You begged and pleaded. You worked hard to fit the treadmill into your budget for three years running and went through all of the red tape. You had all of your dispatchers sign the waivers, and the effort seemed to pay off; the treadmill was a hit! You were the hero, until a couple of months went by, and the popularity started to wain. Of course there are the dedicated few who spend an hour or two every day burning calories, but how do you keep interest high in the rest of the center? FEAR NOT! Here are five fun (and FIT!) ways to keep your treadmill desk or bike in use:
Calorie Charts- The holidays are coming, and we all know what that means! There will be more parties/family gatherings, bigger meals, and sweeter treats to indulge in. It all adds up to consuming more calories! A great way to educate your staff is to put up fun posters showing holiday fare, the total amount of calories that the food includes, and the time it takes on a treadmill or bike (on average) to burn them off! For example, a candy cane has 55 calories. Someone would have to spend about 15 minutes on the bike or 20 minutes on the treadmill in order to burn them off.
Step or Mileage Competition- Many centers have step competitions. You could incorporate the whole workforce for the holiday season, and add up their steps at the end of each week. People can use pedometers (almost everyone has a Fitbit or a phone that counts steps these days) to count steps even when they aren’t on the treadmill! I suggest handing out small prizes every week and a larger prize for the overall winner.
Points-Per-Use Challenge- This one is similar to the step competition but perhaps less intimidating! Set up a chart with all of your dispatchers’ names on it, and give each dispatcher a stamp or sticker for every 30 minutes that they spend on the treadmill or bike! You can make this holiday-themed (Jolly Old St. Nick stamp?), and at the end of the competition, the person with the most stamps wins a prize!
- Studies! - Yes, I know these can be boring, but there is so much research out there about how beneficial it is for people to not just stand but to also move! You can put together a fun presentation or send dispatchers to some of the blogs found here!
Fact Of The Day! - Who doesn’t like those fun, flip-style calendars that provide some tidbit of knowledge every day? It could be in a quick email or posted on a white board, but the fact should be health-related and motivating! For example, did you know that exercise can reduce stress, boost the mood, and improve self-confidence? There are some great websites to help you with this that you can find here, here, and for overall health information, check out this site.
Points-Per-Use Challenge
Have fun trying some or all of these tips, and let us know how they go! We love to hear success stories!
