Get Your Office Moving For Employee Health and Fitness How? The first question that comes to mind of any employer when talking about fitness is what steps should one take to encourage employees for health, fitness, nd well-being? There are endless ideas, but here we have come up with few ideas to help employers get started:
Fitness trackers Employers must consider investing in wearables or fitness trackers. These fitness devices and applications help employees become more mindful about their health and fitness. Through these employees can easily track the amount of step take per day versus the amount of time they spend sitting. Fitness trackers are also a great way to promote fitness at the office. Employees can conduct competitions and compete against one another to see who can take the maximum steps in a month.
Company Garden Maintaining a garden near office premises will help employees get outside, breathe fresh air and exercise in a pleasant way. According to various researchers, gardening is equivalent to moderate cardiovascular exercise, and nearly 40-45 minutes of gardening can burn about 150 to 300 calories. You can involve employees in growing fresh produce which might help them in making healthier choices when it comes to their diet. Also, gardening is great for mental well-being and health and helps in reducing stress.
Healthy clubs Start some health activities at your office like health clubs or groups. Currently, walking clubs are trending in corporate wellness. Encourage walking breaks among employees that will not only help them cure their sedentary lifestyle but will also encourage them for fitness and boost productivity. Starting a company sports group is also a great idea for forming healthy clubs. Employees can have fun competing in after-hour games of softball, basketball, or any other recreational sport of their choice.
Onsite gym It’s possible to build an onsite gym at your office even with a little budget. An on-site gym makes exercise both convenient and practical for the employees. Ask employees to practice 30 minutes a day on-the-clock at the gym. If your organization can’t make an onsite gym work, try company membership at a gym which is close to the office or offer employee coupons or discounts for fitness classes and gym memberships. You can also offer employees an incentive for using a gym at work.
Outdoor activity Help employees in spending more time for outdoor activities. Conduct outdoor team walks, walking meetings, company picnics etc. as all these activities encourage physical behavior which is essential for good health. By simply replacing a 15-minute sit-down conference with a lap around the building, employers can easily promote an active lifestyle at work.
Office exercise Start off conferences and team meetings and with some light stretches and also encourage employees to use a standing desk. This will further help employees get moving and boost concentration for a more productive work life. Encourage employees for deskercise and share some simple exercise moves that employees can perform during the day at their desk.
Rethink desks According to various researches, it has been found that sedentary lifestyle is far more dangerous as compared to smoking. A conventional cubicle arrangement encourages sitting for more than eight hours a day. Hence, employees must be offered convertible desks that when required can be converted easily standing desk, as standing for more than eight hours a day is also not ideal for health. You can also offer exercise balls to your employees as a replacement for conventional chairs. Companies should invest in the health and well-being of their employees. It is very important to evaluate and build corporate wellness strategies for employee wellness. Also, employers must take time and contemplate if their company is doing enough to support and encourage healthy choices and habits among their workforce. Source: http://www.truworthwellness.com/blog/get-your-office-moving-for-employee-health-andfitness.html