We’re not sure which is more exhausting – exercising or listening to people tell us how important it is to exercise!
We are sure, however, that moving our bodies can make us happier, more productive, more creative, and even reverse chronic diseases. The more we move, the more likely we are to eat healthier, sleep better, and just feel healthier.
At HLM, we strive to practice what we preach (though we admit, we’re not always perfect)…so, in May (National Physical Fitness & Sports Month) our office started a 5-week friendly step challenge to see who can get in the most steps and how far we could walk as a team — we called it HLM Healthy Steps and there’s already talk of doing it again this fall!
Every wellness program is different because it is tailored to the place and population, but here are 5 ways we set our staff up to succeed:
Awareness and education: A program guide that described the step challenge, ways to fit walking into the work day, and tips on how to exercise safely.
Sense of progress: Personal step logs for each person to record their steps and were filtered into a weekly leaderboard.
Motivation: A weekly newsletter with encouraging messages and quick tips to help make this healthy habit stick.
Support network: We did this together so that we could connect together and support one another to be more active.
Culture and environment: We made space for staff to move more by encouraging walking meetings or quick walks around the block.
Today, we’re honoring the HLM team member who walks the most – shout out to Derek Collins – but we’re also celebrating how far we walked as a team – every step taken is one step closer to a healthier future!
