From Back Pains to Fitness Gains

How Our Company Embraced a Fitness Culture!

A few months back during a casual lunch break a member of Saleshandy named Aman was silently suffering from persistent back pains. Day in and day out, he would diligently perform his tasks, but the discomfort in his back was becoming increasingly unbearable. Frustrated and seeking relief, he decided to voice his concerns to the management.

Aman’s experience was a turning point for our company. Instead of dismissing his complaint as an isolated incident, we realized the importance of prioritizing fitness as one of the core cultures that we need to adapt. It was then that the seeds of a fitness culture were sown within our organization.

Creating the Fitness Culture

The Journey towards fitness started and we quickly embraced the saying:

“व्यायामात् लभते स्वास्थ्यं दीर्घायुष्यं बलं सुखं। आरोग्यं परमं भाग्यं स्वास्थ्यं सर्वार्थसाधनम्॥”

[Translation — Health is the biggest wealth in one’s life.]

Our commitment to creating a fitness culture stems from a desire to promote a holistic approach to employee well-being. The desire to do something about it pushed us even further and what’s better than doing and achieving things with a team? Hence, we decided to start the initiative of having fitness activities but in a fun way — creating teams and throwing team challenges.

The next steps….

We Ikigaians believe in the saying ‘What can be seen, measured, and tracked can always be achieved’ and hence the next thing we did was to hunt for a platform that gives us the best experience and becomes a catalyst to our fitness culture.

And this is how we landed on the fitness app Strava.

An obstacle of any hybrid organization is to find the perfect platform to conduct and promote these kinds of cultures and hence Strava became the go-to platform for us in achieving our fitness goals.

And the next thing you know, we created our own ‘Fitness Club’ on Strava.

But a question which was still pondering upon us was, how can we make all of this a little less boring or maybe not so boring at all? The yearning to take action propelled us to explore new horizons, and the concept of accomplishing goals as a cohesive team emerged.

Now, it was our time to create the teams!

Building Team Camaraderie

Participating in challenges on Strava has not only fostered a sense of individual accomplishment but has also strengthened the bond among all of us. The challenges have become a source of friendly competition and camaraderie, with team members supporting and motivating each other throughout their fitness journeys.

The shared Strava feed allows employees to cheer on their colleagues, offer words of encouragement, and celebrate milestones together. This virtual support system has created a strong sense of community within our team, transcending geographical boundaries and departmental hierarchies.

Remarkable Results and Lasting Impact

The efforts put forth by all of us have yielded remarkable results. Individuals who were previously leading sedentary lifestyles have now incorporated regular physical activity into their routines, experiencing improved fitness levels, increased energy, and enhanced overall well-being.

Aman, whose one small complaint sowed an idea not just helped him but many of us. 20% of members had their sleeping pattern back, many of them lost weight and plenty of us started taking fitness as a mandatory part of our lives. A staggering 80% of the whole workforce participated in the challenges.

Moreover, the positive impact of Saleshandy’s fitness culture extends beyond individual employees. As a team, they have seen an increase in productivity, a reduction in absenteeism, and an overall boost in morale. The shared commitment to fitness has also created a healthier work environment, where employees feel supported in their efforts to lead healthier lives.

The Meme Fests

And of course…. As a young team, how can we let go of these things without having a meme fest, sharing insights into how it looks like

Conclusion

Our journey in building a fitness culture and conquering challenges on Strava exemplifies the power of collective effort and shared goals. Our aim is to create a workplace where physical fitness and personal growth go hand in hand.

What’s Next?

We shall keep updating you about our Strava challenges on our LinkedIn and other social media pages.

One thing is for certain we won’t stop here, not even after a year and not the year post that, fitness culture has been instilled in our hearts for a lifetime ❤️️