Reddit reviews Ymca Fitness Testing and Assessment Manual

I'm just putting this comment here so you see it. Before making anyone beginn a new exercise program you need to do some sort of health screening. From the demographic you described there is a good chance that some of them will have contraindications to exercise. Here is a very common and easy to use screening questionnaire.

Once they are cleared for exercise you'll want to do a fitness assessment. The most basic and easily administered fitness tests can be found in the YMCA Fitness Testing and Assessment Manual. Things like the step test and sit and reach are valid measures of cardiovascular fitness and flexibility. The book also includes normative data for a variety of populations. So you'll be able to compare your clients to the average 50 yr old female (or whomever they might be). I don't know how long your company plans to implement this program, but you might want to do this monthly, to show people their progress. You can learn to administer most these tests in 20 minutes.

For actual exercise, go with the minimum ACSM recommendations for cardiorespiratory and flexibility exercise (read This page for ACSM guidelines). These will directly improve activities of daily living more quickly than will resistance training. With your population the most motivating factor will be improved ability to complete ADLs. Ask management for Wednesday and Friday afternoons for group walks. Something like, if they want an hour off, then they can join you on a company walk.

You might want to incentivize exercise with more fitness equipment. MioGlobal makes pretty sweet wrist watch heart rate monitors (we actually use them in the lab because they are so easy to put on volunteers). Work with local yoga, spin, or step aerobic studios to get free classes. Usually they have an introductory rate for a few sessions that you could give out as prizes.

Lastly, don't use a leader board. Nothing demotivated people faster than knowing they are in last place, and those are the people that need to exercise the most! Have a set goal for everyone, say 2000kcal per month for the year. At the end of the year everyone gets a ticket for each month they met that goal. Then raffle off gifts, with each ticket worth a prize (even a lousy prize, everyone gets something for each ticket). You will need to get some companies to sponsor this thing. I used to do corporate wellness and we would give away GoPros, trips to the Caribbean, all kinds of fitness watches, pedometers, fitness books, fitness classes. Everything was donated too.

And double lastly, the best exercise is the one they will do.