A step challenge can be a fun way of engaging the workforce and improving everyone’s health. Exercise can be a scary word for some as they often associate it with pain or fatigue. On the other hand, walking does not have the same connotation. People do it every day anyway. Yet walking is actually one of the best exercises for good cardiovascular health with minimal joint impact. Virtually everyone can participate in this office challenge. Make it even more engaging by rewarding the efforts of the best performers. The competition can help push people do more than they thought they could.
Most Steps by an Individual
You can give out individual awards for the employees that tallied the most steps as logged in the official pedometers or whatever measuring device has been approved by the board. Make sure that the rules are clear so that participants can accept the results. It should be fair to all concerned so as to encourage effort knowing that their hard work counts. Make the daily charts publicly viewable for transparency. This can also help in driving interest in the project.
Most Steps by a Team
You can add teamwork to the equation by providing prizes to the top teams. It takes concerted effort among individuals to win against all of the other teams vying for the rewards and recognition. This can be a great way for coworkers to bond and have fun doing it. For example, they may start walking together in the mornings and afternoons. They might even spend weekends at the park trying to rack up higher stats while chatting about life or strategizing about work-related projects.
Highest Average Steps by a Department
Indeed, you can even give out rewards to the best performing department in this step challenge. This is an even greater organizational challenge that should be fun for the heads to lead. Since different departments have different numbers of people, the absolute number of steps may not be a good determinant of the winner. Instead, consider getting the average number of steps which is the total divided by the participants.
Biggest Weight Loss by an Individual
Finally, you may also award prizes to achievements that are byproducts of the step challenge. You can take everyone’s weight in the beginning and give a reward to the biggest weight loss recorded at the end. Aside from moving more, they may begin to eat healthier to win which is always a good thing. The step challenge can run for a month or more. Hopefully, the health improvements can be sustained even when it is all over.