How to Start a Workplace Wellness Challenge

People usually regard the time spent at work as wasted time in the context of physical activity. We are simply used to being inactive from 9 to 5, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Time spent in the office can be used for fitness as there are numerous ways to stay fit even while you work. The key to unlocking a truly active workday consists of learning all the ways you can exercise while at work and of course the hard part: getting started. The latter depends on your willpower, but once you read all the examples of how you can stay active, you will be eager to start. Remember, workplace fitness is before all a challenge. It is not about the individual, but the collective coming together and trying to be physically as active as possible. Realizing the preset goals together will be the motivational force to drive each individual forward.

Ditch the car

Start a Workplace Wellness Challenge – Ditch the car

People who commute by train or bus probably lack other transportation options. The same could not be said for those who drive to work. If you commute within the same city, then you can try waking or even better, cycling to work at least once a week. People from the human resources department are bound to take notice of this and perhaps offer to pay you for new bike tires or purchase new lights for you. Some company’s even run cycle to work schemes in which they themselves provide bikes for their executives and workers alike.

Take the stairs

Start a Workplace Wellness Challenge – Take the stairs

Elevators have made our lives so much easy, but they have deprived us of the opportunity to stay active while at work. If you’re on the 21^st floor, of course, you are not going to avoid the elevator altogether, but it couldn’t hurt to use the stairs now and then (when returning from work). On the other hand, if your office is not on a very high floor, like the 4^th, then using the stairs every day can be a challenge to tackle. In fact, there could be a chart near the end of the staircase which the employees who took the stairs that day can sign in. At the end of each month, the person who has been walking the most would collect the prize in the form of a lunch or a day off.

Eat healthy

Start a Workplace Wellness Challenge – Eat healthy

Perhaps the most challenging thing you and your colleagues can agree to do is to try and eat healthy at work. Since you might lack the time to cook something, the only other option is junk food, or is it? Believe it or not, the pizza is not the only thing that gets delivered to your office. Nowadays there are numerous healthy food delivery companies that prepare and deliver meals to your office. By adopting healthy food plans, not only do you satisfy your hunger, but you supply your body with necessary proteins for muscle growth. Actually, a healthy diet consisting of cooked food is the prerequisite for the successful completion of all other fitness challenges.

Drink plenty of water

A healthy diet is only one part of the picture, the other being drinking enough water. Our body is comprised of some 2/3 water, so it is essential to rehydrate every day. The recommended amount ranges from 2 to 4 liters a day, but this is often disregarded as people drink only a glass or two a day. Make a deal with your coworkers to make pauses near the water cooler and chat while you take sips of water. This could be the next social hotspot, obviating the need for the trip to the local pub after work.

On their side, the company could provide each employee with a reusable water bottle for them to carry at all times. In addition, room can be made in the communal refrigerator for water bottles alone. Finally, other drinks, like soda pops, could be supplanted by water bottles in the cafeteria and the vending machine. The trick to drinking enough water each day is supplanting fizzy and alcoholic drinks with a glass of water.

Take up sport

Start a Workplace Wellness Challenge – Take up sport

Teamwork is really something that should be built into a healthy lifestyle. You can join a local sports club with your colleagues, or even better, form your own team. There are “business” leagues in every sport so you could complete under the company’s name and logo. They would sponsor you and in return, you would make them famous, at least locally. The choice of sports you can compete in is wide, from rugby to basketball, from darts to bowling. It is really up to you and your colleagues to decide which sport you all like.

If you fancy a good challenge, then staying fit while at work is the thing for you. Get your colleagues and management interested in the topic and suggest to them the categorize we described. You will be eating healthy and shooting hoops under the auspices of your employer in no time!