| Can comfortable clothing make your healthier? | | | | procedure for two weeks. |
| We know from our own day-to-day experiences, | | | | Interestingly, casual clothes resulted in more |
| that casual wear FEELS better. Flip-flops are more | | | | activity. When the study's participants wore casual |
| comfortable than wingtip or high-heel shoes. | | | | clothes, they took an average of almost 500 |
| T-shirts feel more comfortable than button-up | | | | more steps on Casual Day. In fact, they walked |
| dress shirts. And yes, pajamas feel more | | | | an average of 2.85 miles on Casual Day, and 2.64 |
| comfortable than chicken suits. Yet the question | | | | miles on Dress-Up Day! Interestingly, this |
| remains: can comfy attire actually improve our | | | | translated into the participants burning 25 extra |
| health? You might be surprised. | | | | calories on Casual Day, due to the longer distance |
| More and more employers are moving away | | | | they walked. Thus, not only did the casual clothing |
| from the traditional workplace attire--shirts and | | | | make the participants more prone to walk-it also |
| ties, and blouses and skirts. Studies and logic tell | | | | made them healthier! |
| us that when employees are more comfortable, | | | | What would be the long-term effects of wearing |
| the quality of their work improves. In fact, many | | | | casual clothing to work? Workers could burn 125 |
| employers are allowing their workers to wear | | | | extra calories each week and 6,260 calories each |
| casual clothing during the entire workweek-and | | | | year! This is particularly good news, as the calories |
| not just on "Casual Fridays." | | | | burned could counter the average amount of |
| In one recent study, researchers wanted to learn | | | | weight that adult Americans gain annually. |
| if casual work clothes influenced workers' level of | | | | What did the researchers conclude? During the |
| physical activity. The results from the study | | | | last quarter of a century, our hectic lifestyles and |
| demonstrated that this indeed is true. The | | | | technological breakthroughs have caused many of |
| American Council on Exercise (ACE), a | | | | us to live sedimentary lifestyles. However, |
| not-for-profit advocate for fitness, conducted the | | | | wearing casual clothing in our workplaces proves |
| study. They discovered that wearing comfortable | | | | the power of suggestion, encouraging us to be |
| clothing to work results in higher levels of physical | | | | more active. For instance, medical personnel who |
| activity in day-to-day tasks, than wearing | | | | wear comfortable scrubs, such as cheap urbane |
| "standard" business clothing, does. | | | | scrubs, are more prone to perform their duties |
| What was the nitty-gritty of the study? | | | | faster and better. |
| Researchers from a university of Wisconsin (La | | | | Turning "standard" work attire into casual work |
| Crosse) used 53 healthy people with an average | | | | attire creates several results. Besides being more |
| age of 42-years-old, in their study. The | | | | comfy, such as in the case of scrubs, it makes |
| participants in the study would wear a pedometer | | | | workers more active. That consequently makes |
| during two days in a week. One day they would | | | | them healthier. And ultimately, healthy workers |
| wear casual clothing, such as jeans. Then during | | | | are better workers. If you feel more comfortable |
| the other day, they would wear "standard" work | | | | at work, then you will feel more like working! |
| clothing. The participants would follow this | | | | |