Politicians across Westminster are getting ready to celebrate the importance of physical activity by joining ‘Fit for Office’, a challenge that encourages them to be more active and lead by example on workplace wellbeing.
Organised by ukactive, the UK’s trade body for the physical activity sector, and supported by global fitness tracking provider Myzone, the challenge starts on Saturday (1 March) and runs throughout the month.
This year, a record 207 entrants have signed up to take part, from 50 Parliamentary offices. Last year’s challenge saw 146 participants take up the challenge.
Each participant has been provided with a Myzone MZ-Switch heart rate monitor or will use their personal Apple or Android smartwatches to track their activity via Myzone’s MZ-Open function to earn Myzone Effort Points (MEPs) for every minute of exercise.
The Myzone Effort Points or ‘MEPs’ achieved by each participant, will be aggregated for each office, and recorded on a live leaderboard, with the winning office and the individual MP crowned Westminster’s Physical Activity Champions at the end of the challenge.
Last year’s challenge saw the office of Andrew Lewer, Conservative MP, named winners by earning 18,076 MEPs. Alex Davies-Jones, Labour MP, was the highest-scoring MP, accumulating 10,674 MEPs.
Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: “With a new Government in place, we’re seeing many new MPs, Peers and staffers taking on the Fit for Office challenge, with a record number of entrants.
“This friendly competition provides a perfect opportunity for those in Government to demonstrate their commitment to physical activity but is also a timely reminder of the value it can bring to their own lives and its importance among the communities they serve.
“Our nation’s health is a growing concern and we hope that this challenge will help our politicians to appreciate the significance of inspiring more people to be active and the benefits this will have not only on our wellbeing but also for the NHS and the economy.”
Jay Worthy, Group CEO, Myzone, said: “This challenge shines a light on how important it is to incorporate moderate physical activity into daily life. Myzone rewards effort rather than ability alone, meaning everyone is able to compete on an even playing field. This challenge will not be won by the fittest individuals or teams, it will be won by those who put in the most effort across the month of the challenge.
“By engaging politicians and encouraging them to personally experience the many benefits of being active we make a compelling case for the critical role physical activity plays in maintaining both physical and mental health, helping to inspire all of us to lead healthier, more active lives.”
Alex Davies-Jones MP said: “I was so proud to take part in (and win!!) ukactive’s ‘Fit for Office’ last year. It did wonders for my mental health, helped me have a daily activity goal and pushed me to explore some old favourite walks in Pontypridd.”
To find out more and to register for the challenge, email: publicaffairs@ukactive.org.uk.
To engage your local MP to take part in the ‘Fit for Office’ challenge, use our template email here.
You can support the challenge on your own social media channels by using #FitForOffice or by checking out our templates.
More People More Active More Often
