Looking back, we have covered a great range of topics about keeping fit and staying healthy. But wellness isn’t all salads and strides, is it? Wellness is simply being well. And being well can simply mean not being unwell, feeling ok to get through your day and maintaining a balance within your life that keeps the days less of a grind and more of a glide.
Just 10 Top Tips To Make Things Better
The thing is, often, we can often forget the small things in order to reach that deadline, get through that big project, resolve that issue, or jump over that hurdle. There are some little practices that you can do to make your daily life easier, and keep you well enough to tackle the big things. Here are our top 10:
1. Handy Cleaning
Wash your hands and clean your keyboard regularly. When you think about how much you use your keyboard and mouse each day, it’s a really good idea to keep them clean to stop the spread of germs reaching your sandwich hands…
2. Straighten Up!
Have an ergonomic assessment. Is the top edge of your monitor at eye level? Are your feet flat with a 90 degree bend at the knees? Ergonomic assessments, also referred to as workstation assessments, ensure that your workstation is ergonomically designed to minimise the risk of injury and maximise productivity. But most of all, it will also help you sit up straight, you slouch!
3. Like To Move It, Move It
Stretch. Heaps. We were definitely not designed to stay in the same position for hours on end – it’s important for your circulation and muscular heath to stretch and move. Put an hourly reminder in your phone if you need a little push.
4. Divert From Your Desk
Get up from your desk. Like the previous point, we weren’t meant to stay in one spot all day. Getting away from your desk gives you time to gather your thoughts, and grants your eyes a reprieve from your screen.
5. Automate It
Be smarter at being well. Use technology to help you manage the regular bodily maintenance it needs to be healthy. This nifty Chrome browser extension reminds you to rest your eyes regularly and take breaks from your screen. There are also apps and browser extensions that remind you to drink water at regular intervals, YouTube videos for your daily deskercise – you name it! Of course, you could just use sticky notes but where’s the fun in that? Technology!
6. Sprinkle Some Praise
Learn to take and give compliments. Everyone loves working with pleasant people. A great way to build rapport with people is to acknowledge their achievements and take interest in their successes. It’s catching and building each other up is great for morale.
7. Healthy Eating
Pack a lunch (or start a salad club). Buying lunch every day is convenient, but it sure can burn a hole in your pocket. It also makes it so much easier to indulge in unhealthy food choices. At Clicks we started a salad lunch club that helps us save money and eat healthy food. It’s not all kale and kombucha either: think Cajun-marinated chicken, chipotle sauce, charred vegetables, freshly shaved parmesan… salad club can feel like an indulgence if you do it right.
8. Keep Sickness at Bay
Guard yourself against bugs this season. Supplements like Vitamin C and Echinacea are a great addition to keep wintry ills away and go well with a healthy diet. And don’t forget to take up Clicks’ offer for free flu vaccinations at the start of the colder seasons. A great way to ensure that you don’t catch pesky office bugs is to get the Fluvax every year.
9. Hydrate
Drink lots of water. Spending the day in a temperature regulated office, it’s easy to go hours on end without drinking any water. If you’re anything like me, you might also end up supplementing your water intake with coffee. Avoid the caffeine jitters and 3 pm headache by setting regular intervals to drink water.
10. Call Time
Off the clock is off the clock. You need to be the best you can be when you’re at work, and a big part of that is resting and recharging when you are at home. This is your time; spend it doing the things, and being with the people that give your life joy. Exercise when you get up, read before bed. There are so many things that we advocate here at the Clicks Wellness Matters program that we shouldn’t need to tell you what to do. But we love giving you new and interesting wellness stories, so keep reading our blog for our great ideas anyway.
There you have it, ten simple ways to improve your wellness in the workplace. The best part is you can implement these all right away and flourish through the cooler months.