[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”||||||||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Is physical activity an important employee benefit?<\/h2>\n
Employee benefits aren\u2019t just a way to attract top talent to your organisation. They\u2019re also a valid way to retain happy, healthy staff members. As management, you have the responsibility of selecting employee benefits<\/a> that truly improve your staff members\u2019 lives both in and out of the workplace.<\/p>\n Numerous studies show that engaging in regular physical activity is fundamental to stress management<\/a>, social connections, cognitive health, and long-term health outcomes.<\/p>\n Fitness is about so much more than sweating it out at the gym or striving for a better looking body. A smart choice of physical activity benefits for your employees will have a positive impact on their team work, creativity, self-image, and confidence.<\/p>\n Benchmark your company with a personalised wellness scorecard – here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n UK Government guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week for the best health and wellbeing outcomes. Figures published in 2022 show that 61.4% of people in England aged 16+ are meeting these targets.<\/p>\n This suggests that almost half of your workforce may not be meeting the minimum health guidelines for physical activity. And you can help, by offering appealing, accessible fitness benefits<\/a>. Remember that most people need encouragement to engage with fitness once \u2013 let alone make it a habit.<\/p>\n Your choice of physical activity employee benefit could have a significant impact on each individual\u2019s lifelong health, and contribute to a more active general population. When you\u2019re choosing a strategic partner for your provision of employee fitness, think about how your people will want to engage in physical activity. Offer them choice, flexibility, and accessible ways to trial different forms of fitness so they find one they enjoy.<\/p>\n Physical activity has far-reaching effects on physical and mental wellbeing. As well as keeping individuals mobile<\/a>, fit, and healthy, it also impacts emotional and social health.<\/p>\n Offering fitness as a benefit is a smart move for employers, too, because you\u2019ll reap the rewards in terms of employee productivity, creativity, motivation, retention, and reduced absenteeism<\/a> related to a vast range of physical and mental issues.<\/p>\n Fitness is an employee benefit<\/a> that has relevance to all employees regardless of age and stage of life, gender, employment status, mobility, or income level. In fact, it\u2019s one of few employee benefits that truly improves physical and emotional wellbeing for every single employee on any given day of the week.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ module_class=”c__full” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#ebf0f1″ custom_padding=”30px||30px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text ol_position=”outside” ol_item_indent=”20px” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n When your organisation offers a fresh and exciting fitness benefit for employees, you will attract vibrant people who care about their health and wellbeing. And when that benefit can keep pace with the changing demands of your workforce, it will help you retain good people too.<\/p>\n Fitness and exercise have the power to forge strong bonds and transcend social groups. Offering gym and fitness class memberships to your workforce may help break down barriers between top management and front of house staff<\/a>, leading to increased cohesion.<\/p>\n People who regularly engage in physical activity report being able to focus, think clearly, and come up with more creative ideas than their sedentary counterparts. Offering a fitness employee benefit will have an impact on staff productivity, ideas generation, mood, and motivation.<\/p>\n By helping your employees engage with fitness, you are helping them take control of their health. This will lead to higher morale, self confidence, and self-worth throughout the workplace.<\/p>\n Offering physical activity as an employee benefit will have a measurable impact on absenteeism, early retirement, and time off due to ill-health. Exercise has numerous well studied benefits on physical health, long term health outcomes, mental wellbeing, and healthier ageing.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”30px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”||||||||” custom_padding=”||||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The rise of flexible and hybrid working means you need to find a fitness partner who can support you with a truly flexible fitness employee benefit package. Having a gym on site, or offering membership to one local gym simply won\u2019t be good enough for a dispersed workforce<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Make sure your employee benefits package gives your people the choice of fitness on their terms. This means the option of fitness near the workplace, and near their home, as well as wherever they might travel for meetings or hybrid working. You also need to think about offering a large variety of fitness options (not just the gym), and meeting a demand for early or late exercise sessions.<\/p>\n Hussle offers users a way to access a huge variety of fitness options across its one network, any location model. Talk to us about partnering with Hussle to give your employees discounted access to our UK-wide network of gyms, pools, fitness centres, spas, and sports spaces<\/a>. Your staff members could use Hussle for as one-off visits, for access to multiple gyms<\/a>, or for discounted gym membership to one location.<\/p>\n Hussle is the ultimate in cost-effective, flexible access to fitness that suits your hybrid workplace model. Talk to us to discuss great discounts for your employees<\/a> that will benefit the individuals, their teams, and your entire organisation.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.hussle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Elevate-Employee-Wellness.png” alt=”Elevate employee wellness with corporate gym membership” title_text=”Elevate Employee Wellness” url=”https:\/\/www.hussle.com\/employers” url_new_window=”on” _builder_version=”4.22.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Prioritise an employee fitness provision for a ripple effect that positively impacts your entire business.Is physical activity an important employee benefit? Employee benefits aren\u2019t just a way to attract top talent to your organisation. They\u2019re also a valid way to retain happy, healthy staff members. As management, you have the responsibility of selecting employee benefits […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":5608,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n When you're looking to increase fitness<\/b><\/a>, stamina, or perhaps lose a bit of weight, we've all been told the top tip of taking the stairs rather than the lift. Increasing your heart rate and working the muscle in your legs, workouts with a step have been popular since the 1980s. Since the days of step classes and neon Lycra.<\/p>\r\n\r\n But the step machine in the gym can get overlooked. It gets branded as boring. Truth is, the stair climber can deliver an efficient and well rounded workout, whether used as part of a wider gym routine or on its own for a whole workout<\/a> session.<\/p>\r\n\r\n So let's delve into the stair climber benefits. You might soon find yourself swapping that treadmill workout for a stair climber workout. Or combining the two.<\/p>\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n The stair climber does what it says on the tin and simulates walking up stairs. Unlike some of the other scary looking gym equipment<\/a>, it's very easy to use. It rotates steps to simulate climbing a flight of stairs and you can vary the resistance and speed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n There are two types of gym stepper machines, the pedal type steppers and the step mill.<\/p>\r\n\r\n The pedal steppers require you to push down on pedals and keep your body mostly still as you do so meaning it gets your core more involved. Whack up the resistance or take smaller or larger steps as you prefer, to vary the difficulty level.<\/p>\r\n\r\n The step mill is more like a traditional flight of stairs, that moves like an escalator. Up the speed or take the steps two at a time for a more challenging workout variation.<\/p>\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n StairMaster is actually a brand. Hence the use of capital letters. Call it a step machine, stepper, stair stepper, StairMaster, stepmill, Power Climb mill, stairclimber or stepping machine \u2013 they are all the same thing.<\/p>\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n The golden rule is: don\u2019t slouch. Step machine benefits are maximised when you hold the handrail as little as possible and keep your core strong. Keep your feet flat and avoid coming up onto your tiptoes. Don\u2019t let your knees stick forward of your toes. If your knee comes forward too much it stresses your knee joint and quadriceps tendon.<\/p>\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n Stair climber benefits are huge. A step machine workout is a good bit of cardiovascular exercise, burning calories as it increases your heart rate and gets your blood pumping. If weight loss<\/b><\/a> is your goal, you can help create that calorie deficit here. It's also low impact compared with other cardio machine workouts, like the treadmill. A plus for those with joint issues.<\/p>\r\n\r\n But it can also double as strength training<\/b><\/a>. The repetitive motion of using your legs to push yourself up is a great way to test that endurance and activate the muscles in your lower body<\/a>. Stair climber workouts are great if you're looking to tone your lower body.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Additionally, this exercise gives your core muscles a decent workout too. Having to readjust your balance as you climb helps you to develop a stronger core<\/b><\/a>. Make sure you keep an eye on your posture to make this efficient and ease lower back pain. <\/p>\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n It definitely lets you be more efficient with your stair climbing workout. <\/p>\r\n\r\n Real stairs don't provide you with differing levels of resistance like the stepper in the gym. The harder your step, the harder your muscles are working, and the more likely you are to start to tone your lower body.<\/p>\r\n\r\n An interesting point is that if you\u2019re climbing real stairs, you're going to be coming down them again. Going downstairs can place a strain on your joints, especially the knees. Anyone who's experienced knee problems like runner's knee will know the pain of walking down stairs. As you are always on the upward climb on the stair stepper, there is no strain on your joints.<\/p>\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n If you're new to it, start with 15 minutes. That way you can test out your resistance and speed. Gradually build up so you can stay on the stair climber for 30 minutes. For the average person, a 30 minute stair climber session can burn around 200-300 calories.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Aim for a speed of about 60-80 steps a minute. But it's also great to mix it up. Try periods of faster speed or increased resistance followed by rest. That way you can build up both your stamina, endurance, and give every muscle in your lower body a good workout.<\/p>\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n The benefits of gym treadmills are that you run less risk of injury than pounding the pavements. Gym treadmills are easier on your joints than a hard concrete pavement and there\u2019s no injury-causing uneven ground to worry about. As a general rule, running is an extremely efficient cardio and therefore calorie burning activity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Gym stair steppers share the same benefits of the reduced impact, but aren't as calorie busting as running. However, it can be seen as a form of strength training too, which running can't really. Stair climbers can work every muscle in your legs if you're using them correctly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n And if you're the clumsy type, it\u2019s hard to fall off a stair stepper. So if you like to zone out and watch TV in the gym while you exercise, this one is for you.<\/p>\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n The burn belly fat question is one that comes up every time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Whilst you can\u2019t spot reduce and target fat loss to particular areas of your body, you can burn belly fat by reducing the overall amount of calories that you take on board and burning fat with aerobic exercise. Therefore the stair stepper will burn belly fat as part of a calorie burning workout, as it is a good aerobic exercise.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Stair climber workouts also works your stomach muscles and strengthens your core, engaging those muscles underneath the belly fat and helping to keep your tummy toned.<\/p>\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n There are plenty of gyms with StairMasters. <\/p>\r\n\r\n Most gyms will have a StairMaster or similar machine. If you\u2019re not sure if your favourite gym has a stair climber, ask one of the gym instructors. Just as you would expect to find a treadmill in most gyms, you can expect to find a stepping machine too, especially in the larger gyms.<\/p>\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n The beauty of the stair climber is there are actually lots of variations you can do on the machine in addition to just walking up stairs.<\/p> \r\n\r\n Incorporating additional movements such as a lunge, a squat, an overhead press, or even adding a resistance band is a great way to making your workout<\/a> even more efficient at working the muscles in your body.<\/p>\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZfjoRT8Zl48\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\nWhy get employees more active in the UK?<\/h2>\n
How to encourage employee engagement with fitness<\/h2>\n
Physical fitness as an umbrella benefit for wellbeing<\/h2>\n
Fitness for employees \u2013 benefits for your workplace<\/h2>\n
Attract and retain talent<\/h3>\n
Team work and friendships<\/h3>\n
Productivity and mental clarity<\/h3>\n
Morale and self-worth<\/h3>\n
Long-term health outcomes<\/h3>\n
How to choose the best fitness offer as an employee benefit<\/h2>\n
Offer Hussle as a discounted benefit for your employees<\/h2>\n
What is the stair climber?<\/h4>\r\n\u00a0\r\n
What is the difference between a StairMaster and a stepmill?<\/h4>\r\n\u00a0\r\n
How do you use the stair climber?<\/h4>\r\n\u00a0\r\n
What does the stair climber do for your body?<\/h4>\r\n\u00a0\r\n
Is the stair climber in the gym better than real stairs?<\/h4>\r\n\u00a0\r\n
How long should you stay on the stair climber?<\/h4>\r\n\u00a0\r\n
Which is better, the treadmill or stair climber?<\/h4>\r\n\u00a0\r\n
Does the stair climber burn belly fat?<\/h4>\r\n\u00a0\r\n
Where can I use a Stair Master?<\/h4>\r\n\u00a0\r\n
Stair climber workouts<\/h4>\r\n\u00a0\r\n
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