Wasn't sure where to post this but decided to put it here with the thought that perhaps others could encourage the companies they work for to do something similar!

Yesterday we received a company-wide email saying there will be three fitness challenges in the next six months, each of which everyone who completes will have their names entered into a drawing for $200 gift certificate to a local market which specializes in healthful foods... complete them all and there is a $500 drawing.

I was really happy because I am already DOING the first one, thanks to 3FC and my own careful planning LOL. They will send us a log sheet and we have to eat a variety of 5 fruits and veggies each day for six weeks; then send the completed log back in! It doesnt start until April 9... but I can't wait to get my logsheet and start counting down!! And who knows? Maybe I will even be lucky and win the $200! And as we all know... even if I don't everyone who does this is a winner!!!

Just wondering if anyone else works for companies which have such types of programs and if so, what they do.

Were I work our group is currently doing a weight loss challenge. We started on March 1st and the buy in to participate was $40.
The way that it works is that if you loss 5% of your weight then you get half of your money back. If you don't meet that goal then the full $40 goes to the winner.
The winner is determined by whoever losses the biggest percentage of weight. We did it by percentage and not actual pounds so that it is fair for everyone.
I think the pot is about $560 right now. I will say it sure is motivating me. I would love to win the money to help buy a new wardrobe.
Our challenge lasts until May 31st. Wish me luck

Leec

Wow, Lee, that is fantastic. LOL yah that would motivate ME too!!! Good luck indeed, and I hope you win!!

ohhhh good luck hon!!! i hope you win!!!! I keep trying to get our boss to turn one of the past general managers office into a work out room. Maybe one day we'll get him to get the owners of the company to agree to something health wise!! I'll kep trying. as it is, he sees me and a couple other girls outside at lunch almost every day walking for 20-30 minutes. soon though, it is going to get too hot to walk at lunch. We need an excersize room with a fan!!!

I would love to see treadmills and such more standard in an office...supposedly we have a gym here but I've never been. I rarely have the time to bother changing (I'll usually just go out for a walk) and don't like the idea of being gawked at by the mostly male workforce here no matter what workout clothes I am wearing. I've seen so many instances on TV where people have added treadmills to their cubicles and often walk at a very slow pace for hours at a time. But just think how many calories even slow walking for a majority of your work day would burn! I would love it! Rather than spend the money on new carpeting or fancy chairs for executives it would be nice to see some treadmills...but maybe that's just a pipe dream of mine

Our company sponsors most of the major half marathons and 10ks in the UK. Staff get special priveleges, like entering priveleges, water tents, extra camaraderie etc.

We have a steps challenge once a year with prizes.

We also have a staff gym too.

And they buy us regular cakes and chocolate

Miles, that may be closer than you think. I saw a couple of reports last year about companies doing just that. A researcher on movement rigged up a laptop (I think he had one of those earbud phones, too) that he can mount on a treadmill, and he (I think everyone in his office, too) treads at about 1 - 1.5mph all day while working. Treadding literally 8 or so hours a day!

I think (I'd hope) that if more companies see the bottom-line benefits to having more fit employees, they'll start implementing methods for helping those employees get/stay fit.

Wouldn't that be neat!

We do have a small workout room in our company; someone donated the equipment. But we don't have a treadmill and personally I want to MOVE after spending so much time sitting. We do have wonderful places to walk and lunch hours here will see many of us from the office out plugging up down the hills. It is not so hot here in the summer but still can work up a sweat and not really time to come back and shower, though some do. I plan to start taking a T-shirt to change into when I am walking. Also I am fortunate as I go to lunch late and my afternoon is much shorter than the morning LOL. In winter time it rains here so much that a lot of times we all come back wet LOL

And LOL Kykaree our company is always buying us treats and stuff too... big cakes to celebrate anything we can think of LOL. We even have treats at staff meetings; but there ARE pretty much always two kinds; the junk as well as fresh fruit etc. for those who don't want the other. And there is always all kinds of junk around the office... but LOL I no longer indulge!!

My company scares the crap out of me. I work for a huge athletic facility and everyone does something athletic. We all have free gym memberships (even the cleaning crews), and I swear some days everyone walks around with a towel around their neck .

What do they do for fun?
dept. vs. dept. dodgeball competitions (and I mean competition in every sense of the word). We also have our own hockey team, but that includes 2 ex-NHL'ers (and not all that ex, either). A lot of people don't like working out where they work, but I love it. It's an amazing facility, even if a little intense at times. Sometimes my coworkers and I take a dance or pilates class after work or get together to play broomball. At the very least it's convenient.

I wish my company had a gym on campus!

They do offer 1/2 price memberships to any gym of your choice though. So if I were to pay $300 for a 24-hr Fitness membership, they would reimburse me for $150.

I bought a treadmill last year so that has to get me through another couple of years in order for it to 'pay for itself'.

If we had a gym at work, I'd use it. But I don't want to join another gym because it is so out of the way...I'd rather go home and jump on my own treadmill

We have Weight Watchers meetings here, a gym with aerobic classes offered all for free, and then healthy living challanges all the time. There is so much research about how much better healthy workers are than none, so they invest lots into trying to get us there.

Well we have a weight watcher's meeting and walking works meetings throughout the week...they also have healthy options in our dining center....The have seminars about healthy lifestyles also

oh yeah and we have a gym with exercise classes also