Walking Worksite Wellness Programs
Walking Worksite Wellness Programs are among of the most popular Worksite Wellness Programs. They set the bar for entry fairly low – most anyone can walk around the block or their building – and walking Worksite Wellness Programs also provides staff members with a good way to break up the afternoon doldrums and interact in a casual, more social environment with other staff members. Just leaving your desk for a few minutes every day for a walk can be a big stress reliever – and stress is the second leading cause of absenteeism, according to Worksite Wellness Program statistics.
As a first step to starting your Worksite Wellness Program, we recommend that you have a designer draw up an attractive map of your corporate campus or vicinity. Plan out and test a few short walks of varying distances, and using a pedometer and watch, figure out how long each walk is in time and distance. Have a little fun with your walking Worksite Wellness Program by equating each walk with a common office activity of the same duration, like a writing a one-page status report or filling out a common form. Post the map at the worksite and make sure people know about walking Worksite Wellness Programs by using your office communication channels – newsletters, announcements, business meetings. Keep it fun by building weight-loss teams, setting up races or organizing healthy picnics and athletic activities around the walking Worksite Wellness Programs route.
Following are some other walking Worksite Wellness Programs tips from Tom Weede, author of The Entrepreneur Diet: The On-the-Go Plan for Fitness, Weight Loss, and Healthy Living:
Make sure to link the walking Worksite Wellness Program to work objectives. Employees need to be reassured that these walks are part of their responsibility to be healthy and productive. They’re not personal errands that need to be compensated for by longer days at the office.
Keep healthy snacks at the worksite.
Reinforce the walking Worksite Wellness Program message by regularly mentioning it during worker meetings
Set up a health-related benefit that walking Worksite Wellness Programs participants can use for health-related expenses.