How To Leverage Office Fitness as a Perk

Fitness is as important an aspect of someone's life as eating or sleeping. While many engage in physical fitness to lose weight, exercise impacts more than weight. Doing the right amount of exercise can positively affect a person's energy levels, mood, and mental well-being. Those are facts backed up by reputable sources such as Harvard Health Publishing and the Mayo Clinic. 

Despite the evidence and people's enthusiasm to exercise, it's often not feasible because other responsibilities take priority. That's why potential employees view office fitness as a perk, allowing them a better chance to achieve their fitness goals without having to sacrifice other after-work responsibilities. 

At LifeSpan Business, we understand the importance of fitness, creating office-ready fitness equipment that empowers employees to reach their fitness goals. Additionally, the LifeSpan Wellness app, which is soon to get a major overhaul by December, takes office fitness to a new level by leveraging personal fitness data to maximize in-office workouts.  If you're hoping to attract more employees by offering office fitness as a perk, below are a few tips. 

Allow Employees to Set Aside Time for Fitness

With a full workday, it can be tough for an employee to find time to work out during office hours. It's even tougher when employees feel they can't work out during the workday because they don't have permission. It's wise to allow employees to set aside time for exercise to assuage these thoughts and encourage them to work out. Similar to a lunch hour, this gives employees a chance to work out during the day without feeling self-conscious. Potential employees may look kindly on a company that offers this, as it shows the company cares about employees' fitness. 

Invest in On-site Fitness Facilities 

Even if an employee has time set aside to work out during the workday, finding somewhere in the office to work out may be challenging. While it could be possible for an employee to go off-site to a gym, it may not be worth the hassle when you factor in the commute. Instead, a company could offer on-site facilities dedicated to exercise. Though it sounds expensive, it could be as simple as a room with hard floors and space for a person to do cardio or yoga. A step above that would be outfitting the space with exercise equipment. 

Get Employees a Subscription to Fitness/Wellness Apps

Fitness apps make exercising more convenient. When something is more convenient, it's more likely that a person will do it. Fitness apps are low maintenance, requiring little equipment and offering varied workouts that can be completed in as little as 20 minutes. If you want to position your workplace as a bastion of fitness, offering a subscription to a fitness app is one affordable way to do it. In addition to employees using the app to squeeze in a workout between meetings, employees can continue to use the app at home and elsewhere. 

Apps like Aaptiv or Fitbit Premium offer many workouts, including equipment-free cardio workouts or workouts centered around an exercise bike or rowing machine. A fitness app can bridge the gap if your workout room lacks equipment. 

Provide Healthy Options at Vending Machines or the Cafe

Fitness expands beyond the workout room. Eating healthy is as important as exercise, and ignoring one dampens the benefits provided by the other. Even if employees work out several times a week during the workday, it can be for naught if they resort to eating junk food or highly processed offerings from a vending machine. However, if your company can offer healthy food options in vending machines or cafeterias, you can leverage this as a perk. To take it further, you could even have healthy food brought in weekly to offer employees a convenient way to eat healthily. 

Provide Office Fitness Equipment 

Nothing embodies office fitness more than having office-ready workout equipment that employees can use as they work at their desks. Equipment such as standing desk treadmills, under-the-desk bike pedals, and balance boards are office fitness at its most convenient. Not only will employees be able to reach their step count of daily active minute goals, but they will do so while still being productive. While you could still provide a workout room and fitness equipment, office fitness equipment eliminates that need, saving you money and giving employees fitness options that don't clash with their schedules. 

LifeSpan Business' office fitness equipment, such as the popular Omni Treadmill Desk or the Under Desk Treadmill, is the best in the industry. As a fitness-first company, LifeSpan Business takes workplace fitness seriously, offering products designed for office use. The Trio Bike Table, for example, allows up to three employees to pedal during a meeting, ensuring that hour-long meetings won't put anyone to sleep. 

Office Fitness Benefits Everyone

Employees have become accustomed to working from home, making in-office perks are more important than ever. Whether offering free lunches, better work hours, massage therapy, or company outings, companies offering perks are more likely to attract employees. However, offering office fitness perks benefits the company as much as it does employees. Employees who exercise regularly will call in sick less often, come to work with more energy, and generally have a more positive mood. It's a win-win scenario, and with the growing trend of fitness as a lifestyle, office fitness can be the perk that swings the pendulum toward your company.