Monday, November 3, 2008

Workplace wellness: 5 healthy tips for work

Americans spend an average of 45 hours a week at work, amounting to about 40% of our waking hours each week. Because it's where we spend such a large chunk of our lives, it's important that we carry the healthy choices we make at home into the workplace.

Keeping your work environment a healthy place to be can be difficult, but with a few tips and tricks it can be easy to make a change for the better. Here are some easy to follow tips for employee wellness at work:

  1. Get out of the office. Even if you have only a minute or two to spare, venture outside of those depressing gray walls and into some sunshine. Set aside 15 to 30 minutes of your lunch break to take a walk around the block or office building.

  2. Brown bag it. Taking your own lunch to work can help you cut calories and save money. It doesn't have to be fancy, just try to fit in all the food groups for a well-rounded meal. It can be as simple as: a piece of fruit, a sandwich on wholegrain bread and some raw vegetables (think carrots and celery sticks).

  3. Keep healthy snacks at your desk. The office can be full of dangerous, calorie-filled snack traps. Avoid snacking on birthday cupcakes or raiding the office candy jar by keeping healthy snacks like fruit, nuts or rice cakes at your desk.

  4. Less coffee, more water. While drinking one to three cups of coffee a day can be healthy, over-consumption can be harmful. If you tend to drink more than three cups of coffee a day, try alternating each cup with a glass of water.

  5. Clean your work area. Your computer mouse, keyboard and phone are the top places where bacteria collect on your desk. Wipe down the surface of your desk, phone and computer regularly with an anti-bacterial spray or wipe to cut down on illness-causing germs.


When it comes to health, sometimes the smallest steps can make a big impact. If you're working to improve your diet and fitness at home, remember to bring those healthy habits with you into the office everyday to ensure success.

2 comments:

Tanno said...

Given that most people do spend the majority of their waking hours at work, it can sometimes feel like the deck is stacked against you in terms of being able to make healthy choices at the office. Even those handy small reminders about being healthy are hardly as ubiquitous as the candy bowls, office birthday beer and cake, and the stream of emails that keep everyone glued to their chairs. Employers really need to be creative about helping steward a healthy working environment. At the end of the day corporate wellness programs help employees and that helps employers lower health care costs and improve worker productivity. That's a win-win!

Anonymous said...

Its nice blog with informative contains. I agree with your tips. Hope you always posting the other tips in order to sharing with another. Thank you.


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