This blog post was originally published in May 2017 and has since been updated to incorporate the latest data on workplace wellness plus new fitness giveaways.
A deadline approaches. An email needs to be sent. A meeting agenda awaits your review. When your office days are jam-packed, finding both the time and motivation to get moving can be tricky. How can you counter office-chair inertia and promote fitness at work? We offer wellness tips and fitness giveaways to help.
The average person sits for almost 10 hours each day. Too much sedentary time can lead to health problems, including diabetes, weight gain and anxiety.
Since the Public Health Agency of Canada recommends 2-1/2 hours of physical activity each week, encourage employees to block 30 minutes on their calendars to get up and move. Use fitness giveaways to motivate them and celebrate their milestones.
Take active breaks with health and wellness giveaways
Getting up periodically and moving around doesn’t just reduce the risk of serious health problems. By taking active breaks from the computer, employees can eliminate productivity killers, such as eye strain and repetitive stress injuries.
What kind of activity is needed to get people up and moving at work? Walking, running, yoga—or even simply standing and stretching—can help get blood pumping and muscles moving. Celebrate employees’ progress with fitness giveaways, like an Exercise Band Set.
Create fitness challenges
Whether your team is highly collaborative or competitive, pedometers and activity trackers can bring a little fun to your workplace health and wellness program. Employees don’t only see what they’ve accomplished, but they can also compare their activity with others. Create a group goal or competition so people have something to aim for; then give them an activity tracker so they can keep track of everything they do.
- For collaborative organizations, choose a team trek—say, from Toronto to Banff. The goal is for the team to log the equivalent distance between those two cities by meeting their step goals. Each kilometre a team member walks puts the team closer to the “destination.”
- For competitive teams, set an individual challenge, like walking the stairs in the CN Tower. Challenge each participant to log 144 flights of stairs—the equivalent of climbing the CN Tower—each week.
Kick your fitness challenge off with a health and wellness giveaway, like a Clearview Pedometer. Employees can use it to track the steps they’ve taken and calories burned each day up to a week, helping them see progress toward their fitness goals.
Or, take activity tracking a step further with the Tap & Track Pedometer Watch. This fitness watch is a great health and wellness giveaway that’s water-resistant and doesn’t need an app, extra software or a smartphone to work.
Utilize small spaces with fitness giveaways
When employees don’t have a good place to go for a walk—or the weather’s lousy—fitness giveaways that make a quick, small-space workout possible can be very helpful.
For great cardio that gets team members’ blood pumping, the Calorie Counter Jump Rope works wonders. This useful workout tool displays the number of jumps and has a built-in timer, perfect for setting up a quick workout.
For a calming, steady way to increase flexibility and improve balance, encourage employees to make stretching a part of their daily routine with a Fitness Mat with Carrying Case. Hand out a laminated sheet of stretches employees can do on their own, or set up a space where people can perform yoga together. An atrium or conference room provides a perfect space.
It’s never too late to get fit
Help your team feel fit and healthy by promoting workplace wellness. Fitness giveaways are ideal for kicking off new health challenges or rewarding milestones. And when you draw attention to your team’s fitness wins, you encourage others to get up and get moving. Let the endorphin rush begin! If you’re looking for even more ideas, read this post about mental health and wellness in the workplace.