How Alexandra Forrest is helping improve the physical wellbeing of remote workers

The physical wellbeing of home workers has been overlooked during the pandemic with many people being more inactive than they’ve ever been, according to the founder of a new employee wellness business.

Alexandra Forrest set up Wakefield-based Your Fitness Network (YFN) in May 2021 with the aim of helping SMEs in Yorkshire offer a competitive wellbeing scheme as an employee benefit.

Ms Forrest believes that the pandemic has led to a lot more people becoming less active with more employees working from home.

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She told The Yorkshire Post: “They have stepped out of their everyday routine – walking to the train station or from the car park to the office or walking out for lunch. People are just at home. They aren’t moving anywhere near as much as they need to.”

Alexandra Forrest set up Wakefield-based YFN in May 2021.Alexandra Forrest set up Wakefield-based YFN in May 2021.
Alexandra Forrest set up Wakefield-based YFN in May 2021.

The 30-year-old feels that the Government should be doing more to encourage people to get active.

“It’s great that the Government has noticed that mental health and wellbeing is a thing and they are offering loads of stuff on that side,” she says. “But I still think that there isn’t much out there available for people to help them move and to encourage them to move more.”

Prior to setting up YFN, Ms Forrest worked in a variety of business-to-business sales and account management roles for over a decade.

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Her interest in fitness came after she went through a “major mental trauma” a few years ago. Ms Forrest’s “coping mechanism was exercise”.

Her interest in fitness came after she went through a “major mental trauma” a few years ago.Her interest in fitness came after she went through a “major mental trauma” a few years ago.
Her interest in fitness came after she went through a “major mental trauma” a few years ago.

“People aren’t aware of the power of exercise and the effects it has on our mental health and overall health,” she said.

YFN works with coaches, trainers and nutritionists on a subcontractor basis. They head into businesses to work with groups of people or even on a one-to-one basis.

The firm has also created an app, which hosts interactive workouts for remote and hybrid working businesses.

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Ms Forrest said: “This is to help employers keep their workforce more active throughout and after the pandemic. There are all sorts of different parts to this app.

“You can connect your smartwatch. There is a real time leaderboard so you can compete with your colleagues, you can see targets, how many calories you burn. There are lots of different incentives to get people to join as well.”

Classes are led by qualified personal trainers and coaches. The app also has a workout library.

“Currently we do pilates, yoga, HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts and circuit workouts.

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“They have been specifically designed to make sure that every single employee, no matter what their health background, can carry out these exercises.”

YFN is in talks with a major fashion chain to provide live workouts and health checks for its employees.

Ms Forrest is looking to target businesses that have adopted remote or hybrid working and have a mainly sedentary workforce.

Firms would benefit from a more productive and efficient workforce, the founder of YFN says.

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She added: “It has been shown and proven that physical health and wellbeing is connected to our productivity at work and outside of work as well.

“I believe that every single employer deserves to have a more productive workforce.

“This is why I have created this brand that is actually really affordable for smaller businesses as well. Everybody needs a healthy, productive workforce. I think it is crucial that we put a plan like this in place in the workplace.”

For more information on YFN, visit www.yfnglobal.com.

Enjoying a healthy lifestyle

Alexandra Forrest has a level five diploma in nutrition and diet and is also a qualified health coach.

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Ms Forrest was born in Budapest, Hungary. She moved to the UK when she was 19-years-old.

Her aim with YFN is to help as many people as possible live healthier lives.

She said: “I’m just passionate about helping people live a healthier and better life without going on fad diets, without restricting themselves.

“I want to educate and teach people how to live a healthy life. Healthy doesn’t mean skinny or anything like that. I want to get to as many people as possible via YFN.”

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James Mitchinson