52 Wellness Challenge Ideas for 2024

One single key factor that connects with most of your employees is that they want to advance in life. So as you are planning activities for your workforce to fulfill that desire, we want to make sure that you do not lack creativity. Here are 52 challenge ideas for your company that will make your employees more healthy and happy in different areas of life.

1. Sleep challenge - as we open our eyes in the morning, every single person wants to have a feeling of being rested. Getting enough sleep is a key component for happy and productive employees. Create a 7-9h sleep challenge and you will be amazed how fresh your co-workers will be motivated to be!
2. "No eating after 8” challenge - when the day nears towards the end and we get tired, we are also most tempted to eat extra food we necessarily do not need. This challenge can help us to get in better shape. Of course, if people go to bed at different times, you can substitute that with no eating 4 hours before bedtime for example.
3. Planking challenge - most people have heard about planking as a core muscle exercise. How about doing a challenge in that? This is something that people can do whatever they work from.
4. Reading books challenge - every person wants to get smarter through reading, but most of us do not have time for that. Once we make a challenge (for example read at least 5 pages of a book each day), we end up creating and reminding ourselves that good habit.
5. Active minutes challenge - our cardiovascular system needs stimulation each day. Once we make a challenge to reach 65% of our maximum heart rate for several minutes a day, our body will be thanking us!
6. Walking team meetings challenge - this is a good way to get your team active at the same time without losing any productivity. We have gotten used to that here in YuMuuv as all our daily meetings happen while most of us are moving. It would be worthy to add that remote environments will make it even easier.
7. Random act of kindness challenge - every person wants to do good. Often we just forget what is important. But once we have a challenge, then it will stay on top of our minds. Great people act kind!
8. Water drinking challenge - days can go quickly and sometimes we just do not drink enough. Dehydration might not mean just getting as thirsty as in the Sahara desert, but also avoiding headaches and just bad feelings. Challenge enough water drinking!
9. Step challenge - a very concrete and well-known challenge that your employees can participate in. Just set a daily goal and go! YuMuuv has automated all the tracking which makes it super easy to get a quick overview of the leaderboard and the progress. 
10. Clean up your desk before work challenge - different people work from different places, but one thing that can make you less stressed about work is when the environment is clean. Small thing to do, but a big impact on good culture.
11. Meditation challenge - we all need some peaceful moments where we can focus and be in the present. Meditation challenge is a good way to get your mind sharp and body relaxed. Everyone can stay focused and healthy, so why not just challenge that?
12. Fruit-eating challenge - food is fuel for our body. Eating a couple of fruits will give us the needed natural vitamins. Create a challenge and you experience a good outcome in your workplace.
13. Stress level rating - once you start measuring your stress level, you also notice things that affect that. It will be great over time, just the acknowledgment. The challenge should not be about comparing your stress with someone else, but just doing the measuring consistently and trying to keep it low for yourself.
14. Team activity formula challenge - YuMuuv has made it very easy to understand how active your body should be. Do a challenge in the activity formula as a team to get even higher engagement as you measure it each day.
15. No-Alcohol challenge - people have different habits but going clean as far as drinking is not bad for anyone. So once you do a challenge like that, you are in line with creating a new and healthy culture.
16. Flossing challenge - everyone is hopefully brushing their teeth every day. But flossing teeth is often just something that your dentist says to you each time you visit him/her and then it is forgotten. But how about the challenge so your entire team will not have strange food pieces sticking out of their mouth.
17. Clean up before work - so you already have had a challenge in cleaning up your workplace, how about your entire room/house? It feels like a big burden, but once it becomes a habit, it might be just 10 minutes that make all the difference. Of course, kids change the game, but set a realistic goal and do it.
18. Squat challenge - it does not have to be tens of kg on your shoulder to feel some effort. Just try it out, set a goal, and do squats consistently. Even during the working day, it will challenge employees to get more active with minimal effort.
19. Device hour before bedtime - few things stimulate our brain and one is an electronic device like a phone. If we do not go there before bed, it will take our stress down tremendously! Do a challenge and you get happy people.
20. Caffeine less than 300mg/day challenge - probably many people drink caffeine and if they do, they also do it often more than needed. Set a limited goal and it will be a good habit for your entire employee well-being.
21. Vegetables 3 times a day challenge - we all need healthier food. There is nothing better than eating vegetables multiple times a day. You will notice and challenge yourself if that is good. This will get your employees more conscious about what they eat.
22. Daily photo album challenge - nowadays we all have cameras in our pockets. Just do a challenge in the daily best picture. After a challenge, you can see the outcome and you will learn more about your colleagues as well during that.
23. Screen usage while driving challenge - a bad habit that many drivers have. Being transparent with this challenge can lead to culture change. You can celebrate the days you do not do it and it will become a new habit.
24. Collective calories challenge - again a very easy challenge to do on the YuMuuv platform. Just sum it all together and why not at the end of the challenge, donate all the calories worth of healthy food to somewhere.
25. "Kudos to someone" challenge - we all need some encouragement and recognition. Imagine if it would be just a part of the company's culture. Some might say it is not sincere, but we believe that this challenge enables us to notice acts that otherwise would be unnoticed.
26. Breathing exercises - we all breathe air 24/7, but doing that continuously with exercises about 3 minutes a couple of times a day will let the stress be relieved!
27. Device not an hour before starting the day - often the first hour a day will create emotion for other hours to come. So it is great not to consume work-related tasks or unnecessary social media feeds for breakfast. Start peacefully and you will end peacefully.
28. No soda/juice challenge - none of us need soda or juice. Doing a challenge to avoid those two will reveal much. So get your employees behind this idea and other than your health you also win financially because of that.
29. Push up a challenge - doing push-up exercises consistently will get people in a good shape very quickly. Of course, because the workplace consists of people who are of different ages and physical shape, you can always adjust the exercise (like your knees on the floor or doing it against the table under a large angle).
30. Vitamins challenge - we never know what we lack related to vitamins so extra supplements are good. In Estonia for example, about 70% of our population lack vitamin D during wintertime. Do a quick challenge (and even better give your employees the vitamins from your side) and know that your workforce is getting all the vitamins they need.
31. Stretching challenge - everyone wants to have a mobile body. This still requires constant exercise, especially as more and more people sit during most of the day. It will guarantee a great outcome for your employee's body as you do that challenge in your workplace, people will become more flexible.
32. Healthy breakfast challenge - whatever we eat, determines the outcome of how we feel both in the short term and long term. Some might also skip breakfast, but this meal is considered most important by many specialists. Once you challenge people to start healthy, it will become more probable that they continue healthy.
33. Exercise minutes challenge - people like to do very different types of exercises. One good challenge to bring everyone more together is to track exercise minutes people do daily. It is a little different than activity minutes as it also counts low heart rate minutes.
34. Screen-free meals - a habit of getting out our phones while we eat is contagious. But once you challenge that, there will be many more meaningful conversations that spark out, and engagement rises.
35. “Pack your gym clothes for tomorrow” challenge - often the hardest part of going to the gym is the preparation to pack a bag. Once you have done that, half of the win is there (the same goes for other training clothes). Remind that truth with a challenge to your employees and that habit will result in good outcomes.
36. No caffeine after the three o'clock challenge - another way to do the caffeine challenge. Most of us drink caffeine to get things going, but from a certain time, it will have a counter-effect on our bodies (while we try to rest). So drink your last coffee at 14:59 and see how your sleep will improve.
37. Outside 30 minutes challenge - our bodies were created to be outside. So this challenge is great for sure. Just do it, and people will start to move. Employees can also do pictures and share how this is affecting their health. 
38. Gratitude journal challenge - write down what is something to celebrate on that day. As we write things out, it will make sure mentally things happen as well as get our perspective and mood up emotionally.
39. "Call someone you care about" challenge - we talk to people not as often as we like to. Still, we have experienced that as we do it, it brings people more together. So use this challenge to let people call themselves not just because they have a conversation goal in mind, but because of relational care. Focus on a higher EQ will be the outcome.
40. No snooze button challenge - this can be the best decision you make. If you wake up when it was planned, you stay more motivated to continue the habit of doing what you have in mind. Encourage people to be responsive and you create this culture.
41. Stairs challenge - take stairs to climb higher in every way. For sure everyone does not work in a skyscraper, but you can take stair after stair wherever you are. Small continuous habits will result in important life changes.
42. Clean your computer challenge - computers are the main tool of work for several people nowadays and even if it is not, cleaning it up for once in a while is a habit. So because of that, we encourage. As you encourage your workplace to do that, it relieves stress levels for your employees.
43. Fast food avoiding - for several people this is what they consume a lot. A challenge that results in better eating habits will be beneficial for everyone. New ideas for healthy eating will be a side product for everyone.
44. Tomorrow's task list challenge - a good way to make sure you start a day with a productive goal in mind is to prepare a task list for that specific day with priority order. If everyone in your workplace comes to work with clear goals in mind, it will result in a good preparation culture.
45. Culture event challenge - all of us enjoy the quality culture. Once you do a challenge to participate in an event of culture, people will be excited. And do not forget, it can be done also remotely (like visiting online museums etc.). Knowing culture will improve not just our knowledge, but also empathy.
46. Try out a new recipe challenge - the more we do preparations for meals, the more we notice what we put in our mouths. So this is a chance to challenge that imaginatively. People can do pictures and share how they try out new recipes. All this will result in better engagement between your colleagues.
47. “How have you been from a colleague?” challenge - in some countries people ask how you are just for politeness. But what would happen if you have a challenge for your colleagues to ask, but how are you doing? Better bonding and more honest conversations are guaranteed if people are willing to listen to each other. Try it out and see what happens.
48. No shopping (excluding food and necessities) challenge - online shopping is just a couple of clicks away. So often we buy things we don't need. So as you encourage postponing some emotional buys, it will be a good habit to have in your organization. Patience is valued everywhere.
49. No Netflix challenge - tv series can be contagious, but often no one enjoys the outcome of watching several hours of tv-series. Take a break as you make a challenge for your people and see what else is more meaningful that can be done with their time. 
50. Distance challenge - the distance we move is a very easy metric to understand. Use this challenge type to get people moving as they log their km/miles. You can also create good summaries later to empower the visibility of engagement.
51. Notice the nature challenge - so often we just run from one place to another. If you do a picture-sharing challenge where you ask your employees to take a picture from outside nature that they see as remarkable during that day, it will create some spontaneous walks and make us notice nature more. A good habit for sure!
52. No car challenge - as you will start moving without a car, you suddenly realize how many different opportunities there are related to walking/running, cycling, public transportation, etc. You may notice that even if the challenge ends (as you count specific days people moved without the personal car), it may have sparked a new culture to hold.

To sum it up, this is just a small input for a good start. Feel free to "eat the fish and leave the bones". In case you need any help related to implementing these challenges, book a demo with our customer success team.