In the past, I always used to think of giving back as a sacrifice. I thought about how much time I was missing away from work and how much money it would cost to volunteer. However, after going on one life-changing humanitarian aid trip, my entire outlook changed. I learned that volunteering was about much more than spending time in a foreign country or with people who have less. If you have more to give, make sure you're giving it. Check out this blog for great information on humanitarian service, volunteering with the people around you, and trying to avoid problems while you are on the road.
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When you decide to sponsor a 5k charity run, it is a big deal to the community. That is why it is so important that some of your employees participate to show your company's support. If all of your employees are a little, ahem, doughy in the middle, you might need to help the ones that volunteer to do the run. Here is how you can help the employee volunteers prep for a 5k run.
Stop Bringing Treats into the Office
To get into shape, your volunteers need to curb temptation. You can help by not bringing treats into the office and asking other employees to hold off on donuts and sweets until after the 5k. Not only is it a healthier option for your volunteer runners, but also for everyone else in the office too.
Run with Your Runners!
Make training for the 5k a group thing. Everyone suits up to run over lunch. Volunteers can wear super-casual clothes until the run is complete (which may be a good way to get more employees involved!). When you run with them, you are encouraging them to do what you would do if you were running too. Set the pace, and choose the distance to run, making sure everyone runs the same distance for training and everyone gets a meal after the run.
Stock the Break Room with Protein and Fiber-Rich Snacks
Healthy snacks will give your volunteer runners more energy for lunchtime training sessions. It also helps deter the cravings for less-than-healthy choices, which should be avoided when you are training for a big race. Protein snacks help build and rebuild muscle before and after workouts (i.e., running), while fiber snacks provide more complex carbohydrates for fuel.
Log Training Runs That Occur Outside Office Time
To train for a 5k, you have to run some every day, especially if you have never done this before. Your volunteer runners/employees should be logging their training runs outside of the office. If they have FitBits, that is easy to do; otherwise an accurate pedometer can log a run too. Everyone should start with a half kilometer run, increasing a half kilometer every week until five kilometers feels like nothing. As long as all of your volunteers are dedicated to this project, you can have a very successful charity run. Who knows? It might even encourage other employees to participate in the next 5k charity run that your company sponsors.
If you're interested in a charity run for your office, check out organizations like gotCUREage.
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