Your employees are highly productive when they are physically fit and mentally streamlined. So keeping a healthy workforce is a must for just any business, let it be a startup or a growing company.

Spring is the best time for employers to encourage their workers to adopt a lifestyle that includes the proper diet and exercise. The sunny skies and warm weather are perfect motivators to get people outdoors after being indoors during the cold winter. If you want a healthy workforce, it is best that you try these five approaches to get your employees workout this spring.

1- Creating Team Challenges:

Teamwork will help create a better bond among your employees. In fact, it promotes an environment of encouragement, empathy, engagement, and support among the co-workers in your organization. You can design a challenge among your workforce by grouping small teams of 3-5 workers and encouraging them to earn points for healthy dietary habits, weight loss, and exercise.

Allocate a 30-day period for the challenge and award points for activities such as overall team weight loss, exercising for 30 minutes a day, substituting water for artificial drinks, etc.

Cultivating a team mentality among your employees will motivate them to be accountable for their efforts. It helps the individuals in the team perform their personal best for the success of the overall team. Provide incentives for the teams to compete by offering rewards for the top performers such as extra vacation days, gift certificates, new office furniture, etc.

2- Educate And Motivate:

Most employees are unaware of the effects of a sedentary lifestyle on their mental and physical health. Organizing seminars and workshops will help you educate your staff about the risks associated with obesity, smoking, lack of exercise, and poor diet. Make sure you emphasize the positive effects of the proper diet and exercise regimen for their long-term health and wellbeing.

Post relevant information in the break room as well as the conference room about the importance of getting at least 30 minutes, exercises a day, drinking plenty of water, and staying within 2,000 calories a day. This will help motivate your employees over the long-term.

In work training in how to deal with the environment can also be very beneficial and make a big difference to the business. Companies such as Goldcross Training provide this sort of thing.

3- Foot the Bill:

The price of current gym memberships may deter most employees from signing up with them. If you can afford it, opt to pay a portion or the full amount of a local gym membership for your employees. If not, consider Crossfit workouts, a series of yoga classes or any other fitness program.

If your organization has a gym or fitness facility on-site, offer incentives for employees who go there a certain number of days a month. Most insurance companies offer financial incentives for employees who have active memberships at local gyms.

4- Wellness Journals:

A wellness program will help the busy employees in your organization to incorporate healthy eating and exercise activities into their schedules. Providing access to a fitness journal will allow the employees to track/plan their daily fitness routines.

When an employee schedules a block of time for workouts, he/she can set specific goals for themselves. In fact, they will not be able to postpone their workouts by saying “I’ll go to the gym tomorrow.” A specific plan of action is needed such as writing a task similar to, “Tuesday – 4.30 p.m. walk 30 minutes.” Encourage your employees to record their accomplishments in their journals so that they can track their performance on a continuous basis.

5- In-Office Details:

Doing minor changes in your office can mean major changes in the health and wellbeing of your employees. Staring at a computer throughout the day comes with so many issues such as eye strain, back pain, increased cholesterol, carpel tunnel syndrome, diabetes, and reduced metabolism.

Hold standing or walking meetings to counteract the effects of remaining in seated positions for too long. Also, invest in exercise balls, standing desks, and insist that your employees stretch once every hour and stand to take phone calls, etc.

Encourage a healthy workplace environment and motivate your people to stay healthy, and they’ll be more productive than your expectations!