What’s the best way inspire more active employees and shed that sedentary lifestyle? More movement, in any way you can get it! The good news is that you can build out an employee experience around getting your employees to be more active!
We’ve previously written about fitness research that found that fitting in more “moderate to vigorous” physical activity to your day, even in short bursts, can reduce the risk of disease and death in older adults by up to 74%.
But what about younger people trying to be more active? For inspiration, look to kids.
Adding 15 minutes of active time per day can improve your fitness and body composition, according to the first official study of the Daily Mile initiative, a movement that involves children taking a 15 minute break during the day to run or walk outside.
They may seem like boundless sources of energy, but doctors and teachers have found that unfortunately, today’s children live highly sedentary lives due to long hours in school. That energy needs to go somewhere, so some schools in the UK began instituting a “daily mile” in 2012.
In this new study, the Scottish research team looked at 391 students, aged between four and 12, in two schools. In the test school, students participated in the daily mile; in the control, they did not. The team saw significant improvements in fitness, body composition and activity levels at the test school.
Implications for Corporate Wellness
“The findings indicate The Daily Mile can help combat global problems such as low physical activity, high sedentary behaviour, declining fitness levels and high levels of obesity,” writes Science Daily.
“By taking small steps and jogging, walking or running for 15 minutes, people can make huge changes to their health and wellbeing,” adds Aileen Campbell, The Scottish Government’s Public Health and Sport Minister.
While the study was conducted among children, a similar practice could have the same vital improvements to corporate life. Encouraging a daily activity break, “walking meetings,” or a post-lunchtime walking club are easy ways to spur more active employees — in as little as just 15 minutes a day.
We can turn this into an engaging workplace fitness challenge! Schedule a call with to an IncentFit specialist to learn more.