Would you like to think faster, remember more, or be more creative at work? Maybe you’d like to have a strong body that doesn’t ache when you get up? Would you just like to have more energy and feel better? How about walk upstairs without huffing and puffing?
You can do all this and more with one simple trick: Move your body. That’s it.
Not only is moving your body (or exercise as it’s usually referred to) good for your mental health and physical health, it’s also awesome for your cognitive functions. Regularly moving your body can help improve your concentration, give you a sharper memory, help you learn faster, enhance your creativity, and perhaps most importantly, lower your stress. If you’ve been feeling “blah” at the office, then incorporating movement into your daily life is a great fix.
Your employer can also start offering Lifestyle Spending Accounts, the most flexible programs Edenred offers. This employee wellness benefit can be used to pay for health, fitness, and more to help your employees’ general health and well-being. Lifestyle Spending Accounts have a positive impact on both employees and employers, helping reduce stress and increase morale and productivity.
So, what are some ways in which you can move? We have six ideas for you.
Here are six ways you can you use your lifestyle benefits to reach your personal fitness goals:
Get yourself a good pair of walking shoes
If moving your body more is your goal, there is no better place to start than a good walk. Walking is low impact, you can move as slowly or as quickly, as you like. You can choose to walk in your neighborhood, or find a good, treed path, or walk near the water. Walking lowers cortisol levels (the stress hormone), which plays a role in excess fat stored when stressed. Start with one 10 minute walk a day, and then increase as you’re comfortable. Use your Lifestyle Spending Accounts to get a good, supportive pair of walking shoes, and a trekking stick if you need it.
Purchase hiking equipment
After you’ve mastered taking nightly walks, you may want to move on to a steeper challenge. Visiting a local forest or mountain with an uneven path is a great way to build your leg muscles and increase your stamina. Use your Lifestyle Spending Accounts to buy a good pair of hiking shoes, wool socks, and accouterments like a backpack, water flask, and first aid kit. Now, if you’re not careful, you may end up liking the outdoors a little too much, and transition into camping. Don’t worry, your new obsession with tents and camping stoves is covered under your lifestyle benefits too!
Buy a swimsuit, goggles, and a cap
Swimming, like walking, can be as gentle or as strenuous as you would like. And it’s much gentler on the joints because of buoyancy. Look into local gyms that provide pools, local pools with memberships, and community centers that offer free-swim pool hours. Use your Lifestyle Spending Accounts to pay for that membership, pool hours, your suit, and equipment.
Join a dance class
Dancing is a great way to move your body! Depending on your age, level of health, and interests, you could be taking anything from the waltz, line dancing, salsa, swing, hip hop, or contemporary. Use your Lifestyle Spending Accounts to pay for class fees and any special shoes you may need.
Purchase a bicycle
This is another great option that can be as peaceful or as intense as you would like it to be. You could go for a traditional road bike, a mountain bike, a hybrid bike with a motor, or even get an adult tricycle. The list goes on. There are so many types of bikes – depending on your area of interest. Use your Lifestyle Spending Accounts to purchase your bike of choice, your helmet, and some tools to repair the chain should you so need.
Join a gym
The gym offers a myriad of options from free weights and machines; to classes like yoga, cycling, Pilates, and Zumba. Some offer a pool. Some even offer a sauna, coaching, and/or massage therapy. You can’t go wrong at the gym. You can use your Lifestyle Spending Accounts for a monthly membership, or to take singular classes.
Let’s Chat!
Our goal at Edenred is to be your everyday companion at work. If you’ve been looking for a surefire way to attract and retain top talent, significantly lower turnover, and build a culture of positivity at your workplace by providing attractive and common-sense benefits, we can help.
Schedule a meeting with us today so we can help you make a customized Lifestyle Spending Accounts program that we know your employees would love.
