[Summary of this article] Workplace physical fitness tests serve as a catalyst for employees to understand their physical condition and reconsider their exercise habits and work styles. Smart Support Co., Ltd. combines physical fitness tests with an assessment of work-related strain, leading to exercise guidance by light-labor trainers and workplace improvements. The key is not to let the testing end as a one-time event, but to create an environment where people can continue to work without strain, focusing on both the individual’s body and their work.
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun on November 11, 2026, reported on the submission of the 4th Basic Plan for Sports and initiatives to increase opportunities for exercise in the workplace.
According to the article, a goal has been set to increase the percentage of people in child-rearing and working-age generations who answer that “initiatives utilizing exercise and sports are being conducted at their workplace” from 21.3% in fiscal 2025 to over 30%. Specific initiatives mentioned include short periods of exercise during working hours and regular physical fitness tests.
Additionally, as a case study of Rohto Pharmaceutical, gymnastics during working hours, physical fitness tests, and walking events using activity trackers were introduced. Around the 2025 event, the percentage of employees with exercise habits increased from 55% to 71%, and 41% responded that communication in the workplace had increased.
#NikkeiCOMEMO #NIKKEI
[Reference: Nihon Keizai Shimbun ‘Sports Basic Plan to reach 30% for “exercise at work”; Rohto conducts physical fitness tests and gymnastics’ (November 11, 2026)]
Securing time for exercise while working is not easy. Many people are busy with work, housework, and childcare, and even if they think, “I should move my body,” it often ends up being put on the back burner.
That is precisely why it is meaningful to have opportunities to move your body in the workplace, where you spend so much of your time. By companies creating opportunities for exercise, it becomes easier for people who found it difficult to start alone to participate, and it also becomes an opportunity for employees to talk about health with each other.
On the other hand, before starting exercise or gymnastics, it is also important to know what state your body is currently in. The gateway to this is the physical fitness test in the workplace.
When we continue our daily lives and work as we always have, it is difficult to notice changes in our physical strength. Even if movements that were once easy now take more time, there are not many opportunities to become aware of those changes.
For example, measuring movements such as standing on one leg, taking a slightly larger step, or gripping an object with your hand provides clues to understanding your balance ability, lower limb movement, and muscle strength. By looking at the numbers, you can turn your attention to your own body, thinking, “It’s harder to balance than I thought” or “My movements might be smaller than before.”
The purpose of physical fitness tests conducted in the workplace is not to rank employees by performance or to exclude them from work based solely on age or results. It is for each individual to become aware of their physical condition and to connect that to physical fitness building and work style reviews that suit them.
Also, physical strength is not determined solely by age. Even at the same age, there are individual differences in physical condition. Exercise experience, lifestyle habits, past work, and physical condition also differ. When testing, it is important to consider the individual’s physical condition and safety, and to ensure that the results do not lead to disadvantages or anxiety for the individual.
In the “Light-Labor Navigation” provided by Smart Support, we consider the physical fitness tests of workers in combination with the grasp of the physical burden caused by their work.
To prevent lower back pain and falls, it is necessary not only to know the physical condition but also to look at what kind of work is being done. For example, the burden on the body differs between tasks such as lifting heavy objects, repetitive tasks while bent over, and tasks involving moving objects while walking on the floor. Even in the same workplace, the work assigned and the way tasks are performed vary from person to person.
We learn about the condition of workers through physical fitness tests and learn about the burden of work through measurement and observation of tasks. Based on both, we review the height of workbenches, how objects are placed, transportation methods, and work procedures. We also consider the use of assistive devices such as Smart Suits as necessary.
Creating a habit of moving your body and lightening the burden of the work itself. Advancing both of these is what we consider light-labor reduction.
And, in connecting physical fitness tests to continuous initiatives, the “Light-Labor Trainer” plays an important role.
Even if you conduct physical fitness tests, if you only receive the results, you may not know what to do afterward. Even if you are concerned about the numbers, if you suddenly start exercising that does not suit you, it will be difficult to continue.
Light-labor trainers propose methods that can be tackled without strain, such as stretching, gymnastics, and muscle training, while taking into account the measurement results and the individual’s situation. They support discussing physical conditions in the workplace and creating a habit of moving the body little by little in daily life.
For example, someone who feels uneasy about their balance during a fitness test can learn about exercises suited to them. The entire workplace can set aside time to move their bodies. Furthermore, after a certain period, they can be measured again to reflect on their physical condition and their efforts. By repeating this cycle of ‘measuring, noticing, working on it, and reflecting,’ we can turn a one-time event into continuous health promotion.
At Kitaichi Meat, labor-reduction trainers are also conducting physical fitness tests. We introduce how employees and part-time staff participated together here.
Of course, building physical strength does not mean that any high-burden job can be performed safely. If we leave it solely to the efforts of employees, the unreasonable aspects of the work will remain. Is it necessary to keep lifting heavy objects by human power alone? Can the work posture be changed? Can equipment or assistive devices be used? These workplace-side improvements must also be advanced simultaneously.
Both older and younger workers have differences in physical strength and experience. Based on those differences, we can support each individual’s body while also adjusting the burden of the work. By doing so, we can move closer to a workplace where everyone can work safely and with peace of mind.
For companies as well, having employees continue to work in good health is important for supporting daily business operations. If people have to take time off work due to back pain or falls, it affects not only the individual’s life but also the surrounding operations and the entire workplace.
Workplace physical fitness testing serves as an opportunity for employees and companies to start thinking about these issues together. First, by knowing your own body. And then, it is important to connect those results to physical fitness building and work improvement.
At Smart Support, we assist companies with continuous health promotion and workplace improvement through workplace physical fitness testing, exercise guidance by labor-reduction trainers, and understanding work burdens using the Labor-Reduction Navigator.
If you are wondering, ‘I don’t know where to start,’ please begin by reflecting on the physical burden in your workplace.
Click here for the Workplace Improvement Self-Check
#PhysicalFitnessTesting #HealthManagement #WorkplaceHealthPromotion #LaborReduction #LaborReductionTrainer #LaborReductionNavigator #BackPainPrevention #FallPrevention #OccupationalHealthAndSafety #HumanCapitalManagement
