No Time? No Problem. These simple exercises can be done anytime, anywhere.

Physical fitness is an important pillar of health and a key part of any successful wellbeing program. Regular exercise can protect your employees’ health by lowering the risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and depression. It also provides a slew of mental health benefits that can boost job performance, like improved concentration, faster learning, better memory, and enhanced creativity. Better yet, some of these benefits kick in right away when workers incorporate some physical activity into their workday.

But with family commitments, grueling commutes, and stressful workloads it can be hard for employees to make time during the week to get the recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise they need to feel and perform their best. Inspire them to get moving with these easy exercises that can be done at work or on the go.

7 Fun Ways to Promote Physical Fitness in the Workplace

1. Some things are better with friends, like exercise. Get as many people as you can to get up and stretch at exactly 3 pm today. Create a calendar event so you don’t forget!
2. Next time you need a break at work, take a few laps around the workplace. Make it social and invite a coworker or turn it into a friendly challenge and see who can take the most laps.
3. Want the core strength of champions? We don’t blame you. Take the first step with this easy exercise you can do right at your desk: Take a deep breath and exhale. As you exhale, tighten your abs. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 8-10 times, and you’re on your way to a stronger core.
4. Tone up those calves with an exercise you can do just about anywhere. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and slowly raise yourself up onto your toes. Then lower yourself back down. Try doing 10 right now! You can be anywhere to try this exercise — standing at a desk, waiting for the elevator, or while your lunch heats up in the microwave.
5. Why sit when you can stand and burn more calories? At your next meeting, ask everyone to get on their feet. Plus, standing helps you stay alert and gives you a chance to stretch. It can even increase productivity and help shorten the meeting.
6. Squats are a great full-body exercise that helps you increase balance and strengthen muscles. Mini-challenge: Push your chair back, bend at the knees into a squat position and hold it while you write an entire email. Ready, set, go!
7. Don’t forget to stretch! It’ll help relieve muscle tension, increase your range of motion and flexibility, and can even improve muscle coordination, blood flow, and energy levels. Try touching your toes or reaching for the ceiling periodically throughout the day.

Remember, starting a new exercise routine doesn’t have to be daunting. By incorporating a few, short exercises into the day, your employees can get started on the path to a more active lifestyle.

Encouraging physical fitness in the workplace is one thing, but encouraging employees to lose weight comes with an entirely different set of considerations for employers. Here’s our definitive guide on the dos and don’ts of weight loss programs in the workplace.