Sussex Workers 'Shake Up September'

With the Rio Olympics starting and only one month until the Paralympics, workers across Sussex are being encouraged to get in the spirit of the Games and sign up for a sporting challenge with a difference.

‘Shake Up September’ is a national activity logging challenge run by Workplace Challenge, which aims to encourage employees to bring physical activity into the workplace by trying out as many Olympic or Paralympic sports as possible throughout the month.

JTX Fitness are keen supporters of trying out new sports, keeping fit and being active. Our office volleyball team can attest to this! We’re all signed up, and you should be too.

We spend up to 60% of our waking hours at work and an estimated 40 % of people do not exercise enough, according to Public Health England. Our sedentary lifestyle is damaging to our health, The Active Sussex Workplace Challenge seeks to inspire businesses and encourage workers to get active in and around the working day.

Inspired by Team GB, workers across the region are being urged to sign up to Workplace Challenge for free and try at least five different sports throughout ‘Shake Up September’. The more activities they log via the Workplace Challenge website or mobile app, the more points they will earn for their workplace as they go for gold on a national challenge leaderboard.

Leon Carter, Sports Officer, from Active Sussex, said: “Research shows not enough people are exercising and for many of us, the biggest barrier is time. We want to help local businesses to encourage their workers to bring physical activity into and around the working day, and Shake Up September is designed to do just that.

“With the Olympic Games due to start on August 5th , there is no better time to get involved and we’ll be showcasing different sports throughout September to get people in the spirit.

“We’re urging workers across the region to make the most of their lunch hour, take on the challenge and try out some new sports. You can even go for gold yourself because the more activities you log the higher you will get up our national leaderboard.”

Each day throughout September, Workplace Challenge will be showcasing a different Olympic or Paralympic sport on social media, demonstrating how workers can get away from the desk or leave the factory floor or in search of sport.

There is also a Shake Up September bingo card, available to download from the Workplace Challenge website from September 1, whilst local companies and their staff can share their success on social media via #ShakeUp2016.