through a dedicated exercise programme within their workplace.
Next, Emi Chatzipanagioti, Physical Education teacher, MSc, rehabilitation trainer and PhD candidate at the Rehabilitation Laboratory of the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace, and Head of the Xanthi Tai Chi Chuan Centre – C.S.A. ‘The Art of Living’, presented “Alternative forms of exercise, Tai Chi Chuan & Qi Gong, in the workplace – a differentiated programme for mental clarity and physical health”. During the presentation, the multitalented Ms Chatzipanagioti discussed the link between musculoskeletal problems and chronic pain and employees’ work and psychology, showing that something as simple as correct posture can reduce employee stress and increase productivity.
In the third presentation, titled “Seated Tai Chi in the workplace”, the highly vivid Stanislav Bagalev, Director of the Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan Association Centre for Sofia and Plovdiv, Master of WingTsun and Yang-style Wushu coach from Bulgaria, spoke about the value of good posture and the small changes that can improve it, becoming a new habit for each individual.
Finally, the ever-engaging Therapon Fakas, Electrical Engineer & Life and Business Coaching, presented the impact of stress on work performance and how easily an employee can be led to burnout if they do not address symptoms of anxiety and depression in time, in his talk on: Maximising performance in the workplace through the mind-body connection.
Day 2 – C.S.A. ‘The Art of Living’
On the second day of the event, in a pleasant atmosphere at the premises of the C.S.A. “The Art of Living”, participants had the opportunity to take an active part in practical sessions on the theories analysed the previous day, and to present Tai Chi exercise forms by the team from Greece and Bulgaria, with the aim of highlighting the multidimensional nature of this martial art. The conference closed with the signing of the Charter of friendship, cooperation and good practice between the
#enaevents would especially like to thank the Cultural and Scientific Association of Xanthi “The Art of Living” and Emi Chatzipanagioti for the cooperation and for the unique opportunity its team had to attend such a different two-day conference, focused on employee health and wellbeing.
“Exercise in the workplace – Benefits, Prospects” “Exercise in the workplace – Benefits, Prospects” “Exercise in the workplace – Benefits, Prospects” “Exercise in the workplace – Benefits, Prospects” “Exercise in the workplace – Benefits, Prospects” “Exercise in the workplace – Benefits, Prospects” “Exercise in the workplace – Benefits, Prospects” “Exercise in the workplace – Benefits, Prospects”
