Northamptonshire Sport launches eight-week challenge to firms to get fit in 2017

An eight-week activity challenge launches in the New Year (Wednesday, January 4), designed to encourage more people in Northamptonshire to introduce ten-minute ‘bite size’ chunks of activity in and around their working day to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Run locally by Northamptonshire Sport, the Active Lunch Challenge, which runs until February 28, will be providing individuals with exciting examples and opportunities to get active and log their activity online – from office aerobics to company-wide congas.

It’s all part of Workplace Challenge, the national workplace health programme, aimed at supporting and promoting physical activity in and around the workplace. An estimated 40 percent of people do not exercise enough, according to Public Health England, and research conducted by Workplace Challenge partners, the British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity and Health (BHFNC), shows that time is the biggest barrier to sport and activity.

By encouraging participation during the lightest and brightest part of the day, the eight-week Active Lunch Challenge will also support mental health, helping to tackle Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). NHS guidelines state that getting plenty of regular exercise, particularly outdoors and in daylight, can help to improve symptoms of SAD.

Sarah Harvey, sport development officer (Workplace Health) for Northamptonshire Sport, said: “It’s so important that more people introduce physical activity into and around their working day, but the perception for many is that it’s really difficult achieve.

“In fact, small steps can make a real difference. We want local people to get away from their desks, just for a few minutes each day – it doesn’t matter what they do, the most important thing is that they take steps to change their normal routine over the next eight weeks by introducing some form of physical activity.”

Northamptonshire Sport will be working with local employers to host events, provide inspiration and encourage teams to get involved over the next eight weeks.

Northamptonshire employees can sign up for Workplace Challenge for free, where they can log activity and compete against others in company-wide, local and national challenges.

In addition, Northamptonshire Sport have just launched their full 2017 workplace Challenge programme with plenty of small competitions and the ever popular annual Summer Business games. For information about any elements of Workplace Health, contact Sarah Harvey on [email protected]

For more details, visit www.workplacechallenge.org.uk.