Do National **** Days really work?

Hi Folks,

You may have seen the national ‘Stop Smoking campaigns’ advertised recently on TV or the ‘National Health Day’ proposed in a national newspaper, but are these National ‘prompts’ actually effective?

In my experience, these events are poorly advertised & that no-one really knows they exist until it’s mentioned at the end of that morning’s news or some-one mentions it on passing in the office. By then it too late as we’re already chomping on a bacon butty or lit up our 3^rd fag of the day so it becomes a bit of a mockery.

As a personal trainer I can say that we are significantly more likely to succeed in reaching a goal if we:

A)    Have a time frame (strict designated start date & review dates)

B)    That goal is specific (“I want to eat more veg” instead of “I want to eat more healthy)

C)    You can measure it (track your progress using portions, inches, kg, frequency etc)

D)    It’s realistic (your not being overly adventurous)

E)     Address our state of mind (do we actually want to do it or are we being told we have to!)

Points A & E are where National campaigns are really helpful, they have a start date set in stone & they get lots of people addressing a common goal together which alone gives the majority of us a boost in will power.

Next time you run a workplace health kick, advertise it well in advance & use the 5 points above. I practically guarantee it will make your goal easier to achieve & therefore lead to better results for individuals, you & ultimately your company!

If you need any help putting a workplace health incentive together then please contact me.

Thanks

James