13 Health Challenges to Start with Your Co-Workers

Considering how much time you spend at work, it makes sense to bring your healthy habits to the office and share them with others. And as you become the go-to source for healthy recipes and fitness ideas, you may want to step it up a notch by creating a challenge with your cube mates.

Last month we offered up 6 Health Challenges to Tackle with Your Fitness Tribe, many of which translate well to a 9-to-5 crew. Still, it can be tough to get everyone to rally around something other than the free donuts in the conference room. Here are 6 tips for getting your coworkers involved and keeping everyone motivated, plus 7 more health challenge ideas.

1. Create a challenge Come up with an idea that will engage others in becoming happier, healthier, and more energetic at work, and figure out how the challenge will be issued and monitored.

2. Get HR on board While anyone can start a friendly challenge, to really have a company-wide impact you might want to talk to your human resources or benefits department. Present your challenge idea and show how it will improve staff engagement without becoming a distraction.

3. Keep it simple Challenges that last for a specific period of time, say one week or one month, often garner the most participation. There’s a distinct beginning and end, and it tends to feel more doable when the challenge is tied to a period of time.

4. Create a reward system Sometimes the best reward is simply the satisfaction of knowing you completed the challenge. Others need more tangible prizes to stay motivated. It could be something small, such as a certificate printed out on nice paper, or a larger more coveted prize, like a free gym membership. We’ve even heard rumors of a CEO giving up the corner office for a week to the winner of a company-wide weight loss challenge.

5. Consider safety Competition can be, well, competitive, and it’s pretty easy for things to go too far. Before issuing a physical challenge, be sure to consider whether or not participants should consult a physician before joining in. Excluding those with a medical condition may be necessary if the challenge is to compete in an obstacle course race or take up extreme weight lifting, for example.

6. Have fun! The point of issuing a challenge is to help each other stay motivated and to get healthy together. Yes, there’s competition involved, and perhaps a great prize (or your reputation) is at stake, but try not to take things too seriously. Learning to relax and enjoy the process will make the final results that much sweeter.

Some challenges to consider starting with your co-workers:

• Bring a healthy lunch from home for a month.
• Drink 8 glasses of water a day in Q3
• Walk a mile a day during lunch
• Register for a local charity fun run or 5K
• Eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies daily
• Quit drinking soda—regular and diet!
• Track meals and activities with MyFitnessPal for a month

Have you participated in a workplace health challenge? Are you thinking about starting one? Tell us about it in the comments!