Exercise

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Everybody get moving

We’re all familiar with the health benefits of exercise —such as more energy, lower stress, and a stronger body. Bring these benefits into your workplace to sharpen employees’ minds, build better teamwork, and drive stronger business performance.

People who did not previously make exercise a priority have made exercise a habit. Center Unified School District has employees walking and running in 5K races, training for half marathons, and pushing themselves further than they ever dreamed they could.

– Tami J. Beily, Center Unified School District

Take the first step toward a healthier work life

With the Walking for Workforce Health Toolkit you can help reduce the impact of inactivity on your bottom line. There’s no special equipment involved. And it’s easy on your budget. The full interactive toolkit is available for download below.

Step 1: Assess

Steps

Get leadership endorsement.
Gather baseline company data.

What to do

Present a business case to your leadership team that focuses on the benefits of exercise and walking.
Get your company recognized for healthy activities.
Have your leadership demonstrate their commitment to your company’s walking program.
Ask leaders to host leadership walks.
Ask leadership to support and implement environmental changes like unlocking stairwells and allowing time for walking breaks.
Survey your employees on their interest in a walking program.
Take a look at your facility to see if it’s set up to make walking easy for employees.

Tools and resources

Build a case for workforce health shows how to engage leadership with facts and figures.
Apply for the American Heart Association’s Fit-Friendly Worksites external link program.
Learn about the value of a walking meeting external link.

TIP Learn how to make meetings healthier with the Healthy Meetings Guide.

Gauge readiness and measure results with our employee interest survey on walking.
Create your own free surveys with SurveyMonkey external link or Google external link.
For more ideas, see our employee interest survey on workforce health.

TIP To generate more responses, keep surveys brief and limit open-ended questions.

Assess the walkability of your workplace with this worksite walkability audit external link.

TIP Promote taking the stairs using the StairWELL online toolkit external link.

TIP Map out and share potential walking routes at your location.

TIP Encourage employees to walk, bike, or take public transportation to work.

Step 2: Plan

Steps

Form a wellness committee to manage your program.
Create your program.
Plan your promotional strategy.
Prepare to track progress.

What to do

Identify walking ambassadors among leadership, in different departments, and on different campuses to serve as walking program advocates.

TIP Get your employees engaged by putting them in charge!

Decide on a program name.
Based on your survey results, set goals to support your employees in walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week. For example:
- implement walking meetings
- start a lunchtime walking group
- create a walking challenge
Set benchmarks to measure your success:
- walking group formation
- number of participants
- time spent walking per week

TIP Keep your goals easy to achieve so employees stay motivated.

Plan fun activities like:
- program kickoff event
- Walk with a Friend Day
- Take the Stairs Thursday
- Walk to Lunch Wednesday
Create a communications plan to spread the word.
Create a calendar of events to solidify your plan.

TIP Tap into your existing communications channels — newsletters, leadership emails, company intranet, break rooms, etc.

Give employees tools to track their walking efforts.

Tools and resources

Wellness Committee Toolkit
Healthy Meetings Guide
Get program inspiration with Every Body Walk! external link
Use this goal-setting worksheet to set your program goals.
Start walking clubs with help from the American Heart Association Walking Club external link or use this guide to establishing worksite walking clubs external link.
Establish and promote walking paths external link around or near your workplace with signs and route maps external link.
Align with national health observance days external link.
Five tips to communicate workplace wellness external link
Getting results-based wellness communications right external link
Monthly walking log
Daily walking journal external link
Every Body Walk! mobile app external link
Map My Walk mobile app external link

Step 3: Engage

Steps

Kick off your program.
Get your employees motivated.
Keep the momentum going.

What to do

Host a fun event to launch your program, create some buzz, and engage your employees. Some ideas to consider:
- video screenings
- worksite walkathon
- walking program sign-ups and pledges
Post promotional materials.
Circulate educational material.
Have leadership send encouraging messages.
Schedule leadership walks with executive/management sponsors.
Profile walking program participation in your company communications — individuals, walking clubs, and success stories.
Reward participants for meeting program milestones.

Tools and resources

Every Body Walk! documentary external link
Every Body Walk! videos external link.
Participation pledge form external link
Enroll in exercise classes external link offered at Kaiser Permanente medical facilities..*

TIP Consider launching your program on National Walking Day.

Walking program promotional materials

TIP Here are a few ideas for recognizing your employees or giving them incentives.

Choose the ones that fit your budget:

gift cards, prizes, or merchandise
group awards or celebrations for hitting targets
posting photos of participants around the office
acknowledging accomplishments at meetings or in a company newsletter

* Not all classes are available at all Kaiser Permanente medical facilities or in all regions. Check your nearest facility for class lists. Select classes are open only to Kaiser Permanente members, but others may be offered to nonmembers for a fee.

Step 4: Measure

Steps

Evaluate your success.
Share your results.

What to do

Survey participants and capture results.
Post program results in company break rooms.
Send results via email and/or include in your company newsletter.

Tools and resources

Have employees fill out the “end of program” portion of the employee interest survey on walking.
Create your own post-program survey with SurveyMonkey external link or Google external link.
For more ideas, see our employee interest survey on workforce health external link.

Get started with the Walking for Workforce Health Toolkit

Download the Toolkit

Additional Resources

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Exercise

Everybody get moving

Take the first step toward a healthier work life

Step 1: Assess

Step 2: Plan

Step 3: Engage

Step 4: Measure

Get started with the Walking for Workforce Health Toolkit

Additional Resources

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