Fitness
Unlocking family fitness: How extending wellness benefits boosts well-being for all
Employee fitness is a crucial element of any
Better together
Exercising with a partner can get people out the door, make workouts more enjoyable, and make it easier to stick with a routine. Research has shown that people complete
As HR professionals, you know how powerful workplace friendships can be. Still, in today’s workplace environment, your team likely spends significantly more time with their families than with their coworkers, making those relationships especially important in any effort to build good lifestyle habits.
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Consider sharing the following creative ideas with your employees to improve participation in wellbeing programs and to support population fitness and well-being:
Make it a family affair
Fitness opportunities that engage the entire family deliver several important benefits. For starters, finding time to work out can be difficult for parents, especially when their kids are young, so giving them the tools to involve family in their workouts can make it easier to incorporate movement into their day. Secondly, family workouts can strengthen relationships, which
Provide fitness options for all ability levels
When parents and children work out together, the instruction that is available to them must be as accessible for a grown adult as it is for a youngster with less experience and less muscle mass. Offering virtual, on-demand fitness as part of your benefits package allows employees and their families to engage in physical activity and movement that is easily adaptable for different skill levels. Such solutions also promote family fitness, which can contribute to more lasting engagement and help working parents teach their children healthy routines.
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Make it relevant and interesting for all ages
Just as kids might not have the same physical capabilities as their parents, many will also not have the same interests as their parents. By offering a diverse selection of fitness options, from high-intensity workouts to stretching and yoga, employers can make it easy for families to find something that works for everyone. At LifeSpeak, we have heard from a number of users who say their entire family participates in virtual fitness classes together.
Offer options just for the kids
Unlike their parents, kids get regular exposure to activity through their physical education classes, recess breaks and school and club sports. Those school activities provide a great starting point for getting parents and their children moving together. Family-friendly fitness activities can also support kids’ athletic participation. By providing access to instruction designed to prepare young athletes for their specific sports season, employers can create opportunities for families to be active together, help kids perform better in their chosen activity, and reduce the risk of injuries that may cause distress for parents or even require them to miss work to tend to their injured child.
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Promote outdoor activity
The kids won’t always want to go to the gym with their parents, but the entire family can benefit from a group bike ride, a hike in the woods, or a canoe trip. Spending time outside can help people
There are even opportunities to turn activities parents are already doing, like gardening, yard work, or volunteering, into fun activities that allow the family to connect with nature while also getting some exercise. If you’re interested in connecting your company to the community, consider family-friendly outdoor volunteer activities like park or roadside cleanups or adding casual family activities to team outings. When remote workforces are dispersed across a wide area, tying outdoor activities to specific locations might not be possible. But some of the same principles apply. Challenge employees to get out, ride their bikes and hike in their local parks or offer to sponsor their efforts to adopt a park or highway for cleanup.
When you’re encouraging employees to maintain a healthy attitude about exercise, every bit of motivation helps. Extending fitness benefits to the whole family can help make exercise fun, increase social accountability and improve physical and mental well-being, allowing employees and their families to thrive.