These are fun and easy events that could be done within your company to motivate healthful behaviors during a contest or during other times. The goal is to encourage staff member participation. Some examples –
• Create a sub-committee of enthusiastic workers who’ll help promote the fitness program by offering ideas, suggestions and encouragement to fellow staff members.
• Develop monthly mailbox flyers to promote a contest or provide fitness-related education/encouragement information.
• Send a weekly voicemail on each participant’s telephone with encouraging wellness messages.
• Provide regular cumulative health progress reports.
• Provide low-fat or heart-healthful lunch selections once a week in your cafeteria or have workers bring a healthful snack to share, with a recipe book compiled at the end of the contest or specified time (such as a National Nutrition Month in March).
• Distribute employee gifts (pedometers or other novelty item related to some aspect of your contest theme) as registration starts.
• Allow employees “Fitness15-Minute Walk Breaks;” company time to walk, exercise, etc. When appropriate, you could use a space not currently used to set up a treadmill, elliptical bike, some free weights and meditation music.
• Hold a T-shirt design contest.
• Create posters to map contest (or fitness) progress and to serve as reminder of your objectives –
• Use push pins or other identifiers for each individual to put up in the office showing how they have progressed – employees can get very creative with this and design pins that reflect their personalities.
• Use a bar graph to compare progress.
• Use a “thermometer” kind graphic and color in progress – consider a different, fitness-related graphic all together and color it in as you progress.
• Offer aerobic dance or walking videos in your conference or break rooms.
• Compile a list of organized events in the community that offer opportunities to get workers exercising by participating as a team (below are just a few) –
• Race for the Cure
• March of Dimes Walk America event
• Juvenile Diabetes Research
• Foundation Walk to Cure
• American Heart Association’s Heart Walk
• American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life
• American Lung Association’s Lung Run
• Local marathons or special community walks or runs
• Create or attend a health-and-fitness retreat or workshop.
• Hold a soup-and-salad luncheon followed by a hula-hoop contest!
• Use the mall as an alternate walking location during inclement weather.
• Designate “Move it Mondays” – allow personnel to take an extra 10 minutes at lunchtime for exercise.
• Designate “Tasty Tuesdays” – provide workers with low-calorie treats/snacks.
• Designate “Walking Wednesdays”- allow workers to take an extra 10 minutes during lunchtime to walk, or “Wacky Wednesdays” that allow workers to explore new exercises.
• Designate “Thirsty Thursdays” – make healthy smoothies or juice drinks for workforce.
• Designate “Fresh Fruit Fridays” for staff – offer seasonal fruit treats.
• Send weekly exercise tips to workers via the most effective communications automobile in your workplace.
• Partner with another organization representative for local media events coordinated through your marketing or communication department.
• Be certain to encourage departmental teams to challenge each other (examples – Clients Service, Marketing, Medical Support).
• Start walking clubs with executive/supervisory leadership.
• Seek out local aerobic opportunities or classes through churches, community groups, college, YMCA, etc.
• Contact several local area fitness centers and ask if they can or will offer group discounts for fitness programs, waive enrollment fees, or set up a 12-week program as opposed to signing an extended contract.
• Hold a Frozen Yogurt Social – “Reap the Benefits of Fitness.”
• Map out a walking track around the building including the number of laps required for one mile.
