Cork Airport is the latest workplace to get more active by launching an Irish Heart Foundation walking route to help employees achieve a healthy work-life balance.

Slí@work (pathway at work) is an Irish Heart Foundation programme that is designed to encourage Irish employees to walk more as part of their working day. It involves the creation of an outdoor Sli na Sláinte (Path to Health) walking route, as well as encouraging employees to use the stairs in the workplace and to walk or cycle to walk where possible.

Head of Asset Care at Cork Airport, Bill Daly, said: “This is a great initiative from our point of view as the Irish Heart Foundation is a great group which aims to promote positive health and create more awareness of exercise. This is the first year Cork Airport has teamed up with the Irish Heart Foundation and we hope to continue our relationship with them into the future.”

Speaking at the launch of the new outdoor walking route at Cork Airport, Edel Byrne from the Irish Heart Foundation said: “Cork Airport has shown great initiative and interest in employee health by establishing a Slí@work walking route for their employees. We hope many more workplaces will follow their lead. Being physically active is very important not just for heart health but also for overall health.

“With so many people living busy lifestyles, many find it hard to get active. But being physically inactive doubles your chance of developing coronary heart disease and you are nearly twice as likely to have a heart attack. That is why it is so important that companies like Cork Airport help their employees to incorporate activity into their everyday lives.

“Walking at a moderate level for 30 minutes on five days a week can help reduce the risk of many diseases, including heart disease, obesity, diabetes, stroke and some cancers.”

For added motivation, the national heart health charity also offers a number of initiatives to companies through its Happy Heart at Work programme such as the Walking Challenge, the Step Challenge, the Happy Heart Healthy Eating Award. Active@Work Award and heart health checks.

Other organisations that have set up Slí@ work routes include: RTE, Independent Newspapers, Iarnrod Eireann, St Vincent’s Hospital, VHI, Hewlett Packard, MSD, Abbott Ireland, Waterford IT, Department of the Environment, Department of Health and Children and all DART stations.

Anyone interested in implementing Sli@ work or other elements of the Happy Heart at Work programme should contact the Irish Heart Foundation on +353 (0) 1 668 5001 or visit www.irishheart.ie.