Have you been searching for innovative ways to reward employees during or after a successful fitness challenge? Participating in a corporate fitness challenge invites employees to go beyond their regular engagement with your company and brand. And their participation is rewarded by the commitment they make to themselves, and the sense of community fostered during the challenge. Recognizing and celebrating participants’ efforts with thoughtful rewards can significantly enhance motivation and participation. Let’s dive into nine exciting reward ideas that can make your fitness challenge a hit.

Recognition Awards

Recognition awards like in-app badges, participation medals, and certificates of achievement are great ways to honor participants’ involvement in your event. These tokens of appreciation serve as reminders of their accomplishments. Celebrating milestones along the way with custom in-app badges helps to keep momentum during the event; and providing tangible markers of achievement fosters a culture of appreciation within the workplace. Your employees know that their commitment to you, however small, will be rewarded.

Company Swag

Show off your company spirit with branded swag such as t-shirts, water bottles, stationery, or other merchandise. Not only do these serve as practical tools for the fitness challenge, but they also act as reminders of their achievements and your company’s commitment to their well-being. High-quality, functional swag can be a great motivator, making it more fun for employees to stay active while displaying their company pride.

Gift Cards

Gift cards are flexible, well-appreciated rewards you can offer. To stimulate your local economy, you might consider local retailers or restaurants. A gift card to a local retail store gives them the freedom to find something they’ll really use, while a restaurant gift card offers a well-deserved meal out. You could also opt for gift cards to online retailers for an experience that is uniform across multiple office locations. For added value, consider offering gift cards to wellness-focused stores or services, such as health food shops or fitness apparel stores.

Fitness Passes

Participating in an activity-based fitness challenge might inspire participants to continue pursuing movement. Consider rewarding participants with gym or fitness class passes. No matter their preferred movement, be it a calming yoga session, challenging CrossFit workout, or low-impact water aerobics, these offer a chance for employees to try something new or enjoy their favorite fitness activity without any cost. Partnering with local gyms or fitness studios is a great way to support your local economy and provide a variety of classes that cater to different interests and fitness levels.

Spa Day Vouchers

Another valuable reward is a spa day voucher. Treat your employees to a day of relaxation with massages, facials, or other rejuvenating treatments. This reward emphasizes the importance of recovery and self-care, reminding employees that everything in life requires balance.

Healthy Meal Kits

Consider providing a trial subscription to a healthy meal kit service to support balanced eating. These meal kits provide fresh ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes. By offering this reward, you’re not only recognizing their engagement during a fitness or wellbeing challenge, but also encouraging them to maintain healthy eating habits beyond the challenge.

Healthy Cooking Classes

Similarly, some employees might benefit from enrollment in a healthy cooking class. This reward provides the opportunity to learn how to prepare nutritious and delicious meals, making it easier for employees to incorporate wellness into their daily lives.

Books

Books on wellness, nutrition, or personal development offer valuable knowledge and motivation to participants beyond the duration of your corporate fitness challenge. These resources can inspire employees to embark on a holistic wellness journey by providing new insights, tips, and strategies. Choose titles that align with your company’s wellness goals or cover a range of topics to cater to diverse interests. You could even consider letting employees choose from a brief list of options to make sure you are catering to varying preferences.

Team-Building Experiences

Group rewards, such as a team outing or experience, are a wonderful way to reward everyone for their commitment to the fitness challenge. You could organize a group painting class or team-building ropes adventure to help employees explore activities outside of their comfort zones. These types of experiences reinforce camaraderie and celebrate collective success.

Conclusion

Any one of these rewards can be a positive motivator for higher participation in challenges, knowing that awards await participants on the other side.

You could choose one or two rewards to give to all employees. Another option would be to have a list of rewards that participants can choose from, based on personal preference. You could also consider going a step further and give extra recognition to ‘top’ performers, not only most steps or active minutes, but also most improved, most consistent, etc.

How ever you choose to reward participants, you will be acknowledging their efforts and supporting their overall wellbeing, contributing to a healthier, happier workplace.

Are you ready to get your team excited about your next fitness challenge? Contact us to schedule a call or demo today. Let’s work together to create an unforgettable experience.