The health benefits
Obviously the big reason most of our customers start their walking and step count challenges are the immediate health benefits to their participants. Walking is considered one of the best forms of exercise out there but is often overlooked. Walking is a low impact exercise that is accessible to almost everyone and can help a broad range of people for whom running and other strenuous exercise may not be an option. Not to mention it doesn't require any expensive equipment or gadgets either!
Mental wellbeing
While the immediate health benefits might be obvious, walking can also have a significant impact on a persons mental health and wellbeing. Daily walks have shown to increase creative output, attention spans and jovial moods, while lowering tension, anxiety and depression. This is extra effective when your mind is allowed to wonder and take in the nature and scenes around you.
Social
Unlike a lot of other forms of exercise, walking is ideal for spending time with others and enjoying a good chat. In an increasing age of social isolation, walking is a great excuse to arrange some time with a friend or colleague you have't seen in a while and to grab a coffee while you're out.
Easily increasing your workout
There are plenty of cheap and easy ways to increase your workout when walking. For instance, why not try adding some weights to make the muslces work harder, or try a greater incline such as hillwalking or a inclined treadmill!
Employee step count challenges
A core reason for the development of Big Team Challenge was a way of helping companies find a way to help relieve some of the stress that comes with working in an office environment. In the last 30 years there has been a dramatic shift from and active labour intensive workforce to that of a sedentary office based one. With this change comes a dangerous chance that the population as a whole will be much less active during their working lives. It's important that employers are active in getting their staff engaged in regular daily exercise, whether this is swapping their car ride for a bike, or something as simple as parking further away and getting in more steps before and after work. However, it's not solely the employees' attitudes that needs to change, employers need to think about how they are affecting the mental wellbeing of their staff too. Building policies in place to encourage regular breaks stressful activities is a great way to get started. Perhaps start with putting rules in place to enforce breaks from screens and phone calls and getting those who can to do a quick lap around the building?