Ready, set, go! Here are the benefits of activity challenges at work

In Europe, more than a third of the adult population is not sufficiently physically active – a health risk that is now being compared to smoking. And the benefits of being active are enormous. So how can you increase everyday physical activity among employees in your company? One fun and effective way is to organize activity challenges.

A physically active person is better at handling stress, experiences less worry, anxiety and depression, and also feels less physical pain. Being active also has positive effects on memory, concentration and creativity. People who are physically active simply gain many positive effects in other areas of health as well – as shown by a large body of research in the field.

The advantages of actively working to increase the general activity level among employees are therefore many, and it is an important part of preventive health efforts. But how do you get someone who is physically inactive to actually change their behavior? One simple and enjoyable way is to arrange different types of activity competitions.

An activity competition means that the company starts a challenge together that encourages increased physical activity. You can compete in teams against each other, as a company working toward a shared goal, or individually, each on their own. Common competition formats include step challenges, workout challenges, or standing up to work for a certain number of weeks.

In Wellr’s activity competitions, we use a system that is very similar to golf handicaps, where everyone can compete on equal terms. A person who is usually less physically active receives a handicap compared to someone who is used to exercising a lot. What we actually measure is the change in physical activity.

We also use other motivational factors to inspire staff to be active. By giving employees Wellr points for each completed task, you create a form of gamification, which in turn helps more people want to join and take part. By working in this way, we manage to engage people who normally would not participate in this type of activity.