Businesses often implement various wellness initiatives, such as the Corporate Cup, lunchtime yoga, or even walk and talks, to encourage physical activity in the workplace. But before laziness leads you to avoid these proposals, you should know that new research reveals that all you need is 15 minutes and a touch of fun to be on the path to success.
Analysing the results of 11,575 participants across 73 companies in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, researchers at the University of South Australia found that a gamified workplace wellbeing programme, called the ‘15 Minute Challenge’, led to a significant increase in physical activity levels. 95% of participants met (36%) or exceeded (59%) physical activity recommendations.
Additionally, over the six weeks of the challenge, daily physical activity levels increased by an average of 12 minutes per day (85 minutes per week), with a median of 45 minutes per day of exercise. Participants also reported improvements in their physical fitness (14%), energy (12%), overall health (8%), sleep quality (8%) and mood (7.1%). The findings have been published in Healthcare.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults (aged 18-64 years) should do at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or at least 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week. Lead researcher Dr Ben Singh from UniSA says the 15 Minute Challenge is an effective mechanism to improve employee health and wellbeing in the workplace.
An effective tool to prevent chronic diseases
“Regular physical activity provides significant benefits for both physical and mental health. It plays a key role in preventing and managing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer, and also reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety,” Dr. Singh said.
“In this study, we showed that just 15 minutes of physical activity a day can make a big difference to people’s health and well-being. And although the programme only required 15 minutes of activity, most people tended to do more,” Singh added. The researcher pointed out that the 15-minute goal is an “accessible starting point”, especially for more sedentary people, who can “create the habit of exercising regularly”.
Co-investigator Professor Carol Maher from UniSA says part of the program’s success lies in its playful nature and the social aspects of the application. “Motivating and holding your peers accountable through friendly competition is central to the implementation of the 15 Minute Challenge, and is one of the keys to keeping participants engaged and connected,” she explains.
“Physically active employees are happier and healthier, more productive, more satisfied, less stressed, and less likely to get sick.”
“The program encourages team collaboration, tracking of rankings and visualization of cumulative exercise. Achievements are clearly recorded and successes are celebrated. So it’s a tool that definitely engages people to work together and have fun,” Maher adds.
The researcher reminds us, however, that fighting inactivity is everyone’s responsibility and that if an employer can implement an effective, pleasant and profitable strategy to support its employees, this will provide benefits to all those involved.
“Physically active employees are happier and healthier; they are more productive, more satisfied, less stressed and less likely to get sick. Sustainable and scalable initiatives, such as the ‘15 Minute Challenge’, that can support employees to improve their health and wellbeing, should be on the agenda of all employers,” concludes the expert.
