10 Virtual Fitness Challenges for Remote Teams to Stay Active and Connected

Remote work has changed how we collaborate—and how we move.Today, employees spend an average of 9 hours per day sitting. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Health Canada, adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week—about 30 minutes a day—to maintain their physical and mental well-being.

What if those 150 minutes became a fun and meaningful collective challenge?Here are 10 creative virtual fitness challenge ideas to get your remote teams moving, strengthen team spirit, and make wellness a shared goal across your organization.

1. Climb Mount Everest – a team challenge to reach new heights

Goal: reach the equivalent of Mount Everest’s 8,848 meters through walking, running, or stair climbing.Step equivalent: roughly 18,000 steps = 1,000 meters, meaning about 160,000 collective steps to reach the summit.Each employee contributes daily movement, and together, the team “climbs” to the top.

This challenge encourages perseverance, motivation, and collaboration.

See how Harnois Énergies used a team-based wellness challenge to strengthen engagement across its workforce.

2. Cross Canada from coast to coast – a nationwide team journey

Collectively cover 7,500 kilometers of walking, running, or cycling to virtually travel from Vancouver to St. John’s.Each employee adds their share to the total distance, and the team celebrates milestones along the way.

This type of national route challenge creates a strong sense of belonging and unity.

A great example is Dessercom, which mobilized more than 500 employees through a shared wellness goal using Propulsion’s platform.

3. Around the world challenge – 40,075 kilometers together

Set a collective goal of 40,075 kilometers, the circumference of the Earth.Every kilometer counts—walks, runs, bike rides, hikes.Your team can visualize its progress on a world map, fostering consistency and a shared sense of purpose.A great metaphor for global collaboration within modern organizations.

4. Inter-office challenge – a fun virtual fitness challenge for remote teams

Turn wellness into friendly competition between offices, teams, or departments.Compare the average number of active minutes, steps, or kilometers per team.This challenge encourages regular activity while strengthening group dynamics and morale. These virtual fitness challenges for remote teams help maintain engagement and collaboration even from afar.

This format works particularly well in multi-site organizations, similar to those featured in our Propulsion case studies.

5. Regional challenge – represent your city or province

Perfect for organizations operating in multiple locations.Each region or office accumulates steps, kilometers, or active minutes to represent their local community.A map can highlight the progress of each region, creating friendly competition and local pride. A well-designed virtual fitness challenge for remote teams encourages daily movement and team spirit.

6. Environmental challenge – promoting active mobility

Link physical activity with environmental action.For every 10 kilometers walked, run, or cycled, plant a tree or contribute to an eco-initiative.This challenge encourages active commuting (walking, cycling) while aligning wellness with sustainability goals.

Many organizations now integrate such challenges into their CSR strategies, motivating employees to make greener, healthier choices.

7. Charity challenge – move for a cause

Transform movement into impact.For every 10,000 steps achieved, the company donates $1 to a chosen charity.A simple and powerful way to connect employee well-being with social responsibility and purpose.

8. The 1 Million Active Minutes Challenge

Set a collective goal of 1,000,000 minutes of activity across your organization.Walking, yoga, cycling, strength training—everything counts.This inclusive challenge rewards consistency and encourages everyone, regardless of fitness level, to participate.

9. Mind & Movement Challenge – combining wellness and mental health

Combine physical movement and mindfulness to promote overall well-being.Examples of daily goals:

• 20 minutes of physical activity

• 10 minutes of stretching or breathing

• 5 minutes of mindfulness or gratitude practice

This challenge supports mental balance and resilience—an approach successfully adopted by the CRHA for its members and employees.

10. The 150-Minute Challenge – inspired by WHO guidelines

Encourage each employee to reach 150 minutes of physical activity per week, following WHO and Health Canada recommendations.Simple, measurable, and science-based, this challenge promotes consistency over performance and creates healthy habits that last.

Conclusion: moving together, even from afar

These challenges promote health, engagement, and connection within remote or hybrid teams.They prove that integrating movement into the workday is not only possible but highly beneficial.

As the WHO reminds us, “Every move counts.”Why not turn that into a collective source of pride and motivation?