There is no doubt that maintaining a healthy weight leads to improved quality of life and health. So why not have a weight loss contest at work? We’ll give you FIVE reasons why not:
#5 There are employees who will likely lose weight quickly in “unhealthy ways” to win the contest.
#4 Long-term sustained weight loss is more often achieved by slow and steady weight loss rather than dropping pounds fast.
#3 Experts believe that weight loss efforts may fail so often because people are focusing on losing pounds rather than being healthier.
#2 Employees don’t want to feel like their employer is watching their waist-line.
#1 No one wants to be called a “LOSER”.
Instead, set up a healthy challenge that awards points for behaviors that lead to a healthy weight, rather than pounds lost! The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) has published the behaviors that are most commonly linked to those who have been successful in losing a significant amount of weight and keeping it off over a long period of time. These behaviors include:
Daily physical activity
Eating a healthy breakfast every morning
Limiting TV time to less than 2 hours a day
Weighing themselves once a week
So next time you want to engage your population in friendly competition for group supported weight loss, try a healthy weight challenge rewarding these behaviors that lead to long term success!
Find information about fun and motivating wellness challenges that promote healthy behaviors.
