Have you been inspired by watching The Biggest Loser and other weight-loss reality shows to organize your own challenge with your group of friends or co-workers? Here are some steps to help you kick off your plan.
Losing weight is hard work. So it’s a great idea to wrangle up a group and commit to losing weight together. It gives you a ready-made support system (especially for those days you feel like giving in to your junk food cravings), potentially a bigger knowledge pool of healthy living tips, plus extra motivation to reach your goal — especially if there’s a sweet prize awaiting the winner!
Here are some steps to take when it comes to organizing a challenge of this sort at your office.
Get the OK from HR
When organizing a company group, you need approval from human resources to ensure it’s OK to organize and hold meetings on the premises. Chances are they’ll allow this one: Healthier employees can only benefit the company, after all, with fewer illnesses and less time away from work for medical appointments, etc. Once you have their blessing, seek out a few fellow employees who can help you run the challenge.
Figure out the logistics
Establish when, where and how often you will meet for the challenge weigh-ins. Send out an email (if HR has approved this) to all staff inviting them to the initial meeting. Be wary of inviting only colleagues you feel need to lose weight (this can be a very sensitive topic). Also, appoint someone to be in charge of jotting down information from the weigh-ins. When setting up for weigh-ins, respect the fact that some co-workers may not want their weight broadcast, so organize a private space for this part of the challenge.
Establish incentives
Choose one member or a small group to be in charge of garnering prizes and rewards for some playful challenges, from “most weight lost in one week” to “the person who’s had the healthiest lunches.” And, of course, there should also be one grand prize for the person who loses the most weight.
Incorporate fun activities
Once you’ve got a regular following for your meetings, keep everyone interested by incorporating more fun and informative activities. Perhaps it’s going through the weigh-ins more quickly so you as a group can head out for a jog or walk during the lunch hour. Or a potluck, in which everyone is required to bring a weight-loss dish they always return to.
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