Physical Environment Recommendations

The Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute (CFLRI)offers the following recommendations for providing a physical environment that encourages physical activity based on their 2003 survey of workplaces:

• Encourage and support employees to actively commute to and from their workplace.
• Provide on-site facilities such as secure bicycle parking, showers, lockers, and change rooms to encourage physical activity and active transportation. Ensure that these facilities are clean and adequate for the number of employees.
• Ensure that facilities such as sidewalks, lanes, trails, and lighting are maintained according to safety standards.
• Make changes in the workplace environment that do not require individuals to make 'active' decisions. These 'passive' types of interventions can include making stairs accessible and convenient and then posting highly visible and attractive signs near elevators encouraging individuals to instead use the stairs.
• Look for locations that are easily accessible by pedestrians and cyclists when exploring active living location options.
• Work with municipal planning departments to improve pedestrian and cyclist environments to make active commuting a more attractive or viable choice for employees.
• Ensure that on-site physical activity facilities are suitable for the specific employee population.
• Ensure that amenities and facilities for physical activity are convenient, affordable, and safe.
• Provide a variety of easy and low-cost physical activities, which are easy to integrate into daily life. For example, walking is the most popular leisure-time activity for all ages, and it is also low-cost and simple. Companies could consider programs such as early morning, lunch-hour, or after-work walking clubs. Walking 'trails' can be designed throughout the building, or on local walking pathways.
• Promote both team sports such as basketball, soccer, and volleyball as well as physical activity clubs, including yoga, tai chi, bicycling, skiing and walking as part of recreational programming.
• Consider renting local physical activity facilities, such as a bowling alley, swimming pool, or arena to reward employees with a physical activity or recreational event.
• Establish agreements with local off-site physical activity facilities for group discounts for employees. Smaller workplaces can consider linking together to jointly negotiate such discounts.
• Provide accessible and subsidized transportation to and from work-related physical activities that take place outside the workplace.