INVISTA Textiles UK (Ltd) have been crowned champions and are set to be the ones to beat this summer when we re- launch our Healthy Lifestyles Corporate Challenge on a wider scale.  Find out how they did it and how it has helped them to bring healthy habits into their daily routines.

Back in January, a handful of companies took part in our 2021 pilot for the new Healthy Lifestyles Corporate Challenge. We are pleased to announce that the pilot was a success, and we will be launching the challenge again on a wider scale this summer.
The challenge lasted for 3 months, and we are delighted to hear that some of the healthy habits picked up by our participants have continued beyond the end of the event!

"Employee health is integral to the health of our business. We strive for a healthy, happy and productive workforce, which leads to more fulfilled employees. A healthy workplace is one where our employees feel fulfilled whilst also staying physically and mentally healthy."

Here are the top tips from our workplace champions INVISTA Textiles (UK) Ltd with some ideas to inspire us all:

• Recruit your team and nominate a couple of champions to keep everyone on track

We recruited a team of people keen to shed a few pounds after the Christmas breaks and/ or kick start their physical activity journey.  Our wellbeing champion set up a Teams page where everyone could record their activity on the spreadsheet and post messages of encouragement/ideas etc. It was a great motivator seeing what others were recording.

• Sharing ideas for new ways to get active at home

The Teams page was a great way for sharing ideas to get active, particularly for a 24-hour site and doing the Challenge in lockdown when gyms were still closed. Ideas such as skipping, doing some squats while waiting for the kettle to boil and seeing how many times you can run up and down the stairs in 10 minutes were posted plus looking on You Tube for workouts etc.

• Encourage cycling to work where possible

We have a cycle shed and showers and cycling for some was a good way to increase their activity. We also had some that started cycling with their family and one man reported that he continues to cycle a couple of evenings per week with his teenage son and that their relationship has become so much closer.
 

• Walking lunch breaks with colleagues

We have largely remained working from onsite during Covid and it was therefore a good opportunity to get out at lunchtime for some fresh air and enjoy a socially distanced walk with a work colleague. This has continued since the Challenge finished. Those that did at times also work from home found that the Challenge kept them motivated to get out in their lunch break at home too.

• Team ‘weigh in’

We had some employees who wanted to do the weight loss challenge themselves and opted for a weekly weigh in onsite. There developed some good competition between some of the men, coming together to be weighed. We reported the weekly weight loss on their Teams page as a whole and they liked it being compared to something- equivalent of 370 blueberry muffins!

• Starting new healthy habits

Some of them reported that the challenge has helped them look at food in a different way- now being more aware of the traffic light system on packaging and portion size. As our Challenge was in ‘lockdown’ people found they had more time to enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. Those on the weight loss challenge that worked together learnt from each other too - discussing lunch options and trying new things - couscous salads rather than relying on their usual sandwich from the supermarket nearby.

• Earn bonus points by working towards our Healthy Workplace Award!

If you are interested in finding out more about this free challenge with free support for your workforce this summer, then please email: workplaces@hlsglos.org