Q&A
It is an assessment of your desk-based working environment to ensure that the workstation is fitted to you correctly.
A correctly fitted workstation will maximise work efficiency and minimise the risk of injury or pain from prolonged working in the same posture.
The Corefulness® Work programme is for any individual who is sitting or standing at a desk-based working environment for longer than one hour, regularly throughout the week. They are classified as “Display Screen Equipment Users”.
Yes. If a company employs more than five employees then they have a legal obligation to provide an ergonomic workstation assessment, under the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Display Screen Equipment (DSE) regulations 1992 (amended 2002).
Ideally, an assessment should be carried out once a year. If there is a change in an individual’s capability; there is a change in an individual’s workstation or if an individual becomes pregnant, then the ergonomic assessment should be carried out sooner.
The programme is divided into three modules.:
- Active Module: The Corefulness® Work Active Module is a video-based programme which teaches you about correct posture and anatomy; how to set up your workstation correctly; software settings to minimise repetitive strain injuries (RSI); how to plan your work activities and your entitlements as a desk-based workstation user.
- Ergonomic Assessment: The Corefulness® Assessment guides you through the workstation setup; highlights areas of your workstation that require focus as well as particular equipment required to ensure your workstation meets specific requirements.
- Evolve Module: The Corefulness® Work Evolve Module gives you access to short exercise programmes to stretch and mobilise the body during movement breaks in your day.
- Active Module: The Active Module , consists of nine short videos lasting approximately 20 minutes.
- Ergonomic Assessment: Assuming the workstation is compliant, the ergonomic assessment takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.
- Evolve Module: Assuming each of the four exercise programmes are watched as a whole, the videos last approximately 28 minutes. The exercise programmes are: (1) Pause and Refresh (2) Stretches (3) Dynamic (4) Stair based.
Whilst the videos can be watched as a whole, consider following one or two exercise programmes throughout the day to increase the heart rate and alleviate tightness in the back and neck.
Once you have registered, start by watching the Active Module videos (approx 20 minutes), which demonstrate how to set up and work effectively within the desk-based working environment. As the videos progress, consider pausing each recording and altering your workstation or alternatively you can wait to make alterations during the ergonomic assessment. Mark each video as complete once you have watched it.
Having watched and completed the videos, you will have access to the Ergonomic Assessment. Work through each question systematically and alter the workstation as you progress. If you require any equipment to make your workstation compliant then add items to your “Wish List”.
Use the Evolve Module to keep you stretched and moving during your day.
Look at the Quick Tips for ergonomics for advice on how to manage time and minimise stress on the body when working in the desk based environment.
Yes. The videos in the Active Module form part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Display Screen Assessment (DSE) Regulations 1992 (amended 2002) that an employer provides their employees as part of their legal requirement.
Consider allocating time during your working day to sit and watch the videos (approx 20 minutes).
The Corefulness® Work module costs £19.99 to an individual user. Those purchasing a multiple licence will be offered a discount at checkout depending on the number of users. Click here to sign up.
As an employer: Please add the number of licences that you require on the Corefulness® Work Module page and check out. You will be able to add a group name on checkout and your group dashboard will be created. You can then log into the site and go to your profile to manage your user group. From the user group you can invite, re-invite, delete and manage your users. There is an import facility for larger lists from this dashboard. Once your users have started their programme and assessment you will be able to see their certificates and product wishlists.
As an employee: As an employee, once your company has registered you will receive an email from your group leader prompting you to login and access the Work module.
As an individual: Please go to the Corefulness® Work Module page and check out as an individual. You can then log into the site and go to your profile to manage your programme and assessment.
Once you have access to your group dashboard, you will be able to add or import your employee emails and send a request for them to join the programme.
The Ergonomic Assessment results can be found on the profile page, located at the top of the website. Select the Corefulness® Work section. Press the ‘expand’ button to view your Ergonomic Assessment results, view your Certificate and Wish List. Tick on the icons or links to open each page.
For maximum benefit, the Corefulness® in Schools programme should be adopted by school and practiced by the children everyday.
The exercise programme starts in Reception and continues to Key Stage 5, ensuring children build on core stability, strength and flexibility as they develop and their needs grow.
Corefulness® in schools during the early years, focuses on vital movement patterns and exercises that can be integrated into both the classroom and P.E lessons.
Corefulness® in schools at Key Stage 2 focuses on the development of awareness and the strengthening of the four key core muscles within the body, along with important stretching and balance work. Correct postural development and strengthening is vital as a child grows to support the body. In this Key Stage, the programme provides formal teaching of the correct running technique to ensure alignment and stability during an activity used on a daily basis. The classroom programmes stimulate the body and mind which aids concentration during lessons.
During Key Stage 3 many children experience their largest growth spurt. Corefulness® in schools will support children and provide them with the tools to maintain flexibility and boost stability in the classroom as well as minimise the potential of adolescent musculoskeletal problems due to lack of correct warm up and weakness on the games field. Children will learn how to progress their running technique as a life-long skill.
Corefulness® for Key Stage 4 recognises that children will be encouraged to develop independent learning skills as they prepare for GCSEs. Corefulness® can not only be used in the classroom setting and during formal P.E lessons but also as a resource for students as they work independently. Children will be able to access ergonomic advice which can be applied in their different working environments, as well as gain advice regarding independent physical training with age appropriate video-based exercise regimes.
As young adults, Key Stage 5 Corefulness® recognises the need to develop skills for life. At this Stage, the programme provides access to resources regarding physical training, injury awareness and prevention, diet, health and posture. They can access video based exercise regimes with correct warm up and stretching for core control, running, weight training, body toning, circuit training etc.
Corefulness® in Schools will ensure school leavers are equipped with the resources to maximise their individual potential both physically and emotionally whilst being provided with the gift to develop a life-long love of exercise and well being.
Once an employee has watched all the videos in the Active Module and completed the Ergonomic Assessment, results detailing any aspects of the workstation that are non-compliant, will automatically be available to you on your profile page in the user group section.
You can access each users progress and results from the dashboard. There are links to certificates and product wishlists.
To ensure each workstation is compliant, all employees have the option to email a copy of their Amazon linked product “Wishlist” to you, their employer, who can purchase the products. They can either do this by emailing a copy of their certificate or they can go directly to their wishlist and “share” it via email with you, their employer.
Employees will need to repeat the Ergonomic Assessment once new equipment arrives to ensure they have a fully compliant workstation.
A certificate is generated to ensure compliance can be recorded easily. This can be kept in an employees HR file and highlights if any areas of the workstation are non-compliant. Employers can access results for all employees from their group dashboard, alternatively an employee can send their results on as illustrated in point 14 above.
Employers have a group dashboard that allows them to invite employees to join the program and take part. You can invite and re-invite staff once your group is set up. Additionally, you can remove staff that have left and update your staff list to keep it up to date.
The Ergonomic Assessment is designed to ensure your workstation is compliant. As you work through the Assessment, any recommended equipment will automatically be displayed. You have the option to add items to your “Wish List”. The wish list is connected directly to Amazon.co.uk, and can be shared directly with your employer.
Once you receive the equipment, please re-do the Ergonomic Assessment to ensure that the equipment is set up correctly and your workstation is fully compliant. You will be issued with a new certificate showing full compliance.
Each licence is valid for one year. Users can login to the programme as many times as required, providing they use the same email address. Any email updates can be managed from an individual profile for individual programme licences, or from an employers group dashboard.
You can access your wishlist of products from your profile page. Here you can manage your product preferences and either add items to your basket, or send a copy of your wishlist to your purchasing manager to request they purchase the items for you. You can access your shopping basket at any time from the top right hand corner of the site. Simply click on the shopping basket.
The daily exercises are in the Evolve Module. Under Corefulness® Programmes, please select Evolve Module. Choose between the following four daily exercise programmes:
- Pause and Refresh (5 minutes)
- Stretches (6 minutes)
- Dynamic (6 minutes)
- Stair based stretches (9 minutes)
Consider a short break every 40 minutes, and follow the desk-based exercises, found within the Evolve module. You do not need to follow the whole programme but you may choose just to complete a couple of the exercises at a time.
Consider following the dynamic exercises or stair-based exercise programme during a lunch break to keep your body moving and increase your cardiovascular activity.
Every 20 minutes for 20 seconds focus on an object at least 20 metres away.
The 20-20-20 rule encourages you to look away from your screen every 20 minutes for 20 seconds and focus on an object at least 20 metres away. This ensures the muscles holding the lens of your eye can relax and work at a different focal length.
It is too easy to focus on the screen for too long which can result in eyestrain and headaches. Regular short bursts of long-distance focus can help to minimise this eyestrain.
Consider setting an alarm on your computer as a 20:20:20 reminder.
Our bodies were designed to move. Sitting still for long periods of time causes strain and tightness within the body. Keeping the body moving will minimise injury that can occur from prolonged sustained postures.
Every 40 minutes consider standing up and sitting down five times; walking to get a glass of water or perform a couple of the daily exercises found in the Evolve Module.
Yes.
The Foundation Programme: is a six week, video-based, core strengthening programme. It is available to all users. Please login and register for free. This is an excellent course providing a safe core strengthening programme for people of all ages and physical abilities.
The Running Programme: can be purchased for £9.99 and provides runners with useful information and exercise regimes to improve running technique in order to maximise efficiency and minimise injury.
The running programme is of benefit to keen sports mens and women interested in increasing endurance and maximising power in both team sports and individual events.
The Schools Programme: The Schools Programme provides children with video based classroom exercises and age specific sports warm up routines. Existing users have identified benefits to include increased concentration levels in the classroom and a greater awareness of muscle movement and strength on the sports children’s body shape and muscles mature.
If you are a parent or guardian or you are aware of schools that may be interested in this progressive course, please make an enquiry.
Corefulness® Classroom Module: Children will follow a 3-5 minute video-based exercise programme in their classroom at their desk. There are two programmes for each day Monday to Friday. We recommend the first video is started before the first morning lesson and the second video is started after lunch, before the afternoon lessons begin.
Corefulness® P.E Session Warm-Up Module: P.E staff will guide chidren through the Corefulness® warm-up at the start of each P.E session.
Yes, there is an introduction video for each age group. For Key Stage 2 and above it is important that the children watch the introduction video at least 3 or 4 times to understand what stability muscles are and where they are located in the body.
Corefulness® Classroom Module: The video programmes are approximately 3-5 minutes long and are repeated twice a day, before morning lessons commence and before lessons start again after lunch.
Corefulness® P.E Session Warm-Up Module: The programme takes approximately 6-7 minutes and is completed before each P.E/ games session.
We recommend before morning lessons commence and before the lesson after lunch.
Corefulness® in Schools provide each year group with age-specific exercises in both the classroom and P.E warm-up sessions.
Reception and Key Stage 1: These sessions comprise exercises which move the body, stretch and strengthen, improve balance, cross-midline activities, finger dexterity and eye coordination to encourage the body and brain to be engaged and exercises to mature primitive reflexes.
Key Stage 2: These sessions comprise exercises which move the body, stretch and strengthen, improve balance, strengthen core stability muscles, cross-midline activities and eye coordination to encourage the body and brain to be engaged and exercises to mature primitive reflexes.
Key Stage 3: These sessions comprise exercises which improve core stability, flexibility, strength and balance, which is especially important for the growing adolescent body.
Key Stage 4: These sessions comprise exercises which progress core stability, flexibility, strength and balance in order to support the growing body. Ergonomic advice and exercises for the eyes and body help to reduce the impact of sitting in a sedentary position for long periods of time, and the knock on effect of increased screen use.
Key Stage 5: These exercises provide warm up procedures, stretching, core stability, running, weight training, body toning and circuit training. The programme provides a resource for life enhancing techniques to adopt once they leave school and more to further education and the workplace.
Yes. All the exercises are pre-recorded.Children follow a child performing each exercise.
Yes.There is one example exercise shown before each exercise begins, allowingchildren the opportunity to know which exercise is next.
The exercise is demonstrated as a mirror image and so it easier for the children to follow.
Each child needs to be able to stand with their feet wide and arms outstretched and not touch another child .
Yes.These exercises are always at the end of the routine and there is a pause and a slide to inform the children they need their chairs.
Year Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 follow the same exercises every week. Key Stages 2 and above follow a two week rolling exercise programme to bring more variety.
Year Reception and Key Stage 1: The P.E warm-up exercises focus on flexibility, balance and strength and movement patterns which are specifically designed to integrate and mature retained primitive reflexes.
Key Stage 2: The P.E warm-up exercises focus on core stability, flexibility, balance and strength using movement patterns to coordinate muscle activation within specific muscle groups.
Key Stages 3, 4, 5: Most children experience their largest growth spurt from KS3 and therefore P.E warm-up focuses on stretching muscles which will be put under tension due to growth. Specific exercises enhance strength and core stability by activating muscles which support the body in preparation for sport.
We are all born with reflexes in our body called Primitive Reflexes. They should only remain active for the first year of life and then they are replaced by postural reflexes which control balance, coordination and sensory motor development.
In some children these reflexes are not integrated in the first year of life and are retained. This can affect a child’s ability to learn, to move their body in coordinated patterns, to enable correct eye-movement and can reduce their ability to interact socially.
Each primitive reflex is related to specific movement patterns.If the body is taken through the specific patterns then retained reflexes can be integrated and normal postural reflexes can mature.
The Corefulness® schools programme integrates specific age related movement patterns which stimulate the nervous system and retrain muscle groups and neural connections.
The exercises include balance, stretching and strengthening and specific movement patterns to encourage brain activation and integration of primitive reflexes.
Core Stability muscles are muscles in our bodies which are located close to our skeleton and provide stability at the joints.
There are four key core stability muscles in our bodies which link the knee to the hip, the hip to the pelvis, the pelvis to the spine and the spine to our arms.
If stability muscles are strong then our movement muscles can work efficiently to move us.
Even children who are functioning at a very high physical level can have evidence of retained primitive reflexes. This may display in children as weak, uncoordinated eyes and lack of dexterity and weakness in hands.
These issues can be very subtle and only recognised by professionals. By integrating eye coordination exercises and finger dexterity exercises into the Corefulness® in Schools programme these weaknesses can be strengthened especially if they are targeted in the first five years of school life.The Programme assists teaching staff to help identify issues more easily in children who are having difficulty with these exercises.
In a growing digital society, children are now expected to work at computers from a much younger age. The Pandemic and increased screen time has amplified this.If children adopt poor seated posture at a time when their bodies are growing and maturing, they are at risk of damaging their bodies.
Correct seated ergonomics minimises the risk of injury from prolonged sitting and ensures children have the tools to provide good ergonomic practices for life.
It is vital that children are warmed up correctly for P.E and games sessions to maximise correct muscle activity and minimise injury.
All children will benefit from age related P.E warm-up sessions.Where there are no dedicated sports staff, the warm up sessions provide a targeted syllabus to follow.
The exercises are chosen specifically to facilitate muscles to work together, enhance flexibility, promote stability and balance.
Age related P.E warm-up sessions are important because as the body progresses from childhood through adolescence to young adulthood the relative stability and flexibility of the body changes.
Young children require age-related exercises to mature potential retained primitive reflexes, enhance flexibility and balance.
As older children mature, age related exercises are ntial to ensure muscle flexibility is maintained and strength is enhanced. Core stability is key to efficient muscle work and peak performance. Prior to exercise, muscles must be activated so that they work correctly during exercise and the risk of injury is minimised.
Corefulness® Classroom Module: The exercises are video based. In the classroom children follow the videos in real time.
Corefulness® P.E Session Warm-Up Module: For the Pwa m up-up sessions, videos are available for teachers (and children) to watch and learn correct technique. The exercises are available as a list, providing staff with a quick reference guide to teach the children the warm-up exercises at the start of their P.E or games session.
The Corefulness® programme is important to support the developing body from childhood, through to adolescence and young adulthood.
Following a structured, progressive programme of motor and sensory training can help to maximise core stability, strength, flexibility and coordination not only supports the body but engages the brain for learning and therefore improves learning outcomes.
Go to the Corefulness.com website, select the schools tab, press the ‘apply now’ button and fill in the details and one of the Corefulness® team will be in contact.
Once aschool has Registered, teaching staff will receive an email inviting them to sign up to Corefulness.com.You will then have access to the schools module.
No, you need a WiFi connection to access the videos.
The best way to inform parents about the Corefulness® Schools module is to send them a link to these Questions and Answers. We hope they have provided you with all the information you need but please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Group Licences: If you would like to purchase multiple user licenses for the Corefulness® Work Programme please do the following:
- Click on the User Groups button and enter the number of licences you wish to purchase.
- If you wish to customise your group name please enter it in the field provided, and click add to basket.
- You will receive an email confirmation of your purchase and you can then log in to start managing your group.
- 1-4 licences £19.99 per user
- 5-10 licences £17.99 per user
- 11-50 licences £16.99 per user
- 50+ licences £15.99 per user
- Contact us for pricing if you require more than 200 users
