10 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH AT WORK

Eight hours in a chair in front of a computer, five days a week can take a toll on your physical and mental health. Whether you are commuting to an office or working from a home office, you need to take care of yourself throughout the work day. We were not created to sit in a chair hunched over a blue light emitting computer all day. We were made to be outside. We were made to be active. We were made to experience increased health & wellness that spending time in nature can provide.  

Here are 10 tips that you can use at work or at your home to break the chair sitting, computer staring lifestyle and increase overall well-being.

Walk At Lunch

This will look different for you depending on where you work. Maybe you work in a city and can explore the busy streets  for 30 minutes over your lunch break. Or maybe you work in the suburbs and there is no convenient place to walk outside, in that case, you can walk the building. Maybe you work on an office campus with lots of parking lots. If that is the case, take advantage of it by walking the lots over lunch. And if you are working from home, take a walk around the block. 

I used to meet a friend of mine on a local greenway on my lunch break. We would walk the paths and trails by the creek and soak up a little nature in the middle of the work day. We got to catch up and chat about things going on in our lives. It was very uplifting and rejuvenating. 

If you are by yourself, crank up your favorite talk radio program, podcast or playlist and start walking. (tip: it helps to keep a spare pair of walking shoes at your desk)

Pack Your Lunch & Healthy Snacks

Meal prep is key for keeping on top of a healthy lifestyle. When possible, I like to plan my meals and snacks for the week in advance, like on Sunday afternoon. The ready-made salads have been my go-to lately. Perfect portion size and everything you need is included, even the fork. Packing serving size snacks is also helpful. I like to measure out ¼ cup of almonds or cashews and put them in snack bags for the week. Apples and bananas are also easy.

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Use a Grounding Mat

For people stuck inside all day who are unable to spend time outside, a grounding mat is a great option. Our bodies are meant to be connected with the earth and our modern lifestyle doesn’t make that easy. Grounding Mats help bring a connection to earth indoors. The mats usually connect via a wire to the ground port of an electrical outlet. The mats may be placed on the floor or on a desk so the user can put their bare feet, hands, or body on the mat and conduct the earth’s energy. Get the benefits of body/earth contact using a Polyurethane leather mat at work. Connect to the earth as you sit or stand during the work day. 

Stretch Often

According to WebMD, most of us spend hours hunched over computers, smartphones, and steering wheels. That takes a toll on your back, hips, neck, and shoulders, and it’s not always easy to find the time to take care of aches and pains. But you can stretch anywhere there’s a wall or chair. Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints. Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight. Stretching at work can reduce fatigue by increasing blood supply and nutrients to your muscles. Stretching is waking up your muscles to let them know that they will be performing a job. It warms up the muscles by working them gently. It is recommended that a person break for 5-10 minutes for every hour spent at a workstation. If possible, try to do a mix of stretching and walking for 10 minutes. (even if you just walk to the restroom and back…) For a list of helpful exercises check out Stretches You Can Do From Work.

Stay Hydrated

Proper hydration helps boost metabolism and reduce daytime fatigue. Dehydration can lead to headaches, decreased memory and can even reduce job productivity. By the time we feel thirsty, it’s already too late. A good rule of thumb is drinking half your body weight in ounces of water every day with a bare minimum of 48-64oz. 

I have been using a giant 24oz Mason Jar to get my water in recently because I can easily see exactly how many ounces I am drinking. I add 2 drops of Lemon Essential Oil to my water to get additional health benefits such as aiding digestion and naturally cleansing the body. Not to mention, the lemon adds some flavor and breaks up the monotony of drinking plain water. If you would like to flavor up your water and get health benefits while you do it, you simply add 1-2  drops of high-quality, very pure, essential oil to a large bottle or pitcher. dōTERRA provides very potent, all-natural essential oils in flavors that water wants to taste like. 

Some other doTERRA essential oils that are great to add to water are:

Basil

Cilantro

Ginger

Grapefruit

Lavender

Lemon

Lemongrass

Lime

Peppermint

Slim & Sassy (Metabolic Blend)

Wild Orange

As long as there are supplement facts on the bottle, the oil is safe to take internally. You can even get creative and make your own blends; like 1 drop of Wild Orange and 1 drop of Ginger. (tip: citrus essential oils need to be added to glass or stainless steel, they don’t play well with plastic)

Avoid the Kitchen & Break Room

I don’t know about you, but every place that I ever worked, it seemed like every day it was someone’s birthday or work  anniversary or some other milestone that required celebration. The kitchen/break room was always full of cupcakes, cookies and other not so waistline friendly goodies. And now that I work from home, my kids special treats are in the kitchen. Temptation is everywhere. 

If you are at work, try to avoid that area if possible. Keep your lunch and snacks at your desk so you don’t have to venture to the break room. Take your lunch outside to eat on nice days.  If you are at home, avoiding the kitchen really isn’t possible, though, the meal and snack planning that I mentioned earlier will definitely help. Instead of walking in the kitchen and mindlessly grabbing a handful of M&M’s, grab one of your pre-measured bags of healthier snacks. 

Take Computer Breaks

Our eyes were not meant to stare at a computer screen all day. Blue light from computer screens and digital devices can decrease contrast leading to digital eyestrain. While you can purchase special computer glasses or pay extra for blue light protection on prescription glasses, that fact remains, the glasses can’t filter out all of the harmful blue light and we are worse off for it. Doing eye exercises periodically throughout the day can be helpful in relieving eye tension. 

Visit the Restroom on a Different Floor

This is an easy way to get more steps and movement in your day. We have already chatted about staying hydrated and drinking more water. Naturally, that is going to affect the elimination schedule of your body. When you need to relieve yourself, take the stairs and visit a restroom in a different part of the building. 

The last office building that I worked in had 2 floors. I was on the first floor and would purposely walk up to the restroom on the 2nd floor. Now that I work from home, I still go upstairs to my kids’ bathroom to fit more movement into my day.

Work Outside

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American spends 93% of their life indoors. 87% of that time is spent inside, while the other 6% is spent in automobiles. This means that only 7% of the average American’s life is spent outdoors. Being a full-time employee can make it difficult to spend time outdoors. But even a few five-minute outdoor breaks a day can have a positive impact on your health. Spending time outside helps reduce stress, improve immunity, reduce inflammation, help memory, increase energy etc.

Some ways to incorporate spending time outside, other than working outside include:

Lunchtime Walk

Walking to a different building to use the restroom if you are in a campus environment

Walking to lunch if you have Food Trucks or Restaurants nearby

Take a 5 minute walk around the parking lot

Invest in a Fitness Tracker

I have been using a fitbit flex 2 for several months. It is very helpful for counting steps and showing sleep information, among other things. Your goal should be 10,000 steps per day. Wearing a fitness tracker helps to keep you aware of how much movement you are getting each day. My average is only about 4-5 thousand steps per day which is well below my target. I have noticed that when I am intentional and take more breaks during the day, I am able to easily get around 7000 steps. I am working up to 10,000!!

Sleep is another super important activity that helps keep our brains and bodies functioning well. Let’s face it, if you don’t get enough sleep your productivity at work suffers. Your goal should be 8 hours of sleep per day. (All at night or combo of nap and night) I love how the fitbit tells me how many times I was awake, how many times I was restless and how long I experienced interrupted sleep during the night.

I spent the first 20ish years of my career in office buildings and the last few years I have been working from home. These tips are all tried and true! I have done them all. I have to say, it was easier for me to take care of myself when I was commuting to work. You’d think it would be easier working from home, but that has definitely not been the case for me. Maybe it’s because I have kids now, who knows.

You don’t have to incorporate all 10, just adding a few of the suggestions on this list to your work week will help improve your overall health and well-being. 

If you have any tips for maintaining good health at work please drop them in the comments!