Fitness = productivity, how can you achieve it?

Fitter employees do better at work and home, but how can you encourage a fit workplace culture?

BY Jamie Henry 25 Jun. 2014

Less stress, better focus and concentration and more energy – turns out exercise might be a wonder drug! One study found that mice made to run three miles a day doubled their hippocampus size, which is the part of the brain used for storing memories. Fit students perform better on tests, and fitter employees are up to 15% more productive.

Researchers have also found that we are better problem solvers when we are moving around.

So you know why – but what about how?

Create role models
Inspiration starts at the top. Whether it’s challenging the c-suite to take part in a charity race, or sharing your own experiences the best road to fit workers is to lead by example.
Figure out what motivates your staff
Collaborative or competitive? Individual or team? Different people are motivated by different things so you need to find the right combination for your team. Where one workplace might start with a 5km race, another might want a workplace weight-loss group and another might be ready to take on the Tough Mudder.

Make your workplace an active one
Make walking meetings the norm, set a “take the stairs” challenge, invest in some treadmills – even just having a shower available for staff to use can encourage people to be active on their lunch breaks.