A study involving over 11,000 employees showed that a 15-minute gamified physical activity challenge significantly boosted their exercise levels and overall well-being, with the majority surpassing activity guidelines.
Organizations often introduce various wellness initiatives, like Corporate Cup challenges, lunchtime yoga, or “walk and talks,” to promote workplace activity. But before you shy away from these, new research suggests that just 15 minutes and a bit of gamification can set you on the path to success.
Assessing results from 11,575 participants, across 73 Australian, New Zealand, and UK companies, University of South Australia researchers found that a gamified workplace wellness program – the 15 Minute Challenge – leads to substantial increases in physical activity levels, with 95% of participants meeting (36%) or exceeding (59%) physical activity guidelines.
Increase in Physical Activity and Health Benefits
In addition, participants’ average daily physical activity levels increased by 12 minutes per day (85 minutes per week) throughout the six-week challenge, with the median daily exercise duration being 45 minutes.
Participants also reported improvements in fitness (14%), energy (12%), overall health (8%), sleep quality (8%), and mood (7.1%).
The WHO recommends that adults (aged 18-64) 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 over a week. In Australia, 37% of adults and 83% of teenagers do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity.
The Role of Physical Activity in Workplace Wellness
Lead researcher, UniSA’s Dr. Ben Singh, says the 15 Minute Challenge presents an effective mechanism to help boost employee health and well-being in the workplace.
“Regular physical activity provides significant physical and mental health benefits. It plays a key role in preventing and managing chronic disease, such as DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12131255
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