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002 Karolinska Institutet with the Health Promotion Unit
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Transcript
Introduction to Podcast and Guests
00:00:12
Speaker
places podcast series in which we take a deep dive into the role of sustainability, well-being, and community in commercial real estate, residences, hotels, and educational facilities. In this episode we talk to Patrick Emanuelson and Anna Christensen of the Health Promotion Unit at the Karolinska Institute Medical Research University in Stockholm, Sweden.
Karolinska Institute Overview
00:00:42
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There are over 7,000 students on campus alongside some of the world's leading academic minds, making the KI one of Europe's most prestigious medical universities. The stakes are high. In other words, stress levels can rise. Burnout can be a serious problem for both staff and research students.
Health Promotion Strategies at KI
00:01:05
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But in a brilliant piece of Swedish foresight,
00:01:09
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A dedicated health promotion unit within the HR department is on hand to ensure students have every opportunity to live a healthy, balanced life whilst on campus and they're going to do it in a sustainable fashion. Patrick and Anna
00:01:28
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And their team commissioned one of my early biofit nature gyms, converting 30 square meters of their offices into an eco-friendly training area that provoked questions around what a gym could or should be like on campus, the connection between nature and wellbeing, and whether such facilities could inspire students to have at least a movement snack during the day, if not a full workout, if micro gyms were scattered around the campus, making them more and more accessible.
00:01:58
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In this conversation, we take things forward from there, covering everything from physical activity prescriptions to offsetting seasonal depression with light rooms or light therapy, mindful movement practices and classes, the role of biophilia around the university, circadian lighting,
00:02:21
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ergonomic rooms for checking desk height and chair comfort, squat challenges, and use the stair campaigns plus more. They're a dynamic duo doing really interesting, innovative work in one of the world's leading research universities, informed by some of the world's top academics. So this is diamond stuff. Check out ki.se. Hope you enjoy the show.
00:02:53
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Patrick, Anna, great to have you here. Thanks for joining me. Thanks for having us. Thank you.
Roles and Uniqueness of KI's Health Promotion Unit
00:02:59
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I think it would be really useful just to start with perhaps a brief description of your role at the Karolinska Institute and what health promotion means or how your team are charged with improving or promoting health within the context of the university.
00:03:20
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Okay, I can start and you can fill in whenever you want. Yeah, we are at a medical university here in Stockholm, Sweden, and we are organized and placed under the central HR office actually, which is quite unique here in Sweden to have an in-house group that are specialized or have the
00:03:52
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given the opportunity to work with a promoting perspective towards staff and students here. We are organized on two main campuses, campus South and campus North. And there we have two facilities, training facilities, one we call box gym and one we call base gym. But that's one part of our
00:04:20
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our work here. We also have courses, we also have education moments and stuff like that. In the wider context then of Sweden in general, would you say that what you're doing is quite unique or is it quite common in fact to have an HR related department within a university that promotes health? Are you one of the few or is it quite usual that the university has that facility?
00:04:51
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I think we're the only one actually here in Sweden. Scandinavia, I don't know, but I think we're quite unique there. And why do you think, is it connected to the medical research orientation then of the Karolinska Institute specifically? You think that they have taken the decision to create a unit and dedicate a team to promoting health?
00:05:18
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Well, the history, I think we need to go back to the history of how it started. But to answer your question, most universities here in Sweden, they have this not in-house, they have some sort of consultant or they have partnerships with training clubs or facilities outside the university. Some has organized it,
00:05:50
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as an organization outside only having owning the facilities or something like that. So we are quite unique then. The history is that I can't really answer why. Here it started with a good initiative from the staff actually in the beginning and the need for having these kind of
00:06:17
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special group that can organize things in a good way.
Focus on Physical Activity and Recovery
00:06:25
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And what are the objectives then? Health is quite a broad topic. It could be mental health, it could be fitness, it could be reducing stress. How do you approach health and what would be your main goals? Well, health is a
00:06:48
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very wide definition to interpretate and people have certain preferences and stuff like that. So we have we have decided to work under a rather big umbrella. We have two main head topics that it's physical activity and recovery. And underneath those two headlines, we when it comes to physical activity, we try to promote physical activity and
00:07:18
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and decrease physical inactivity. So we are following the national recommendations here. And when it comes to recovery, we think it goes hand in hand training and recovery goes so well together. But of course, we are targeting some problems areas and certainly the common stress that we see in society today. So we are in two areas there. And when you say recovery, is that more
00:07:47
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Let's say mental wellness or rather than the physical, not recovering from physical activity, but more recovery. Is it from the stress or the pressure of the educational environment? Well, it's more of the mental aspects of it. Stress reduction techniques.
00:08:11
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sleep habits, stuff like that. What do you say, Anna? Yes, and that we integrate the both. I mean, even if we practice some physical training, we add mindfulness into movements. So we don't really, well, we do separate it if we have special courses in from, for example, acceptance, commitment therapy or mindfulness based stress,
00:08:41
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Mindfulness-based stress reduction courses. But in, for example, our movement classes, we integrate it. We add mindfulness to the movement. So we practice mindfulness together with. It's really, it's a very interesting combination, those two words, movement and mindfulness. I think there's a lot of benefit in that. That might lead us then to my next question around the
00:09:10
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the small green nature gym that we created for you a few years
Sustainable Biofit Gym Initiatives
00:09:14
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ago. How did that come about? What was the logic for creating a biofit gym almost within your office environment for the students?
00:09:25
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There were several reasons, actually, which led us there. Health Promotion Unit is a member of KI Council of Sustainable Development. So we were in the middle of procurement process, and we had just started to connect our work to the SDGs, the Sustainable Development Goals. And we were looking for some sustainable alternatives, options for gym equipment. And we are also, three of us, move natures.
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in our background. So that's when we found BioFit and you met Molly. So really, yeah, we and
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It was the need for communicating the importance of active breaks together with the necessity of sustainability and responsibility, communicating health in a wider perspective that
00:10:28
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is what we do here in Sweden affect the health of others when we buy stuff, when it comes to fitness equipment and so on. And also bringing in nature and natural materials was a natural thing for us to do because we are outdoors as well. Or we see actually the base outdoor. And we wanted to walk the walk, actually.
00:10:55
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So it's both a practical space and also a kind of showroom to communicate the possibilities of transforming a passive doll waiting area into a natural, active movement and mindfulness space. It's very interesting that you mentioned the sustainable development goals. I think in many ways, rather like going through a green building certification process with
00:11:24
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lead, for example. Often those requirements in a way then push businesses to invest or create facilities that connect with those goals. So if you've got a sustainable SDG or you've got one around connecting with nature and protecting nature, the impact of that, it sort of trickles down to the business or the education facility level
00:11:49
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And then you interpret that and out came the idea of, okay, well, let's create a sustainable gym. So it can be applied in so many different ways. It's just really interesting to see how decisions made at the top of the industry, then slowly trickle down and, and impact people or businesses below in so many different ways. And I think it was interesting to see how you integrated that space. I mean, it's, it's literally part of your office, right? I mean, it only has one wall, the gym. It's very much.
00:12:19
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something you just walk into. You mentioned the idea of like a mini workout or a mini break.
00:12:25
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Exactly. We promote that active breaks and movement snacks and stuff like that, the importance of, and actually when we didn't have the gym for students in Solna, we saw a lot of students doing their breaks in biofit space. However small it is, it was, it is. It sort of takes away the pressure then, isn't it?
00:12:55
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go and get changed and go to the travel to the gym, get changed, do my workout, get changed again, have a shower, get changed, go back, travel back to where I came from. And in a way you break that down and make it so much easier for someone to do even just five minutes of just play, right, during the day. And also a reminder of what we are, biological creatures that needs some practical moments during the day.
00:13:25
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So you do also have now, you've led this big project to create a really very impressive, like full scale gym. Can you talk to us a bit about how that project came about? Yeah, it's a long story. It's going by 10 years back, but we needed a facility for students and staff. And we had to wait to get the
00:13:51
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the location that we wanted. So it's a long process, but the experience from the beer-fit space and the experience from the procurement from our other gym in the south campus, base gym, ended up in a new facility here in Solna campus. So maybe we didn't go all the way, but we really tried to
00:14:23
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to implement what we have learned from the Be Your Fit space and from base gym. And so beyond the gym itself, like what other examples of health and wellness facilities would be something you've been involved in or contributed
Innovative Health Facilities
00:14:44
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to? For example, there might be a yoga room or I seem to remember there was a white room for people who are working during the night.
00:14:52
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Yeah, we have tested different things. And one was the white room, the light room that we call it. And unfortunately, we had to close it because people didn't behave there. But I can describe it. It's a completely white room, which should be during the month from November till March here in Stockholm. The winter is quite dark, and people feel
00:15:21
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what we have, what we call of the sad syndrome, the seasonal affective disease. The people are a little bit low and mind the depression during the winter. So this was a substitute for getting enough light during this month. But it worked quite well and it looks good in
00:15:47
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in a scientific way and the research shows that we need probably a little bit more light during the winter here up in Scandinavia. It's always better to go outside, of course, but a cloudy, cloudy winter day up here in Stockholm, the sun intensity, the lux measurements are very low. And our thought was to have a kind of a circadian light system in the bifit space, but it didn't really work because, yeah,
00:16:17
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I don't know why really, but maybe Patrick, you know, it was something about the IT and security network. You couldn't connect to the Wi-Fi system here. The principle behind that is very interesting, the idea of there being a space that, at least in lighting terms, follows the body's natural rhythm. So when I think about that in terms of designing a gym, it's about energizing
00:16:45
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but also not disrupting sleep patterns. So I want someone to be energized while they're exercising, but equally if they're exercising after dark, I don't want them to be blasted with blue-white light that keeps them awake unnecessarily by tricking their brain into thinking that suddenly it's daytime again. So that the concept is really interesting and it strikes me that we often think about these things in terms of
00:17:10
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workplace so an office like a Silicon Valley tech startup business right that's where you typically find this type of thing but you guys are applying it to an educational environment which makes complete sense because it's also where people are meant to be performing mentally right it's all about concentration and being focused and energized to produce your best work it's a tough it's a competitive environment here at koi we
00:17:40
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We are aiming to be the best medical university in Europe. And of course, people need to have those facilities, I think, to take those short breaks, to energize themselves, to keep the physical activity going. People are here a long time, working a long day. So we also have a very generous opening hours at our facilities. And I forgot to mention that we have a yoga dance studio. There's also what I would like to see
00:18:10
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a biofit thought in when it comes to materials and colors. And we also have an ergonomic room close to us where people can come and test shares, yeah, technical stuff that they need at the workstation. And that's a good reason to show them the biofit space and to show them other facilities and how we work.
00:18:34
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So in the ergonomic room, it would be, for example, if they need to test the new chair or some way for them to test the right working setup for their desk and chair. Is that right? Then we can talk about the need of physical activity. Of course, a good ergonomic is an important thing, but it's not all. The most comes down to your behavior, how you use it and how long time you sit and what you do.
00:19:03
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There are quite weak research on how good ergonomics works actually. You need to change your position a lot and then we can show them how. So you're both providing physical spaces in which people can practice and put these ideas into practice. So if it's exercising, moving, but you're also in a way having to educate and inform.
Digital Communication and Mindful Movement
00:19:32
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and share knowledge in some way. So how do you approach that? Is it waiting for someone to come to you or do you have to do an outreach program to connect with students who might be interested or thinking about these things? We do both, I think.
00:19:50
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Our role is a very communicating role. We're not only operational because we can't reach out to 5,000 students or is it 6,000? 7,000 students and 5,000 employees.
00:20:07
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So therefore we have a lot of communication channels and we also in our team we recruit student instructors and in that way try to spread our philosophy about
00:20:21
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movement in a long-term perspective, not only our classes and weekly classes, and so we try to educate them how to stay active without us, to reach autonomy, to be independent.
00:20:39
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And I think this was a great opportunity when this closed down happened, when we went digital and there was all about communicating. We couldn't be physical, we couldn't be there, we couldn't have any physical spaces. So we had to promote anywhere movement and outdoor movement and learning how to
00:21:06
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take breaks and so on, when people are working at home. There's a lot in there. I think there's a really interesting piece around how movement-based training or natural fitness, natural movement, seeing as it requires very little equipment, it's quite empowering in a way when you are stuck at home or all you have is a park to go to, but you can't go to the gym.
00:21:31
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I think someone who's used the training with machinery, with weights and cardio machines, they can almost, I think, will have gone through an experience of feeling a bit lost without the apparatus to use for a workout. Whereas I think that's the mindful movement approach that you're promoting is it allows people to train if they just have a little bit of space on the terrace or in their garden or in the park, because you don't really need
00:21:58
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much. You can always train with equipment but you can also do a great workout without anything. That's true and therefore we have a big role to play here because that was when we built our training facilities we didn't go to the machinery version of it so it's a lot of
00:22:18
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free training, body weight training, free weights, special treadmills that you drive by yourself, for example. And we could see that it was a little bit of opposition in the beginning. And so we really have a role to play to show them how they can do and to open up their minds, mindset a little bit.
00:22:42
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Because we want them to be independent, we want them to go home and they can do it at home, they can do it outside, they can do it with the family members, with the children, everything. So we feel that we have a role to play there as well. In a typical week of programming then, whether it's online or offline.
00:22:59
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You're delivering classes or many workshops or encouraging movement snacks. How do you structure the week to create some kind of routine? Yeah. How do we structure the week? Should we take an example? Before Corona, we had lunch classes.
00:23:25
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that we call movement classes, indoor, outdoor. In the evening we had more workshops, like learning basic weightlifting techniques, students held those classes. And in the evening we had ball sports, basketball, volleyball, stuff like that, also organized by the students. And during the day,
00:23:52
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For example, we have a mobile gym that we call it. If they can't come to us, we can come to them and we have a small setting of very simple equipment that we are transporting around the departments that they can borrow from one month. Well, that's a busy week. What about this, because I've seen also recently with some of your social media activity, you seem to have been creating these
00:24:22
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sort of promotions where for 30 days you'll promote doing daily squats or you'll promote stair use. Talk to me a bit about how you come up with these ideas or what the inspirations are and then how you put a plan together to take that to the students.
00:24:42
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It both comes from external sources, like the 100 steps. It was you, Patrick, actually, and my list, Hylianius, professor here at KI. Maybe you could talk a little bit about that. But also, it is from ourselves when it comes to squat challenge and daily tips and 30-day movement challenge.
00:25:13
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We decide that in our small group of four people. And then we plan a schedule for the social media and the website as well. And I know you've got a beautiful new vertical garden wall that certainly looks to be one of the biggest I think I've ever
Biophilia and Nature Integration
00:25:34
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seen. Like how else are you using biophilia or how do you see the role of biophilia within promoting health to the students?
00:25:43
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As Anna told you, when we started to looking at the design and the connection between movement and SDG and nature, we were quite disappointed about the fitness industry. So I think it feels so good to take this road to a more green setting in everything we do.
00:26:07
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As I told you before, the best thing is to go outside, but it's slowly, slowly progressing here. We can see it in the design, as you can see, when they build new buildings here or when they renovate here. Kay, I tried to get in more green spaces. We have the activity part. And when they have visited our small, biofit space, they see the connection between these
00:26:31
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you hand walls and they start to ask for example in Biomedicam which is a research building here and they can't really during the day come out of the house so they have been asking us for a semi-permanent biofit space which we are planning actually to put up.
00:26:54
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And that connection is fascinating then, at least from outside.
Collaboration with Academic Experts
00:26:58
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I mean, you mentioned, for example, Professor Mollie's Hellenius. I mean, these are global experts, like world-renowned experts in their fields, all within the KI. How is that relationship? Is there a dialogue?
00:27:12
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Are you able to take inspiration or guidance from the academics, the professors who are part of the organization, but obviously doing their own research, doing their own work? How much exchange is there? It's a fantastic place to be working at. That is why I've been here so, so long, because there are so many fantastic people there. So when we start pulling in one thread here, like the green
00:27:38
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green area here and health. People pop up here. There are one or two researchers that are into this now, looking into how green spaces affect your health, how we can benefit from it in design. And Myles, she's a fantastic person that has always been some sort of a protégé for us. And she is the first professor here in Sweden when it comes to lifestyle, healthy lifestyle,
00:28:08
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So when we talk to her, she has names, you know, it spreads and we get more and more context. So we are in a context where pretty much everything that the stone we lift, there are some people here at Kea that are into this. So it's like you say, we should do more about this super brain.
00:28:28
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But presumably it means you really can't, you've got to do your research as well, right? I mean, you can't claim something that isn't 100% true. You also need to be very sure about the statements you make. And our vice chancellor here, Ulepete, is really into this. So we need to have good evidence when we start on something.
Physical Activity Prescriptions at KI
00:28:55
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The president, Ole Pater Ostersson and Myles, Professor Myles Heleneus, actually started the squat challenge in our small biofit space last year. So it's great to have them, they're great promoters and they're supporters and they give strength and credibility to our work. So look, just to sort of close, perhaps I could ask each of you individually, so perhaps starting with you, what do you think has been
00:29:25
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The success that you're most proud of so far in the work that you've done, like if you look back now on the time you've been with the KI, what's the project that you think of most positively, almost fond of?
00:29:38
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Oh, it's difficult to say, but I would say it's our grit. It's to never give up and keeping to stick to our guns and take the opportunity of not being a commercial gem.
00:29:56
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actually to think twice or three times or four times and remind us of how that we are biological creatures and what we need. And the important urgent and strenuous work towards sustainable to connect sustainability to health at KI.
00:30:22
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But you say that so that it's obviously not easy. It's obviously not something that you can't just do whatever you want. Presumably you're obviously being checked and held back by some restraints, whether it's finance or space or opportunity, right? So you are having, it's a battle even internally just to make things, but you're obviously winning overall. Yeah. Yeah. We always have eyes on us. There are a lot of experts out there.
00:30:49
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And when it comes, especially comes to training, you know, everybody's an expert. So it's so important that we stick to our guns, as Anna said here. Especially when we, I think we're proud when we made the change to go from a machinery gym is one thing, when we could implement physical activity on prescription is one very good thing that we
00:31:18
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You succeeded with... How does that work? PAP. You can get a prescription when you go to the doctor, of course. You get some pills or medicine, whatever. But you could also get a prescription on physical activity. We know that physical activity could be best practice or at least a very good complement to ordinary medicine.
00:31:47
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And the prescription itself, how does it work? They'll recommend just do 30 minutes of exercise three times a week, or is there an extra layer of detail? Would they suggest strength or cardio or outdoor exercise? What level of detail does that go into? Just one thing about the dose, the frequency and the intensity. So actually, every day for a high intensity, it's better than three times a week.
00:32:17
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for a longer time and work with the large muscle groups and add some balance and strength training. Yes. It doesn't say anything about outdoor. They have it here in Sweden when it comes to rehabilitation from stress related problems, burnout syndromes and stuff like that. And there are more and more research coming out from that perspective.
00:32:47
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But right now there is no green prescription here that we have, but we tried to implement it anyway. Go outside. Patrick, Anna, thank you both very
Conclusion and Further Information
00:33:00
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much. It's been really great talking to you. How can listeners to the podcast, how can they keep in touch or follow what you guys do with the health unit there? They can visit our website on ki.se, health promotion. Very cool. All right. Thank you both. Thank you, Matt.
00:33:17
Speaker
Thank you.