Between working full time, caring for kids, participating in family or social activities, and volunteering, exercise can be the first thing people put off. The day only has so many hours. Unfortunately, many Americans spend the bulk of their work week sitting behind a desk or otherwise being inactive. According to statistics gathered by the Department of Health and Human Services, less than five percent of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day and only one in three adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week. A lack of exercise affects your metabolism and leads to weight gain over time.
Because we spend so many of our awake hours at work, practicing healthy habits at work is so important. This is why companies that care about their employees promote and prioritize employee wellness.
Here is some tips our Kamps team recommends to prioritize health and wellness at work.
- Get up and move! Set an alarm every hour or so to get up and take a few laps around the office, or on your lunch break grab your tennis shoes and take a 30-minute walk outside. You can also relocate items such as trash bins or printers to the center of your office to encourage and your co-workers and yourself to get up and walk more frequently.
- Hydrate! Water, water, water! Make sure your office or workspace has water available at all times by providing water in bottles or water coolers to employees. Regular water breaks help keep energy levels and brain function up.
- Change the snack standard – Pizza, donuts and bagels are the most common items people order for birthdays or office meetings, but why? Help influence the mindset in your office building by bringing in fruit or other healthy snacks to munch of during a meeting or to celebrate an office birthday.
- Walk your meetings – Who said meetings have to be at table? If you have an upcoming meeting, try going for a walk around business instead of sitting down in a conference room.
- Offer incentives – with the New Year coming up, run a fitness challenge or offer employees a stipend for a membership at a local gym. This could be the extra push they need to get moving and add exercise to their lives!
The World Health Organization guidelines recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. When you divide it out, that’s 30 minutes, 5 times a week – which sounds pretty doable! By implementing some or all of the above tips, you can improve employee wellness help the people around you get more of the exercise they need to stay well or become healthier in 2019.
