Organizing a Workplace Fitness Program

A workplace fitness program can be a fantastic way for co-workers to help support and encourage each other. Talk to your supervisor about starting a program. Once you get the okay, here are some ideas to help your office workout group get up and running.

1. Announce and publicize.

Create an eye-catching announcement to post around the office and print it on brightly colored paper. Put your announcement up in prominent positions: around the water cooler, on the doors of the restrooms, and in the snack room. Make sure that the message is clear so that readers will understand the goals and aims of the group. Be clear in the instructions: Are you holding a brief meeting to kick things off or do you want interested parties to email you? Be sure to include your contact information.

2. Talk it up!

Discuss the workplace fitness program with co-workers and ask if they are interested. Find out why or why not, and then let them know that the first meeting is all about identifying individual needs and figuring out the format that will work best for everyone. If your company or group has a newsletter, insert a brief item about the fitness group and invite all interested parties.

3. Make it fun for everyone.

An office fitness group is primarily about supporting and encouraging each other in individual exercise goals, so never let it become overly intense or competitive. Participating in an extracurricular group with co-workers should build rapport with one another. Incorporate some fun challenges into your group plan to keep the mood light. For example, offer appropriate prizes (such as pedometers and other fitness accessories) for the member who completes the most exercise time in a week. Brainstorm ideas with your group and come up with what fits the overall group best.

4. Keep the group on track.

For a workplace fitness program to work, you have to be committed to the goals of fitness and health. When co-workers meet in social settings the talk can quickly go from fitness-related to work issues and gossip. Your group will probably need a nominal leader to keep discussions on track and simply manage the group’s activities. You will probably be chosen if you initiated the group, but the job can be shared by two or more people. The leader essentially directs the group and oversees meetings. Some groups actually work out together while others simply hold each other accountable for time spent exercising whichever direction your group chooses, meet about once a week to get the maximum benefit from each other’s encouragement.

5. Participate in a worthy cause.

Many fundraising efforts frequently rely on the efforts of corporate organizations to provide financing for charitable causes. Office teams can participate in fitness challenges and raise support from within the company that then goes to support the work of non-profit organizations. This is a fantastic way to get fit and do good at the same time.