How to get sports enthusiasts on board with your vitality programme ⚡

Involve your fit employees in setting up a vitality team 🤝

Think about that time you had to start a new project and you had a team member who knew everything about the topic. Their enthusiasm and knowledge made a world of difference. You must have some such fit employees in your company. Why not harness their energy for your vitality initiative? Put together a vitality team with these sporty colleagues. They have a wealth of ideas and know exactly what are realistic and achievable goals for their colleagues.

How do you apply this? Start with a meeting where you invite these fit employees to share their vision and ideas. Let them be co-responsible for setting goals and challenges. Not only does this increase their motivation, but it also makes the programme more relevant to the rest of the staff.

Another way to get them involved is to organise a periodic vitality meeting where fit employees share their experiences and successes with the whole team. Imagine one of these fit colleagues giving a presentation every month on how they maintain and improve their vitality. This could range from sporting achievements to healthy nutrition and mental health. By sharing their knowledge and experiences, they inspire their colleagues and bring new ideas to the vitality initiative. This creates a dynamic and learning environment where everyone is motivated to participate and improve.

Let sports enthusiasts organise activities 🎯

You probably recognise them: those employees who are always brimming with energy and can't stop sharing their health tips. You can harness this passion perfectly for your vitality programme. Give these sporty employees space to organise activities. Consider planning a weekly lunch walk, setting up a new sports group or organising a challenging sports competition. A practical example: Have one of your sporty colleagues organise a monthly 'healthy lunch' where everyone can exchange healthy recipes and enjoy a nutritious meal together. This not only creates a moment of connection, but also encourages healthy eating habits within the team. Moreover, you can provide these employees with a platform, for instance by having a weekly newsletter or a blog where they share their personal tips and tricks. Another effective approach is to have a vitality week organised in which a different activity takes place every day, led by your sporty employees. This can range from yoga sessions and running groups to workshops on healthy eating and stress management. Giving them responsibility for these activities makes them feel more involved and motivated to contribute to the success of the vitality initiative. Moreover, it gives other employees a chance to explore and try out different aspects of vitality, which will increase overall engagement and participation in the programme.

Organise a competition and make sports fans captains 🦸

Competition can be a great way to increase engagement and vitality. Everyone likes a bit of a challenge, and your fit employees are no exception. Why not make competition part of your vitality initiative? Pair an athletic employee as a captain to a team or individual colleagues. This buddy system provides daily check-ins, support in case of setbacks and extra motivation.

A practical example: Organise a step challenge where teams are formed under the leadership of a sports captain. These captains can motivate their teams daily and help them set goals. The result? Increased team engagement and a playful way to get everyone moving more.

You could also consider starting a long-term vitality competition where teams earn points by participating in different healthy activities over a certain period of time. For example, award points for participating in weekly workouts, healthy eating habits, and mindfulness sessions. Sporting captains can motivate their teams by providing regular updates, tracking progress and awarding rewards for milestones achieved. This not only encourages a healthy spirit of competition, but also helps integrate vitality into your employees' daily routines. As a result, the vitality initiative becomes a permanent part of the corporate culture.

Key insights

Giving your sporty employees an active role can take your vitality initiative to the next level. Involve them in setting up a vitality team, let them organise activities and use their competitive nature to motivate others. Not only will this create more enthusiasm and commitment to your programme, but it will also contribute to a culture of vitality within your organisation. Get started and see how your vitality initiative comes to life with the help of your sporting colleagues.