The benefits of exercise are well-documented, and through the lens of the workplace, regular physical activity directly correlates with higher productivity rates, lower worker absenteeism and less stress.

Yet many workers still struggle to get the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity in each week due much in part to sedentary office jobs, long commutes, and the demands of personal and home life.

Recently, we called attention to a pledge circulating among American workplaces to get more leaders to commit to supporting greater amounts of physical activity within their organizations. But how exactly does the corporate world go about fitting physical fitness into the paid workday?

Convincing your employees to engage in greater activity during the workday isn’t rocket science. Or maybe it is; NASA actually published its own guide for individuals interested in moving more at their desk or in a home office during the pandemic.

The agency’s recommendations still apply, but employers looking to achieve change on a larger scale can start with simple, relatively inexpensive modifications or additions like:

• Making physical activity a component of office meetings.
• Walking while holding office discussions.
• Hosting stretch sessions throughout the workday.
• Organizing group workouts in a large meeting room or virtually so participants can join from the office.

More specific ideas for working 5 to 10-minute activity breaks into an office environment are available from the CDC.

Initiatives that require greater investment on the part of employers include:

• Giving employees the option to use treadmill or standing desks.
• Offering yoga/balance balls in place of desk chairs.
• Mapping out and/or building an outdoor walking path at the workplace.
• Subsidizing off-site gym memberships.
• Offering an onsite fitness facility.

If your company already has a gym on premise, encourage employees who can’t get there before or after work hours to visit during their lunch breaks. (Lunch can always be taken at their desk while knocking out on-the-clock tasks or assignments.) Keep in mind that easy access to changing rooms and showers can make a mid-day workout much more manageable for and appealing to your employees.

Want to really incentivize your employees to get moving? Pay them. Paid activity breaks may be a good tradeoff in light of the role physical activity plays with regard to worker health (which, in turn, leads to lower absenteeism rates) and worker productivity.

There are many solutions available to workplaces looking to make physical activity a company priority. Interested in setting up an onsite fitness facility, getting more employees into your center or building a corporate wellness program from the ground up? Aquila has 25 years of experience designing, developing, and managing health and wellness initiatives for corporate, multi-use and governments clients.

Contact us now to get moving.