Steps Week: One Week, Three Ways to Walk More
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Physical Activity€0 · freeunder 30 min

Steps Week: One Week, Three Ways to Walk More

A single movement initiative can easily evaporate in a packed workday – but three that work together in the same week become the talk of the office. Steps Week bundles three low-threshold classics into one shared action: walk more, no sports program required.

Three ways to walk more in one week Steps Week deliberately combines three measures that reinforce each other: the stair challenge makes everyday movement visible, walking meetings put conversations that were happening anyway on their feet, and the lunch walk gives the lunch break a direction – outdoors. None of them require sportswear, sign-up, or budget – together they cover the entire workday: at the desk, in the meeting, during the break.

Why the bundle moves more than any single measure Individual movement nudges compete with a packed calendar and usually lose. Combined into one week, they reinforce each other: someone who took the stairs in the morning is more likely to think of the walk at lunch; someone who experienced the meeting on foot sits down less automatically in the afternoon. The shared frame – one week, one theme – lowers the threshold for each individual action, because no one starts alone.

How the week turns into a habit The appeal lies in the clear start and end: a week is manageable enough that everyone joins in, and long enough that movement starts to feel normal. Steps Week works best when leaders visibly join in and there's a brief look back at the end: what stuck? Often it's exactly one of the three – the regular lunch walk, the Tuesday walking meeting – that becomes a permanent part of the week. The campaign was the occasion; the habit is the result.

Measures included (3)

  • 1

    Stair Challenge

    Print a poster, hang up a counting board, done. Visible throughout the building. Who climbs the most floors in a month? This BGF classic has extremely high visibility and also attracts colleagues who are otherwise less active — because getting started is so easy.

    under 30 min · Free

  • 2

    Walking Meetings

    Meetings held while walking instead of sitting. Costs nothing, works immediately, everyone can join. Studies show: movement during conversations boosts creativity by up to 81% (Stanford). Ideal for 1:1 conversations, feedback conversations, and creative brainstorming.

    under 30 min · Free

  • 3

    Lunch Walk

    Take a walk together once a week during lunch break — 30 minutes of fresh air, movement, and team building. No equipment needed, no cost. Just go.

    under 30 min · Free

How to put it in place

  1. 1
    Design a poster: "Take the Stairs – Challenge!"
  2. 2
    Hang the counting board in the stairwell
  3. 3
    Announce via email + set a goal (e.g. 10,000 floors as a team)
  4. 4
    Update the tally weekly
  5. 5
    Celebrate the result after 4 weeks

What you need

Effort
under 30 min
Cost
Free
Setup
30 min
  • Free
  • High visibility in the building
  • Gamification effect
  • Low-threshold for everyone

Eligible for funding: up to €600 tax-free

As part of a structured workplace health process, this measure is tax-free under § 3 no. 34 of the German Income Tax Act (EStG) up to €600 per employee per year — BGF-Kompass supplies the process. Certified offers (e.g. from Upfit) are additionally subsidised by statutory health insurers under § 20b SGB V.

Health-insurer funding & tax: how to apply →

Adopt it for your company

Register for free — and the measure is ready to go in your cockpit: invitation, feedback survey and appointment are already set up. First cycle, first numbers for the boss.

Start for free now

Rather take a look first? To the live demo →

Contributes to

Expand movement offeringsOrganize team eventsIncrease participation rate in BGF measures

Measure the impact with

GPAQ – Bewegungsverhalten (WHO)

A fitting occasion

Related best practices

Not sure where to start? 5-minute self-check →

BGF-Kompass covers German workplace health promotion (BGF): funding paths, figures and legal references (e.g. § 20b SGB V, § 3 No. 34 EStG, the statutory-health-insurer prevention guidelines) apply to Germany.