WORKPLACE WELLBEING ACTIVITY: Wellbeing walks at work

In our series of workplace wellbeing activity articles, designed to help you introduce initiatives that improve the wellbeing of employees, we explain the reasons why the activities are effective and the benefits your team will receive.

The activities are free or low-cost and can have a high impact on your team.

Remember, every team is different so chose your activity to match their needs. Make it as bespoke or personal as possible. And if you can, make it part of your workplace wellbeing strategy.

One of the simplest workplace wellbeing activities to implement is wellbeing walks at work.

Why we should walk at work

It’s common for workers to work across multiple sites, work from home, hybrid working or the traditional office 9-5.

However, one thing we all have in common is the increasingly sedentary nature of our work. With the rapidly developing tech sector, we no longer need to walk down the office hall to communicate with our colleagues or pop outside to get better phone reception. It is all done from our desks – removing one of the reasons we may have traditionally got up and moved around.

The human body just wasn’t designed to sit for prolonged periods. Quads and hamstrings, glutes, hips, and lower back all suffer when we sit for prolonged periods. Tightness, instability, and muscular imbalances can occur from sitting for too long.

As well as musculoskeletal issues from inactivity we also see less sunlight, particularly in the winter months, and see fewer people face-to-face with lower levels of social interaction. One method to combat this is a lunchtime walk.

What are the key benefits of a lunchtime, workplace walk?

Physical activity

It is recommended that adults take part in 150 minutes of physical activity per week. That’s 30 minutes a day with two days’ rest per week.

All or some of this time can be made up during your lunchtime walk. Increased cardiovascular health, movement ability and maintenance of muscle mass and bone density are all key reasons to be active.

Sunlight

The sun provides our bodies with its daily intake of Vitamin D. Those nutrients are needed to keep bones, teeth, and muscles healthy.

Paired with a good level of physical activity, the benefits to our bodies are immense. The levels of Vitamin D we absorb from the sun however fluctuate with the weather. In the UK, it is recommended we supplement our Vitamin D intake between October and March, even if we are outside and active.

This can also be done through food such as oily fish, red meat, eggs, and fortified foods.

Mental health

The rhythmical nature of walking is proven to help reduce stress levels. The decrease in blood pressure from physical activity paired with the rhythmical effects on our brains can help relieve the pressures and stress from a busy working day.

Other key mental health benefits include lifting mood, fighting fatigue, lowering anxiety, and increasing the ability to sleep well.

Social interaction

Walking with friends and colleagues can be a wonderful way to improve social interaction and improve personal and workplace relationships. Encourage those around you to join in and you will find the key benefits for mental and physical health spread across your workplace. A positive, healthy, and happy workforce is a productive one.

Get people involved

Speak with your colleagues, friends, and management to see the best way to get everyone involved. This could be as simple as a meeting point at your workplace with a specific time advertised daily or taken a step further with an organised walking group which staff sign up for.

Why not use our simple Workplace Wellbeing Activity Group Signup Form to get started?