Fostering a “Workplace Fitness Culture”; Why That Matters
Exercising daily is a baseline for improving our bodies and minds, but what is “workplace fitness culture?” In essence, workplace fitness culture is the manifestation of encouraging a healthy lifestyle in the workplace and outside of. Many employers are starting to see the long-term benefits in including free gym memberships and yoga studio memberships as part of their employee benefits’ packages. Unfortunately, a lot of employees skip out on their daily workouts because they find it difficult to squeeze in the time, or it’s just too overwhelming to start.
What’s the solution? Workplaces need to start encouraging physical fitness in their employees, whether that’s by offering free gym memberships or allowing employees to exercise “on the clock” for 30-60 minutes each day. It’s not only greatly beneficial to the employees, but it can encourage productivity in the office, forge deeper connections between team members, and all-in-all make us better workers.
We know fitness is good for us – that’s just a no-brainer at this point. But it’s worth revisiting all the points about why fitness makes us better from a workforce-oriented perspective.
Fitness Encourages Connections
When we think about fitness, we think about the ways we look, how we feel, and how we perform. Seldom do we think about the connections we may forge, but it’s true! Encouraging fitness in the workplace or offering free gym memberships as a part of an overarching employee benefits package can provide an opportunity for coworkers and professionals to forge connections outside of the workplace.
We can thrive without needing to do so behind a desk. When we forge social connections at the gym, we’re much more likely to show up each time.
Fitness Fights Stress.
We know fitness does wonders not only for our physical health, but our mental health too. And how does that translate back to the workforce? Occupational burnout is an unfortunate trend that has become common among workers, as we work beyond our 40-hour workweeks and struggle not to take our work home with us. Physical activity, as it turns out, has actually been proven to significantly reduce the odds of our workers suffering from burnout.
Burnout is being taken more seriously, which is a great step in the right direction. Although it’s not listed in the DSM-5, it has now been officially recognized by the WHO as a mental health concern. One of the ways we can tackle that (besides handling an offside work life balance, which is ideally the first step in the right direction), is to get more into fitness.
By being more physically fit, we reduce our stress levels and can set our sights on improving ourselves – not just on the next “task” we have to get done.
Fitness Reduces the Burden on Healthcare
Being healthier is less of a burden on our healthcare system than being unhealthy – that’s just a fact.
While not everything can be sweat away, there’s something to be said about being healthy amidst a global health crisis. We can reduce our odds of adding to the existing strain on our healthcare system by staying in good shape, eating right, and regularly improving ourselves.
Fitness Improves Energy
One of the reasons why workplaces can benefit from encouraging their workers to get more into physical fitness is that it improves our energy levels. Increased energy levels can promote engagement and improve our circulation all-around, which allow us to be more productive when we’re at work.
What’s less productive than an office full of sluggish, unhappy workers? While working out may seem like the opposite of the best way to get more energy, exercising has been proven to improve oxygen circulation in the body, which in turn increases our energy.
Fitness Builds Productivity
Increased energy, reduced stress, stronger connections with our team all equate to enhanced creativity, sharpened memory, and improved concentration. These mental abilities all combined help to improve our productivity, even if we do so just before or during our work hours to pump up performance.
This is a great benefit both for our employees and our employers. If you’re an employer who wants to see a sharp spike in productivity levels, perhaps encouraging our employees to take a 30-min break and hit the weights’ section is the way to do it. If you’re an employee who wants to further your professional career, wake up a little earlier and hop on the treadmill!
From preventing diseases to fighting stress, fitness really can help almost every aspect of our lives. It sure isn’t a cure-all, but it’s something that takes very little to add to our lives. Hiring a personal trainer is a great way to start your fitness journey, whether you’re new to working out or if it’s been a little while! If you’re looking for a personal trainer here in Calgary, you’ve come to the right place.