Working and walking really do go hand-in-hand.
Whether you are grappling with a difficult task or have simply been sitting in the one spot for too long, a walk outdoors can help to revitalise mind and body.
The gentle exercise coupled with the fresh air clears your head, relieves stress and makes you feel good.
And stepping out with a friend or colleague gives you a chance to have a chat and enjoy a break from the desk.
It could be among the reasons why Paths for All’s Step Count Challenges are so popular.
The Step Count Challenge is a walking challenge for workplaces with one simple aim – walk more to feel happier and healthier.
The challenge offers a fun way for workmates to embrace walking more during their working day, with teams of five getting together to stride it out with walking meetings, active breaks and motivational chats to get in as many steps as they can.
Paths for All, Scotland’s national walking charity, offers two national challenges each year, when workplaces across the country are invited to take part.
Over 870 teams took part in the 2023 spring challenge, clocking up two billion steps over eight weeks. Those taking part reported a boost in energy, motivation and better connections with their colleagues, especially when working more from home.
The popularity of the Step Count Challenge is no surprise to Pat Armstrong OBE, former Chief Executive at ACOSVO.
During her 18 years in leadership, working with third sector leaders from across the country, she discovered the benefits of workplace walking after taking part in many Step Count Challenges.
Pat said: “Going for a walk and discussing challenges equally, not over a desk and not face-to-face, can be much less confrontational and a much more likely way to find solutions for everyone. It is extremely beneficial for one-to-ones and difficult conversations.
“As a group, we had weekly team walks; a chance to chat informally with each other, catch up generally, but also talk about work and projects in a productive way.
“Also as a group, we had active leaders walks, where a group of leaders would each bring along an issue they were dealing with and discuss with their peers to consider options on the way forward. Again, it felt much less formal and more productive than sitting round a table.
“In challenging times, or with hard decisions to make, being out walking in nature, relieves stress, helps give perspective to an issue, and usually by the end of the walk I was calmer and clearer of the way forward.
“It also often sparked new ideas which probably wouldn’t have occurred to me sitting at my desk.”
The good news is that any workplace, business or organisation looking to join in the Step Count Challenge fun doesn’t have to wait until the next national challenge in the autumn.
Bespoke Step Count Challenges are also on offer from Paths for All and are becoming increasingly popular. They offer workplaces the chance to host their own in-house Step Count Challenge whenever suits them.
Since 2018, Paths for All has gone from running 18 bespoke challenges a year to 43 last year.
Over 130 bespoke challenges have been hosted in the past five years, 107 of which since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Among those businesses stepping up to the plate have been Adobe, Mackenzie Construction, Hyster-Yale Group, Babcock Rail, LifeScan, Avaloq, Maxim Park and Harper Macleod – all of which have taken part multiple times.
Sarah Turner, Workplace Walking Development Officer at Paths for All said: “The size of each bespoke challenge has increased too.
“In 2018/19, there were 229 teams and 1145 participants across all bespoke challenges. For 22/23, there were 1406 teams and 7010 participants. That’s an increase of almost 400 per cent.
“My contacts in workplaces are telling me that organising a bespoke challenge is a good way to encourage team bonding, to keep everyone in touch with each other, have a bit of fun, and healthy competition, especially in workplaces where some form of hybrid working has been adopted.”
To find out more about hosting a bespoke challenge, visit www.stepcount.org.uk/bespoke-step-count-challenges
For more information on the autumn Step Count Challenge, which starts on 30th October, 2023, visit www.pathsforall.org.uk/stepcountchallenge
