Launched on 4th January with support from a range of partners the 8 week Active Lunch Challenge has seen over 7,100 people and 500 workplaces take part in the first month.
Building on the manifesto and evaluation findings from BHFNC the Active Lunch challenge encourages employers and employees to add bite size activity in and around the working day with an Active Lunch theme. A range of prizes are on offer to people who log their activites through the workplace challenge website.
We know that most people spend more than 60% of our waking hours at work, and in January/February when the mornings and evenings are filled with darkness – getting out and being active can often be the last thing we want to do! The campaign urges people to make the most of the lightest and brightest part of your day and to liven up their lunch with bite size activity – every 10 minutes counts!
The campaign has seen a positive response from a number of organisations who are keen to work with CSP Network to help workplaces to be healthy and active and to grow and sustain Workplace Challenge.
Fitbit there is now an integration between workplace challenge app to enable tracking with Fitbit devices. Fitbit UK are also supporting with promotion and some prizes for the Active Lunch challenge.
DW Sports & Fitness are supporting the Active Lunch campaign with promotional activity, prizes and offers for workplaces. DW Sports & Fitness have produced a great new to active starter guide - click here to find out more
For more details, or to complete the free and simple registration, visit www.workplacechallenge.org.uk.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITOR:
Workplace Challenge
- Workplace Challenge’s activity tracking platform is a free online facility available through www.workplacechallenge.org.uk that enables individuals and workplaces to log all of their physical activity, and easily compare activity levels to other participating individuals and organisations.
- Active loggers will be able to see a variety of stats including distance travelled, calories burned, CO2 saved and progress against the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week using a targets bar. It's also possible to set personal targets in 2015 (linked to fundraising if you wish) and create your ‘circles’ to compare your progress against friends and colleagues. All these features and more are available from your dashboard.
- A minimum of three registered employees are required for a workplace to appear in a leader board and people can also track their own individual progress locally and nationally.
- County Sports Partnerships across England locally manage the online platform for their community, ensuring that there are challenges, activities and competitions available offline to encourage people to stay active.
- Workplace Challenge is supported by Sport England through the Get Healthy Get Active fund.
CSP Network
- The CSP Network represents 44 local County Sports Partnership teams across the country.
- Collectively, they contribute to the health of the nation by helping local partners, organisations and deliverers to promote the benefits of active lifestyles across local communities.
- The CSP Network delivered The Community Games – one of the most successful community campaigns seen in the UK, attracting over 2 million members of the public to come together in local communities to take part in active cultural events inspired by London 2012.
British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity and Health (BHFNC)
- The BHFNC was established in April 2000 with funding from the British Heart Foundation. Based in the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine at Loughborough University our aim is to create an active nation by translating research evidence into practice to improve and extend the promotion of physical activity in the UK. We do this by undertaking research and evaluation and supporting professionals across a range of sectors including health care, education, transport, sport and leisure with practical evidence-based tools to promote physical activity. For further information on our work go to www.bhfactive.org.uk.