10,000 steps, a nice idea or a step too far?

At NewU, this walking challenge has already been tried by 1.000+ employees, and we share how you can make this step challenge work for your organisation based on our experience!

Why so many steps?🚨

A challenge related to steps does not necessarily have to start at the magic number of 10,000. For some colleagues, this number of steps is a little too far from their normal daily routine, so this idea might be discouraging rather than motivating.

It is important to set a goal that is both achievable and motivating for all employees. With an achievable initiative, every employee will start motivated but will also be left motivated by achieving milestones. To maintain motivation during your walk initiative, your goal needs to offer a small challenge so that the goal remains interesting.

Here are 3 tips you can use right away to make your next walking initiative a great success:

Make small steps.🚶

Just as someone who starts running does not immediately run a marathon, taking 2,000 extra steps every day for a month can already be a triumph. The first goal for new healthy habits doesn't have to be the biggest win ever right away. Start with small steps.

Imagine you decide to improve your diet. Instead of eating completely healthy right away, you can start by adding an extra portion of vegetables to your dinner. This small but significant step can have a big impact on your long-term health. You can also extend this to your walking initiative. An office worker used to sitting all day will be much more motivated when you start with small changes like taking the stairs instead of the lift.

Create successful experiences.🚀

You know that feeling when you do something small that you were looking forward to but feel great afterward? It's no different with health... It feels good to start with small goals that you can tick off, but it's still allowed to remain challenging, right? Take a look at how many steps you already take on an average day, and just put a happy 20% on top of that! Achieving a challenging goal creates pride and motivates you to keep going. Let's say you are already used to taking about 6,000 steps a day. A challenging but achievable goal for you could be to reach at least 7,200 steps every day. This gives you a clear goal to work towards, motivates you to be more active during the day, and, even better, gives you an immediate sense of achievement.

Unique people have unique doelen🎗️

Ultimately, it is not about achieving a number of steps, the number, but on achieving growth. For everyone, growth means something different. An active athlete starts out in a different way than someone who never plays sports and thus has a totally different view on a challenge.

Consider a colleague who already moves a lot by nature, such as an avid cyclist. For them, the goal of 10,000 steps a day may be too low. Instead, they may challenge themselves, for example, to cycle an extra 30 minutes daily on top of their usual routine. 10,000 steps can be an ambitious challenge for some employees.

You don't have to stick to the magic number: 10,000. Taking 2,000 steps more than an employee does on his or her normal working day already makes a big difference. Look for a goal that is achievable but energising to grow and give that extra push. Besides, every individual starts at a different level, so an active athlete needs a different goal than a novice exerciser.

Want to know more about creating personal achievable goals for your employees? Schedule an appointment with one of us, and let's have a digital cup of coffee soon.