While the relentless nature of a lawyer’s workday can sometimes be evocative of a treadmill, the fact is that treadmills don’t factor enough into most lawyers’ lives. Nor do exercise balls, weights, walking, running, yoga, swimming – or whatever other physical activity floats your boat.
No one’s going to blame you for avoiding a treadmill – did you know they were invented for use in Victorian prisons to prevent idleness among the inmates? – but there’s a very good chance that you, like most people whose work involves sitting at a desk, aren’t getting enough physical activity. Which means you’re not enjoying the benefits of regular physical activity either. Sure, there might be the occasional strained muscle, but research has also shown that the payoffs include less fatigue (better sleep), and improved moods overall as well as an increased ability to handle stress.
We’re kicking off the second year of our Solutions Series, which runs until Nov. 28, with a Sept. 12 webinar titled Wellness at your Desk: Physical and Mental Health Tips for Busy Lawyers that will discuss the obstacles to being active, and how to find ways around them.
Presenters Stephanie Melnychuk of Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP in Vancouver, and Rosana Zammit of Kind Mind Counselling and Wellness Service in Toronto, will cover topics such as just how bad desk work is for our physical and mental health, practical strategies for dealing with toxic stress, building movement into your day, improving posture, and creating your own desk wellness “toolbox.”
Other webinars this year will discuss topics as varied as making the most of your support staff, building client trust, what to do when you’ve made a mistake, and representing unpopular clients.
Presenters include lawyers from firms across the country, as well as subject experts such as Dr. Larry Richard, who speaks frequently at CBA events, Doron Gold, the co-author of the CBA’s free online mental health and wellness course, LawPro’s Dan Pinnington, and Kevin Frank of Second City, who will present a webinar on applying improv fundamentals to your law practice.
You can find full details of this year’s offerings and presenters, along with dates and registration details, online.