Make work a positive influence on your health
The general consensus stands that a happy workplace is a productive workplace. Thousands of businesses around the world are aiming to provide a working environment that encourages positive support to each and every member of the company. Lack of time to get active as well as issues with diet appear to be the biggest worries. Chronic ailments are also common complaints.
Keeping healthy in the workplace should not be an issue and if planned correctly I believe that you can actually use a job’s often regimented schedule to your advantage! There are hundreds of different ways to use a working environment to positively impact your health; however, only applying only a few of the most important should improve your physical and mental health significantly.
Staying active
This is regarded as one of the most difficult goals to accomplish as many people work long hours with little time to spare in-between. Luckily I have a few ideas that make this issue far easier to manage.
Instead of the typical 10 minute drive to work, why not enjoy a brisk walk, I find that this not only provides me with 30-45 minutes of much needed cardiovascular exercise each day but also allows me to mentally prepare myself for the day ahead whilst walking (lets not forget about the money saved from fuel costs). If your workplace is out of walking range cycling is another option or even parking further away, it may not seem like much but it all adds up.
I work in an office and all to often I see that people only leave their desk when absolutely necessary, I prefer the face to face approach so instead of emailing a colleague with a query I will walk over and aim to have a conversation with them. I believe this to be beneficial in a number of ways as it also promotes good relations within the business.
Diet
I do not think there has been a day since working for my current employer in which there is not at least 1 person in a diet. Now these can have both a positive and negative effect of how you perform at work. Mentally you may be happy with your dieting progress but physically you may be tired as most diets deprive your body of one or more vital components such as carbohydrates.
I find that taking my meals into work with me significantly increase my chances of managing a balanced diet. I aim to get all of the nutrients by eating smaller portions but more often. Instead of binging on sugary food I always try to items such as bananas and rice cakes to curb my urges whilst providing me with a healthy stomach filler.
Find a friend
If you find yourself worrying about your well being in work the chances are high that you are not the only one. Finding someone to share your thoughts and goals with will significantly increase your chances of success and may even provide a little friendly competition as well as motivation to stick at it. Being content with your health is something not many of us have the luxury have; however, we should take every precaution to ensure that we are treating our body as it should be.
Written by Adam Howard of Atrium Legal. Adam specializes in worker health subjects and his aim is to improve and maintain the well being of people whilst at work.
