Between 8 May and 30 June, we invited frontline employees and people we support to take part in an inclusive 8-week challenge as part of All Abilities Workout. And boy did #TeamPossible deliver!
Over the course of two months:
- 50 homes and sites took part from across all our divisions in QLD, NSW and VIC.
- 7,600 All Abilities Workouts were completed, and
- 378 hours of videos were watched.
We were inspired by the photo and video submissions we received featuring creative interpretations of inclusive exercise.
Shout out to our runner-up teams at Cannonvale L&L, Warwick L&L and Townsville social enterprise who each won an Anki Cozmo robot for their site.
In the end, the team at Kew social enterprise were awarded first place with their wholesome video of employees we support describing what they love about All Abilities Workout.
The worthy winners scored a Meta Quest 2 VR Headset for their site, allowing employees to immerse themselves in the world of virtual reality and learn new skills in alignment with their goals.
Employment Coach, Brendan White attributed the initiative’s popularity to its accessibility to employees who have physical or communication barriers to exercise.
“We support one deaf employee, and she was able to easily copy the trainers in the videos,” he said.
“We also have two people in wheelchairs and another on crutches. When they attended, I had lots of seated workout videos to choose from that everyone could do.
Because so many who wanted to participate, we did two sessions a day, usually before lunch and afternoon tea. Me and other employment coaches would perform the exercises and offer encouragement to people while talking them through the steps.
With these physical and communication barriers overcome, the Kew employees could experience the benefits of exercise. This included relieving joint pain and improving circulation to keep the heart healthy.
Kalev said that he likes doing short and light workouts every day, especially at work. He noticed that they loosened aching pains that were present before, like in his sore shoulder. He also had more energy after completing the exercises.
Similarly, Sarah said the workouts gave her a chance to stretch and move around after sitting down for long periods. She noticed that they helped loosen up her muscles and get blood flowing. As a result, she felt more relaxed and loosened up at work. She would like to see the All Abilities workouts continue in the workplace.
The positive outcomes to employees’ moods and mental health were captured with the online platform’s Wellbeing Monitor, which recorded how participants were feeling pre- and post-workout.
Naomi said she always felt happier and more energised after the workouts. She particularly liked the upper body exercises that focused on shoulders. She also saw an improvement in her fitness after completing the workouts every day over eight weeks.
“Most of the time people were okay or good, with a couple always being very happy,” Brendan said.
“At the end of each workout, everyone recorded that they were very happy. This could also be because it was lunchtime.”
Brendan also noticed that having short and regular workouts at work boosted employees’ performance and productivity. This aligns with studies that found that exercise at work reduces stress and improves brainpower, memory, energy, and creativity.
“When it was less busy, we did the exercises for five minutes in the production room to get everyone’s blood flowing again before returning to work,” Brendan said.
Lucette said that she likes to continue being busy, so if there was a dip in work, she liked to break up the time with the exercises. They also were a good opportunity for Lucette to use her muscles in another way, which made her feel more energised and uplifted.
The All Abilities workouts also brought the team closer together. They encouraged each other throughout and benefited from completing the exercises in a safe group environment.
“There was no judgement and working out as a team worked well at our site because the employees encouraged each other and also gave each other guidance on how to do the exercises,” Brendan said.
The employees we support would often laugh while exercising and talk about footy. It can be an extra social activity for them.
Congratulations to the team at Kew social enterprise who won not just first prize, but also gained friendship, fitness and all the perks that come with it.
With All Abilities Workout now extended until 31 December 2023 by popular demand, we invite employees at Kew and other sites and homes to continue facilitating these All Abilities workouts to support people with their physical health and mental wellbeing.
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