Wellbeing In The Workplace: How To Boost Your Health at Work

For most of us, work takes over a large part of our lives. We spend most of our waking hours there, which means it has a strong impact on our health. It is important to stay healthy and safe inside your workplace so that you are also healthy while you're at home and when you retire.

There are laws and regulations in place that help ensure the safety of employees. These laws are always being analyzed and improved upon. Workplace health and safety is not only important for employees, but also for the owners of companies as well as their customers. There are several things employees can do to reduce their risk of becoming sick at work and instead, use some of their time at work to improve their health. 

Sitting

Sitting is detrimental to health in many ways. Our bodies were not made to sit all day and be sedentary, so if you are working at a desk you should take the time each day to get as much walking in as possible. If you have to send an email to a colleague, go ahead and walk over to their office to give your body a boost. Also, if you're on a conference call, stand up during the talk and pace a bit throughout your office. Keep your body moving as much as possible.

When you are sitting, make sure that you are sitting in the correct position in relation to the computer. Adjust your chair so that your lower back is supported in order to avoid back pain. A correctly positioned chair will reduce back strain with the knees placed slightly lower than the hips.

Stress

Many people have to use up sick or vacation days due to high levels of stress that are affecting their health. It is important to learn how to deal with work-related pressures. Be on the lookout for symptoms of stress and take action before it makes you sick. Some common methods of dealing with stress are doing meditation, yoga, or deep breathing.

Repetitive Strain Injury 

Repetitive strain injuries are more common in jobs that require long stretches of work without taking a break. This may include people who work on factory assembly lines, musicians, cleaners, and athletes. Take enough breaks throughout the day to avoid using the same part of your body over and over, resulting in repetitive strain injury.

Diet

Sometimes during a busy work day it is hard to get the right nutrition in. Instead of reaching for a 3:00 pick me up from a vending machine or going out to lunch on a regular basis, be sure to pack your lunch and bring healthy snacks. Some good, filling snacks to keep at your desk are almonds, apples, and light popcorn.

Avoid the break room where there are often sugary and fatty foods offered to employees. Although you may be eating in a rush, don't let being at work stop you from eating smart.

Exercise

You probably work long days and don't feel like you have the time or energy to exercise, but the exact opposite is true. Getting in a workout before work will give you the energy to last throughout the day. Wake up a bit earlier each day to boost your day with a morning run. Also, park farther away than normal from the office to get some extra steps in and be sure to take the stairs instead of the elevator.

There are lots of ways you can maintain a healthy lifestyle at work and even use office time to boost your health, (both mental and physical health). Incorporate your job into your healthy lifestyle to get the most out of your efforts.