10 Fall Wellness Challenges to Energize Your Workplace

As the leaves change and the air turns crisp, fall offers more than pumpkin spice and cozy sweaters; it’s also the perfect season to re-energize your workforce. The transition from summer to year-end deadlines can leave employees drained, but the right fall wellness challenges can boost energy, strengthen morale, and keep teams engaged.

On IncentFit’s platform, challenge participants have grown from 31% in 2022 to nearly 40% in 2025. Q3 (fall) consistently drives the highest engagement, making this season the ideal time to launch workplace wellness challenges. Companies that rotate multiple challenge types per year see up to 2.5x higher participation compared to repeating the same activity over and over.

In this blog, we’ll share 10 fall workplace wellness challenge ideas, how to implement them, and why they deliver measurable ROI for HR leaders.

Table of Contents

• Why Fall is the Perfect Season for Wellness Challenges
• 10 Fall Workplace Wellness Challenge Ideas
• How to Implement Challenges with IncentFit
• The ROI of Seasonal Wellness Challenges
• Final Takeaway
• Fall Wellness Challenges: FAQs

Why Fall is the Perfect Season for Wellness Challenges

Autumn is a season of change – new routines, cooler weather, and a natural reset before the year’s end. For employees, it’s also a time when energy and focus can dip, especially as flu season and heavier workloads approach.

Wellness challenges timed to the fall season help employees reset and stay motivated. Instead of another “check-the-box” HR initiative, seasonal programs feel fresh and timely, aligning with what employees are already experiencing in their daily lives. This is why many companies see their best results when running employee wellness challenges in Q3 and Q4.

10 Fall Workplace Wellness Challenge Ideas

The best corporate wellness challenges are simple to run, engaging for employees, and flexible enough to include everyone. These fall-inspired ideas bring together physical activity, preventive care, mental well-being, and even social connection.

• Rake Up Fitness Points
• Step into Fall Challenge
• Harvest Healthy Eating
• Gratitude Journaling
• Wellness Screenings & Flu Shots
• Digital Detox Week
• Hydration Reset
• Turkey Trot (Virtual or In-Person)
• Team-Based Social Challenge
• Mental Health Reset Challenge

1. Rake Up Fitness Points

Encourage employees to stay active with a points-based challenge that rewards all kinds of movement – from raking leaves and yard work to cycling, jogging, or strength training. The variety makes it fun and inclusive for all fitness levels.

Details:

• Duration: 4 weeks
• Format: Individual challenge (optional team version)
• How It Works: Assign point values to activities (ex: 30 minute walk = 10 pts, 30 minute workout = 25 pts, 45 minute outdoor activity = 50 pts). Employees log points through IncentFit.
• Winner: Top 3 earners
• Reward Ideas: $50 cash incentive via payroll or extra PTO hours

Why It Works: Multi-activity challenges have become more popular over time. Step-only challenges now account for less than 30% of templates used on IncentFit, showing employees prefer variety.

2. Step into Fall Challenge

Walking challenges are a workplace classic, but the crisp fall weather makes them extra inviting. This challenge brings teams together with a shared step goal before Thanksgiving.

Details:

• Duration: 4 weeks
• Format: Team challenge (groups of 5–10)
• How It Works: Teams track daily steps through wearables or the IncentFit app, aiming to collectively hit a seasonal milestone (ex: “walk to the pumpkin patch” = 500,000 steps).
• Winner: Team that hits the milestone first
• Reward Ideas: A catered team lunch, gift cards, or company swag.

Why It Works: Team challenges account for 17.7% of all challenges on IncentFit, and consistently drive above-average participation. 

3. Harvest Healthy Eating

Challenge employees to cook meals using in-season produce (pumpkin, squash, apples, or cranberries). Employees can share recipes and photos, sparking healthy habits and workplace camaraderie.

Details:

• Duration: 2 weeks
• Format: Individual challenge with community sharing
• How It Works: Employees log meals cooked with seasonal produce; bonus points for uploading a photo or recipe.
• Winner: Raffle among all who log 5+ meals.
• Reward Ideas: A healthy meal kit, grocery gift card, or cooking class credit.

Why It Works: By tying the activity to fall produce, employees are more likely to participate, share ideas, and build healthier habits together. The focus on food also creates an inclusive challenge, since everyone can join in regardless of fitness level.

4. Gratitude Journaling

Gratitude journaling is a powerful practice for mental well-being. Invite employees to write down three things they’re grateful for each day, or provide daily prompts to guide reflection.

Details:

• Duration: 3 weeks
• Format: Individual journaling streaks
• How It Works: Employees log 3 things they’re grateful for daily, or follow prompts provided by HR.
• Winner: Raffle among participants with at least 10 entries.
• Reward Ideas: Journals, mindfulness apps, or coffee gift cards.

Why It Works: Mental health is the fastest-growing wellness category on IncentFit, with 16% of all goals set by employees tied to mental well-being activities like journaling and meditation.

5. Wellness Screenings and Flu Shots

With flu season approaching, fall is the right time to organize wellness screenings. Offer flu shots, blood pressure checks, or biometric screenings onsite, and tie participation to incentives.

Details: 

• Duration: 1–2 months
• Format: Individual challenge (tracked participation)
• How It Works: Employees complete one or more preventive care tasks (flu shot, annual physical, dental/vision exam, or biometric screening). Proof of participation is logged through IncentFit.
• Winner: Raffle for all participants who complete at least two preventive activities.
• Reward Ideas: Premium offsets, wellness stipends, or HSA contributions.

Why It Works: Preventive care challenges are a low-lift, high-impact option. They not only increase engagement, but they also help reduce long-term healthcare costs for both employees and employers.

6. Digital Detox Week

Encourage employees to reduce non-work screen time. Challenge them to log fewer personal hours on phones or social media. Offer rewards for streaks of low screen time.

Details:

• Duration: 2 week
• Format: Individual streak challenge
• How It Works: Employees commit to reducing personal screen time outside of work. Logging fewer than 2 hours/day on social media earns credit.
• Winner: Raffle among participants who complete all 14 days.
• Reward Ideas: Blue-light glasses, books, or gift cards.

Why It Works: Short-duration challenges (2–4 weeks) make up 29% of all IncentFit challenges because they’re easy for admins to run while still driving strong participation.

7. Hydration Reset

As cooler weather arrives, employees often forget to hydrate. Create a hydration challenge where participants track daily water intake, aiming for personalized hydration goals.

Details:

• Duration: 2 weeks
• Format: Individual daily goal tracking
• How It Works: Employees track water intake (goal: 64 oz/day, or personalized by body weight).
• Winner: Raffle among those who meet goals 10+ days.
• Reward Ideas: Branded reusable water bottles, hydration apps, or gift cards.

Why It Works: Hydration is consistently a top 5 challenge template on IncentFit, showing its popularity as an easy entry point for new participants.

8. Turkey Trot (Virtual or In-Person)

Host a 5K walk or run around Thanksgiving, either in person or virtually. Add a charitable angle by pairing participation with donations to a local food bank.

Details:

• Duration: 1 day
• Format: Event-based, individual or team
• How It Works: Employees register for a company-hosted 5K or join virtually by logging a run/walk on Thanksgiving weekend. Pair with a donation to a food bank.
• Winner: All participants earn recognition; optional prizes for top 3 finishers for males and females.
• Reward Ideas: Branded swag, charitable match, or free turkey voucher.

Why It Works: Seasonal events like a Turkey Trot tap into traditions that employees already enjoy, making participation feel natural and fun. Adding a charitable component boosts motivation and creates a sense of shared purpose, while the one-day format makes it easy for anyone to join without a long-term commitment.

9. Team-Based Social Challenge

Promote social wellness by designing challenges where teams earn points for shared activities: group walks, team yoga, volunteering, or potluck lunches with healthy recipes.

Details:

• Duration: 4 weeks
• Format: Team challenge (5–10 people)
• How It Works: Teams earn points for activities like group walks, yoga, volunteer shifts, or healthy team lunches.
• Winner: Team with the most points at the end.
• Reward Ideas: Shared experience (team dinner, escape room voucher, or charity donation).

Why It Works: Social challenges encourage inclusivity. On IncentFit, team formats drive stronger activity levels compared to individual formats, helping bring in employees who might not otherwise participate.

10. Mental Health Reset Challenge

Fall deadlines and shorter days can take a toll. Introduce a challenge focused on stress management: meditation minute or mindfulness sessions.

Details:

• Duration: 2–4 weeks
• Format: Individual habit tracker
• How It Works: Employees log activities like meditation, journaling, therapy sessions, or breathwork.
• Winner: Raffle among those with 10+ completed sessions.
• Reward Ideas: Meditation app subscriptions, relaxation kits, or extra PTO.

Why It Works: Stress often spikes in the fall as deadlines pile up and daylight hours shrink. A mental health–focused challenge gives employees simple, structured ways to prioritize their well-being. By normalizing activities like meditation or mindfulness, this challenge reduces stigma while helping employees build sustainable habits to manage stress.

How to Implement Challenges with IncentFit

Most HR leaders love the idea of seasonal wellness challenges, but worry about two things: low engagement and extra admin work. That’s exactly where IncentFit comes in.

With our platform, companies can launch and run challenges in less than 4 weeks, without adding to HR’s workload:

• Flexible Formats: Whether it’s steps, nutrition, mindfulness, or preventive care, IncentFit offers hundreds of pre-built templates that can be customized in minutes.
• Effortless Tracking: Employees connect one of 35+ fitness apps or devices, or log activities directly in our app. Everything is verified automatically – no spreadsheets, no chasing people down.
• Engagement That Lasts: Seasonal pushes are powerful. On our platform, Q3 challenges consistently hit the highest registration rates (nearly 40%), proving that fresh, timely activities drive participation.
• Rewards That Motivate: Incentives can be tied to payroll, gift cards, HSAs, or premium offsets. Clients who align rewards with broader wellness goals see 2.5x higher engagement compared to repeating a single challenge type.
• Scales Beyond One Challenge: Many clients start with a simple fall challenge and then expand into IncentFit Essentials, which includes preventive care and health assessments. From there, they can scale into dozens of additional wellness options, all in the same easy-to-manage platform.

The ROI of Seasonal Wellness Challenges

Seasonal challenges aren’t just fun extras, they’re a proven strategy for building healthier, more engaged teams. By aligning wellness with the natural rhythms of the year, HR leaders create programs that deliver measurable business impact.

• Engagement
• Productivity
• Retention

Engagement

Fresh, timely activities cut through wellness fatigue by giving employees something new to rally around. Companies that rotate at least 3 different types of challenges per year (instead of repeating the same format) see up to 2.5x higher sustained engagement, proving variety is key to long-term participation.

Productivity

When employees participate in wellness challenges, they bring more focus and energy back to work. Recent reports show that employees in wellness programs show 11% higher productivity. Pair that with IncentFit’s data – individual challenges average 22% participation across employees, with team challenges driving even higher activity levels, and it’s clear these aren’t “nice-to-haves,” they’re performance drivers.

Retention

Employees who feel supported in their well-being are more likely to stay. In IncentFit’s own survey, 72% of employees said wellness challenges made them feel more valued by their employer. That sense of value translates to loyalty: fewer burned-out employees, stronger team morale, and reduced turnover costs.

Well-designed employee wellness challenges aren’t just seasonal morale boosters; they’re a long-term business advantage.

Final Takeaway

Fall is the perfect time to reset your workplace wellness strategy. By introducing fresh, seasonal challenges, you can re-energize employees, prevent challenge fatigue, and create a culture of well-being that lasts beyond the season.

Ready to bring fall wellness challenges to your team? IncentFit makes it easy to design, launch, and track programs that employees actually love. Schedule a demo today to see how we can help.

Fall Wellness Challenges: FAQs

Q: Do workplace wellness programs work better when they’re seasonal?

A: Yes, seasonal programs are highly effective because they combat challenge fatigue by offering a natural reset. They align with what employees are already experiencing in their daily lives, which makes them feel fresh and timely instead of like another “check-the-box” initiative. IncentFit’s own data shows that Q3 (fall) consistently drives the highest engagement, with participants growing to nearly 40% in 2025. This proves that tying your wellness strategy to the rhythms of the year can significantly boost participation and prevent a program from going stale.

Q: What are some easy fall wellness challenge ideas for small businesses?

A: The most effective challenges for small businesses are simple to run and inclusive for all employees. Great low-lift options for the fall season include:

• Gratitude Journaling: A simple, powerful practice that focuses on mental well-being and requires no physical activity.
• Hydration Reset: A popular challenge that helps employees track a basic, yet crucial, healthy habit.
• Step into Fall Challenge: A classic challenge that encourages daily movement in the crisp autumn air.
• Harvest Healthy Eating: This challenge can be as simple as sharing recipes or photos of meals made with seasonal produce, sparking healthy habits and camaraderie without a high time commitment.

Q: How do you keep employees engaged beyond one challenge?

A: The key is variety and scalability. A single challenge can spark excitement, but long-term engagement comes from offering different ways to participate throughout the year. Rotating activities (like steps in the fall, hydration in winter, and mindfulness in spring) prevents wellness fatigue. Pair that with personalized incentives and automated tracking, and employees stay motivated without extra admin work.

Q: Why is workplace wellness important?

A: Workplace wellness programs reduce burnout, improve productivity, and strengthen retention. Seasonal wellness challenges keep these outcomes sustainable.