In March 2019, team Eastpoint found out that they’d be partaking in their first ever Wellbeing Month in April. There were gasps of horror around the room when certain announcements were made. “There will be no coke in the fridge”, “no crisps in the kitchen” and “there’ll be lots of fruit!” struck fear into all of us.
Despite the initial scare, everyone quickly got on board with the idea. Come the start of April, everyone started taking part in the various company initiatives…
What has Wellbeing Month contained so far?
The Health Screening
Eastpoint provided every employee who wanted one, a health screening on the first couple of days of the month. Each check about took 30 minutes each and looked at employees’ health stats, such as weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and more.
A professional health practitioner carried out each appointment, and employees who took part were given advice on how to improve their health going forward.
Stop Smoking Support
The company offered any employee who smokes a month’s worth of nicotine patches free of charge to help them kick the habit.
Healthy Eating
Everyone said goodbye to the kitchen’s supply of fizzy drinks, crisps and biscuits, and said hello to healthier alternatives. These have included a daily fresh bowl of fruit, nuts and fruit juices, and a fridge full of other healthy goodies like hummus, vegetables, yoghurts and more.
Daily Email Updates
Wellbeing month hasn’t just been a (so far) two-week diet. It’s been a learning opportunity too. To keep everyone on board with what they can be doing inside and outside of work to improve their physical and mental wellbeing, each member of staff has been receiving a daily email with tips, recipes, and information about wellbeing concepts.
The Exercise Competition
With the promise that the 5 people with the most exercise points at the end of the month will be entered into a prize draw, people have been putting their best foot forward and getting moving.
For every 5 minutes of moderate exercise, you score 1 point. For every 5 minutes of vigorous exercise, you score 2 points.
What counts as Moderate or Vigorous Exercise?
As a company of fitness tracker wear-ers, we decided to work off of our heart rates. “Fatburn” mode (or exercising but still being able to talk) counts as moderate, and “Cardio” (or not being able to hold a conversation while exercising) has counted as vigorous.
The Charity Bike Ride
With scoring points on many people’s minds, 12 Eastpoint team members have signed themselves up to do a company bike ride. On April 25th, they’ll be cycling either 15 or 40 miles for charity. In the run-up, there have been a lot of practice rides, and so far only two people have taken a tumble. Watch this space to see if the numbers go up before the end of the month!
The Stepper
To help everyone find time for exercise, Eastpoint invested in several under the desk steppers. Everyone has the chance to take one back to their desk for a while and get their steps in. This has meant, however, it’s not uncommon to see staff walking around with their Fitbits tucked into their shoes!
