TO TAKE EMPLOYEES BEYOND STEPS...Fitbit Non-Step Challenges Guidebook 2 Why this challenge: Lack of sleep can cost you money. In fact, the effects of sleep deprivation cost U.S. companies

Fitbit Non-Step Challenges Guidebook 1

There’s no doubt that step-based activity challenges can motivate people to

move more. In fact, Fitbit data shows that users who participate in Fitbit’s in-app

Challenges take an average of 2,000 more steps per day than those who do not

participate—which is about an extra mile of walking per day.1

But maybe you’ve run several successful step challenges at your company and

you’re ready for a change. Check out these four non-step-based challenges that can

help your employees get their health in check—in ways that go beyond steps.

BEYOND STEPS

4 CHALLENGES TO TAKE EMPLOYEES


Why this challenge: Lack of sleep can cost you money. In fact, the effects of sleep deprivation cost

U.S. companies a whopping $63.2 billion per year.2 Lack of sleep can also result

in cognitive impairment equivalent of being under the influence3 and increases

the likelihood of employees staying home sick.4 To encourage optimal sleep for

your employees, try running a sleep challenge that encourages them to adopt

steady sleep habits.

$63 BILLION / YR

Challenge details:

NAME: Sleep Right, Sleep Tight

DURATION: Aim for a sweet spot of 4 weeks, which is enough time to make

real behavior change but not too much time for employees to lose momentum.

TEAMS: Split up teams by department (marketing, accounting, etc.)

HOW IT WORKS: Encourage employees to aim for the National Institute of

Health’s recommendation of 7-8 hours of sleep each night.5 If you suspect that

the average night’s sleep at your company is much lower, pick a more realistic

goal and work your way up each week. At the end of each week, identify which

teams hit the designated sleep goal and enter them into a raffle for a chance to

win the grand prize at the end of the challenge. Once the challenge ends, select

one team from the raffle to claim the grand prize. The more weeks a team

nailed their sleep goal, the better chance they have of bringing home the prize.

MESSAGING IS KEY: Include sleep-themed messages in your flyers, emails,

posters and more to pump up your employees:

SLEEP DEPRIVATION COSTS U.S. COMPANIES

Catch your ZZZs, please!

Ready...set...zzzzzzzz

Hit the hay for 8 hours of solid sleep!

CHALLENGE #1

SLEEP

Fitbit Non-step Challenges Guide 3

Important to consider:

SLEEP CAN BE A SENSITIVE SUBJECT, SO MAKE SURE YOU APPROACH

THIS CHALLENGE IN THE APPROPRIATE WAY:

• Remember that privacy is especially important when it comes to sleep, so never collect individual level data for this kind of challenge.

• Ensure that teams are large enough to retain individual participants’ anonymity.

• Be as transparent as possible by assuring employees that no personal sleep information will be tracked, and only team averages will be considered.

• Provide employees with educational tools or takeaways that empower them to maintain better sleep habits.

1 Based on anonymized and aggregated Fitbit data, November 2016.

2 Harvard Medical School. (2011, September 2). Insomnia Costing U.S. Workforce$63.2 Billion a Year, Researchers Estimate. Retrieved 2017,

from: https://hms.harvard.edu/news/insomnia-costing-us-workforce-632-billion-year-researchers-estimate-9-2-11

3 M Williamson, Anne-Marie Feyer. (2000, October). Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments in cognitive and motor performance

equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Retrieved 2017, from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1739867/pdf/v057p00649.pdf

4 Tea Lallukka, PHD. (2014, September 1). Sleep and Sickness Absence: A Nationally Representative Register-Based Follow-Up Study. SLEEP.

Retrieved 2017, from https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/37/9/1413/2416837/Sleep-and-Sickness-Absence-A-Nationally?searchresult=1

5 National Institutes of Health, (2012, February 22). How Much Sleep is Enough? Retrieved 2017, from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/

health-topics/topics/sdd/howmuch

CHALLENGE #1

SLEEP


Why this challenge: This challenge is all about getting active and staying active by reaching 30

minutes of physical activity at least 5 days a week. Why 30 minutes? Because

the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends completing

30 minutes of physical activity at least five days a week, totaling 150 minutes

per week, to maintain weight and reduce risk of illness.6 In addition, research

published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that older men who

do just 30 minutes of physical activity, regardless of intensity, six days a week

have a 40 percent lower risk of mortality.7

This challenge is an effective way to keep employees active, while moving

away from traditional step tracking. This is everyone’s chance to get creative

with activity—whether that’s taking a dance class, playing soccer, or going on

a hike—and embrace the idea that there is no one-size-fits-all way to reach

your fitness goals.

Challenge details:

NAME: Amp it Up

DURATION: 4 weeks

TEAMS: Split up teams by office location or by department

HOW IT WORKS: Create a challenge that focuses on amping up the number of

minutes employees are active each day, instead of tracking steps. Each week,

challenge teams to average at least 30 minutes of exercise for at least 5 days.

At the end of each week, determine which teams hit 30 minutes of activity for

at least 5 days and enter them into the grand prize raffle. At the end of the

4-week challenge, enter the qualifying active teams into the raffle. Throughout

the challenge, encourage participants to share how they kept active, by

snapping pictures of themselves on a hike with friends, jogging with coworkers,

or dancing with family members.

MESSAGING IS KEY: Include activity-themed messages in your flyers, emails,


Just keep moving, just keep moving…

We like to move it, move it!

Lunges, and tennis, and boxing—oh my!

CHALLENGE #2

ACTIVE MINUTES


Important to consider: Some wearable devices, including Fitbit trackers, can automatically track active

minutes. Active minutes on Fitbit trackers are measured as the amount of time

users do continuous, moderate-to-intense activity for more than 10 minutes. If

an employee has an activity tracker that calculates active minutes, logging this

information should be just as easy as tracking steps. For employees who don’t

have an activity tracker, offer guidelines that define active minutes so that

participants can log these minutes accurately, like counting any moderate

to-vigorous activity (walking, jogging, cycling, etc.) they do for more than 10

minutes at a time. This kind of activity can include jogging, swimming, cycling,

rowing, using free weights and more. Encouraging a variety of activity can be

an effective way to include employees of all abilities and interests.

6 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015, June 4). Physical Activity and Health. Retrieved 2017,

from https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm

7 Holme, S A Anderssen (2015, May). Increases in Physical Activity is as Important as Smoking Cessation for Reduction in Total Mortality in

Elderly Men: 12 Years of Follow-Up of the Oslo II Study. British Journal of Sports Medicine. Retrieved 2017, from

http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/11/743

CHALLENGE #2

ACTIVE MINUTES


Challenge #1: Sleep

Why this challenge: Stair climbing might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think

exercise, but it’s effective and accessible. Not only will climbing stairs get

hearts pumping, it can actually improve our health. In fact, one study reported

that eight flights of stairs a day is associated with a 33% lower risk of stroke

and early mortality.8 If you’re looking for ways to encourage employees to opt

for the stairs, point-of-decision prompts–like “Take the Stairs!” posters by the

elevator–work wonders. In fact, a study found that when stair prompts were

in place, stair use increased by a median relative increase of 50%. This study

found that stair reminders were especially effective in shopping malls, subway

stations, airports, and yes, even office buildings.9

Challenge details:

NAME: Elevator? What Elevator?

DURATION: 4 weeks

TEAMS: Organize teams to represent charities of their choice

HOW IT WORKS: It’s time to get climbing! The team who has the highest floor

average at the end of the challenge will take home the gold. Shoot for a goal of

10 floors (flights of stairs) per day. Throughout the challenge, urge employees

to get creative with getting in their floors, like running up and down the stairs at

a park, climbing the stairs at the mall, or going on a hike over the weekend.

MESSAGING IS KEY: Include climbing-themed messages in your flyers, emails,


Ain’t no staircase high enough!

What goes up…must feel awesome!

Climb your way to the top!

33% lower risk of stroke EIGHT FLIGHTS OF STAIRS

CHALLENGE #3

FLOORS CLIMBED


Important to consider: Wearable devices that can track floors have a sensor that detects when users

are going up or down in elevation. For instance, certain Fitbit trackers register

one floor when you climb about ten feet at one time. It does not register floors

when you go down. If that solution is not available, help employees come up

with an efficient way to track their floors, like posting signs of total floors earned

by climbing certain flights of stairs at the office. You can even make these signs

descriptive and motivational, like “Skip the elevator! Take the stairs from the

lobby to the main conference room, and you’ll earn 3 floors!”

8 I-Min Lee and Ralph S. Paffenbarger, Jr. (2000). Associations of Light, Moderate, and Vigorous Intensity Physical Activity with Longevity.

American Journal of Epidemiology. Retrieved 2017, from https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/151/3/293/113585/Associations-of-Light-Mod-

erate-and-Vigorous

9 Karen K. Lee, MD, MHSc, Ashley S. Perry, MPH, Sarah A. Wolf, MPH, RD, Reena Agarwal, MD, MPH, Randi Rosenblum, PhD, Sean Fischer, PhD,

Victoria E. Grimshaw, MPH, Richard E. Wener, PhD, Lynn D. Silver, MD, MPH. (2012, February). Promoting Routine Stair Use. American Journal of

Preventive Medicine. Retrieved 2017, from https://www.stepjockey.com/content/docs/lee_et_al.pdf

CHALLENGE #3

FLOORS CLIMBED


Challenge #1: Sleep

Why this challenge: The Surgeon General urges US adults to get approximately 10,000 steps a

day - the equivalent to about 5 miles a day.10 Employees will welcome the

familiarity of a miles-based challenge (as opposed to steps-based) as many

people measure miles when walking, running, driving, and more. And it sure

sounds impressive for them to say they’ve walked 5 miles!

Challenge details:

NAME: Go The Distance

DURATION: 4 weeks

TEAMS: Organize teams based on birthday month

HOW IT WORKS: The team with the highest average distance achieved at

the end of the challenge is crowned the winner. Throughout the challenge,

encourage employees to go the distance together, like participating in a

local 5k or going on team walks during lunch. Set weekly distance averages

throughout the challenge that teams can work up to. Start at a more

conservative goal, like an average of 3 miles a day, then work up to 5 miles

a day or more towards the end.

MESSAGING IS KEY: Include distance-themed messages in your flyers, emails,


It’s time to go the distance!

Run, (your company) employees, run!

Hi there, overachievers! Wanna rack up a few extra miles?

CHALLENGE #4

DISTANCE


Important to consider: Encourage people to gain distance any way they can–walking, jogging,

swimming, biking, etc. Ideally, employees would use an activity tracker that

has GPS capabilities, which can automatically track how many miles were

accomplished in a given workout or day. If a GPS feature is not available for

your workforce, there are workarounds, like looking up your running route in

advance so you’ll know how far you’ll go.

10 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Active Living. Retrieved 2017, from https://www.surgeongeneral.gov/priorities/prevention/

strategy/active-living.html

CHALLENGE #4

DISTANCE

BONUS TIP:

POP-UP CHALLENGESTo keep participants engaged in these challenges, run pop-up challenges along the way. These one-day challenges within your longer activity competition, like most active minutes in one day or most floors climbed in one day, will give everyone a chance to win.


Most improved

• Instead of rewarding the team or individual with the highest step count,

recognize those who have made the biggest leap forward.

Most creative way to get steps

• The good news about steps is that there are lots of ways to get them. Ask

employees to submit photos of themselves getting steps in creative ways—like

taking a hip hop class, hiking a scenic trail, or even doing chores around the

house. Just be sure to set guidelines so that people’s trackers stay with them,

and not their furry friends! Select your favorite photos and feature them in the

company intranet or a motivating mass email to your employees.

Most consistent

• Consistency should never go unnoticed. Crown number 1 to the person or

team who hit at least 10,000 steps the most days of the challenge. This is a

guaranteed way to help employees form a healthy habit, and make it stick.

CAN’T PART WITH STEPS? HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO PUT A FRESH SPIN ON A STEP CHALLENGE:

To learn more about how Fitbit Health Solutions can help you develop successful

programs, create engaging challenges and improve employee health, contact us

at www.healthsolutions.fitbit.com

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TO TAKE EMPLOYEES BEYOND STEPS...Fitbit Non-Step Challenges Guidebook 2 Why this challenge: Lack of sleep can cost you money. In fact, the effects of sleep deprivation cost U.S. companies

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