Workplaces across Norfolk are getting on their starting blocks ready to compete in the 2016 New Year Workplace Challenge which starts today – Monday 4 January 2016.
Last year over 1000 people from 70 businesses were signed up to take part in the New Year challenge logging 25,000 hours of physical activity. This year Active Norfolk wants even more people to get involved, and as an easy way of introducing more physical activity into your life are suggesting workers ‘revolutionise their lunch break’.
Across England workers take on average 5.31 sick days per year. NHS research has shown that those who are physically active are 20% less likely to take a sick day and are 27% more likely to return to work quicker if they do.
Time is often cited as a barrier to participation in sport with many workers spending 8 – 9 hours at work in sedentary positions. With this in mind businesses are being asked to encourage their employees to get active on their lunch break and save one sick day per employee per year. Just adding a brisk 30 minute walk to the middle of each working day would get most people up to the recommended level of 150 minutes of physical activity a week.
The annual eight week Workplace Challenge is a great way for people to motivate themselves and their colleagues in the New Year, enjoy some office banter and improve energy and stress levels.
Joanne Doleman from the Institute of Food Research who had 20 people taking part in the Workplace Challenge in 2015 said: “I got involved as I had had a period of six months off work due to illness and had done no sport or physical activity during that time. The Workplace Challenge was a great way to get me back into it. Getting my work colleagues involved really motivated me to keep going and even now our team is always supporting and encouraging each other to get active. Plus getting people from across the organisation involved brought teams together with some friendly competition between departments.”
Katie Tierney, Fit4Work Project Officer for Active Norfolk said “By signing up to the Workplace Challenge website for free, people can log their levels of sport, physical activity and active travel online over the eight weeks. Every activity allocates points to the person and their workplace. This is a really great way for anyone wanting to get more active to enjoy participating and be rewarded for their efforts by being entered into a weekly prize draw.”
Throughout the eight weeks there are some amazing prizes up for grabs thanks to our sponsors. These include a free years Gym Membership at Nuffield Health, Sportspark and North Norfolk leisure centres, a commuter bike from Pedal Revolution plus spa days, restaurant and shopping vouchers, and much more.
For more information and to sign up go to www.activenorfolk.org/challenge
ENDS
For more information contact:
Katie Tierney – Fit4Work Project Officer – 01603 731569 or
Rachel Cubitt – Marketing Communications Officer – 01603 732332
