Data shows that obese and overweight employees cost employers twice as much in medical costs as employees with healthy weights. Companies that adopt employee wellness programs can earn significant ROI by reducing the burden of healthcare costs.
Promoting healthy weight loss at work can help employees improve their physical health, reduce their disease risk, and cut health care expenditures. These 30-day office weight loss challenges can inspire you and your team to make healthier choices at work, at home, and in all areas of life.
Diet, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Weight Loss Challenges for Work
Diet and nutrition are critical components of weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. Weight loss is part diet and part exercise, so incorporating fitness challenges at work can also encourage employees to lose weight.
Here are some of the top diet, nutrition, and physical activity 30-day weight loss challenges for work.
1. No junk food challenge
Junk food is one of the biggest impediments to weight loss. Chips, ice cream, and fast food are high in calories but low in nutrients, meaning they cause weight gain without nutritional benefit. Create a weight loss challenge at work to help employees cut back on or eliminate junk food for 30 days in favor of healthier snack foods.
2. Calorie-counting challenge
To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Calorie-counting brings awareness to the number of calories you consume, as well as the types of food you mostly eat. A 30-day calorie-counting challenge can be an educational and practical way to help employees lose weight. Have employees record their calories in a journal or log them manually directly in your wellness platform or through an app, like MyFitnessPal.
3. Intermittent fasting challenge
Intermittent fasting is an evidence-based weight loss method that limits the timeframe in which a person eats. The most popular intermittent fasting schedule is 16/8, where you only consume meals during an eight-hour window. Launch a 30-day intermittent fasting challenge at work and have employees record and share their ongoing results.
4. No eating out challenge
Restaurant meals are often large portions cooked with potentially unhealthy ingredients high in trans or saturated fats. Challenge employees to avoid restaurant meals for 30 days as a way to help encourage weight loss. It’s also a way to save money and learn how to prepare your own meals at home.
5. Cook your own meals challenge
The inverse of a no restaurant challenge is a challenge where employees prepare their own meals. Provide employees with resources to help them hone their cooking skills and improve their dietary habits by choosing fresh, whole-food ingredients.
6. Hydration challenge
Staying adequately hydrated supports weight loss. Drinking enough water suppresses appetite and improves satiety. It also boosts metabolism and optimizes calorie-burning exercise. Start a 30-day hydration challenge at work where employees track their water consumption each day to reach their daily water intake goals.
7. Soda-free challenge
Sodas are heavy in empty calories and high in sugar, leading to weight gain. Drinking a soda every day can add roughly one pound of weight every two weeks. People who drink soda daily are more likely to develop visceral belly fat, which is a contributor to heart disease and diabetes. Going soda-free for 30 days can help employees build weight-loss momentum.
8. Gluten-free challenge
While most people don’t experience gluten intolerance, many gluten-rich foods also happen to be unhealthy — they’re high in sugars and unhealthy fats. Going gluten-free can be a helpful weight loss tool to add to a dietary plan. Challenge employees to avoid gluten-containing foods like bread and pasta for 30 days.
9. Black coffee challenge
Did you know that many coffee creamers contain hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, and other unhealthy ingredients? Switching to black coffee is a small adjustment that can have a big impact on calorie intake. Challenge employees to take their coffee straight for 30 days and record the results of their weight loss.
10. No dessert challenge
The post-dinner sweet tooth is fairly common, but it leads to consuming extra and unnecessary calories every day, causing steady weight gain over time. The no dessert challenge will help employees overcome late-night snacking and find healthier habits to adopt after dinner.
11. Morning exercise challenge
Beginning the day with exercise can boost focus and productivity, but it also helps improve fitness adherence. People who exercise in the morning are more likely to exercise consistently, which is what leads to greater weight loss results over time. Start a 30-day morning exercise challenge to help employees build healthier fitness habits.
12. Daily 30-minute walk challenge
Walking has numerous health benefits, including weight loss, disease prevention, and improved mood. Walking at a moderate pace for 30 minutes daily can help you meet your daily physical activity goals. Launch a 30-day daily walking challenge and encourage employees to walk for at least 30 minutes straight each day.
13. Daily yoga challenge
Yoga is a form of body weight exercise, but it’s also a way to improve mental and emotional well-being. Encourage employees to participate in a 30-day yoga challenge where they perform a set of yoga poses daily for 30 minutes.
14. Push-up challenge
Resistance training helps build muscle strength while burning calories, leading to weight loss over time. Try an office push-up challenge where employees are encouraged to do a set number of push-ups (or sit-ups) daily for 30 days. The push-up goal will depend on the employee’s existing fitness level, so they should choose their goal accordingly.
15. Swim, bike, or run challenge
Aerobic exercise is crucial to weight loss and maintaining cardiovascular health. To boost cardio activity among employees, encourage them to swim, bike, or run every day for 30 days. The key is to do at least one of these activities each day throughout the 30-day office weight loss competition.
Start a 30-Day Workplace Weight Loss Challenge at Your Office
Do you want to encourage better health habits at work? Consider a 30-day weight loss challenge to inspire employees to put their health and well-being first.
Healthier employees are happier and more productive. And companies that promote corporate health and wellness tend to see higher levels of employee engagement and retention.
Promote healthier habits in your workplace with the Wellics wellness platform. Use Wellics to implement 30-day office weight loss challenges and endless other wellness initiatives. Wellics' wearable integrations gather individual health and fitness data, allowing employees to record their challenge results automatically. Track your organization's progress and watch your employees thrive along their wellness journey. Discover the entire suite of Wellics capabilities today — browse our employee wellness program.
Originally published July 27, 2022 - 6:13 AM, updated November 21, 2023
Sources
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.4278/ajhp.120905-QUAN-428
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/diet-reviews/intermittent-fasting/
- https://hub.jhu.edu/at-work/2020/01/15/focus-on-wellness-drinking-more-water/
- https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.020453
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7492403/
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-2004626
