Really undemanding tips for workplace wellbeing

​To improve our health and wellness we have got to take action.

But the last thing we need is to add yet another chore to our daily to-do list. 
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So here are a few ways to gently introduce wellness into your workplace and your life.

24 Undemanding Workplace Wellness Tips Get access to this E-book free here.

My health philosophy is: Easy does it wins the race.

I apply that to how I live, how I massage and how I look after myself.

Health, for me, implies self-care and to care means to have affection, to feel love and concern, to be attentive and to provide for someone’s needs, in short, to look after someone.

In this case to look after yourself.

Any plans to improve health and wellbeing have to empower. It has to be simple, realistic and sustainable.

I have made a list some gentle and achievable ways to get going but I have also written an E-book which you are welcome to download free of charge. The book adds to and expands on the hacks discussed in this blog post.

Here is a preview:

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MOVE MORE 
1. Keep moving! It increases blood circulation and oxygen supply throughout the body for better physical and mental performance.

2. Pay attention to your posture. Good posture also improves breathing and oxygen uptake.

3. Increase your range of movements to offset the many hours we spend sitting. Change your position often. Identify a suitable workspace where you can stand working for a few minutes before you sit down again.

4. Walk and talk. Rather than the usual coffee date, take walking meetings with colleagues, clients and business buddies. Here in Helderberg we are very fortunate to live so close to both the beach and the mountains. What better way to encourage clear thinking and creativity than taking a stroll in nature.
  
5. Walk while speaking on the phone.

6. Rather than using the lift, take the stairs.

7. Park your car just those few metres further from the office entrance than you would normally.

8. Take lunchtime walks to help you relax and rejuvenate.

9. Develop a mini-workout to do at your desk. Stretch and do desk-ercises.  ​

10. Change your view to rest also your eyes.  Go outside and look at an object in the distance. Or even just something in your workspace. Just like any other muscle our eye muscles need to move in a variety of ways to stay strong and flexible.

11. Use tea and toilet breaks as an opportunity to exercise and stretch.

​MAP YOUR COURSE
12. Make decisions,  don’t just drift through the day. Be mindful of the choices you make about what you eat, and what you do and how you react to people and situations.
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13. Plot your actions and set specific outcomes. Just as you need to plan your day to improve productivity,  merely going with the flow will not bring you closer to achieving your wellness objectives.

14. Develop a daily health routine.

15. Plan ahead. When planning your day, whether early in the morning or the night before, also set your intentions for workplace wellness. Put it on your to do list. Make it specific and write it down every day until it becomes a habit. And do it even if it is something as simple as ‘Drink water’, ‘Take the stairs’ ‘Relax’.

Cape Town-based entrepreneur and wise woman, Alison Deary who conceptualised the very popular MOM and WOW Diaries, has created an time management and organisational tool with a dedicated section for personal wellness. You can use the My goals and personal wellbeing block, to set daily wellness objectives. ​

Treat your health like a client. 

Put your workout on your calendar, just like any other appointment you have. You wouldn’t break a business meeting with a client or partner, so don’t break one with yourself!

Block time, in your business schedule, not just in your head, for a workout.

​Treat your appointment with yourself with the same commitment as appointments with others.

– Nicole LaBonde, Creatrix and Master Instructor of Cabbaret in YFS Magazine 

16. Plan your meals and your snacks ahead of time. Successfully implementing good eating habits depends on what you buy and bring into your kitchen. Without healthy foodstuff in the house, you can’t prepare a lunch pack and the temptation to order a take-away is so much bigger.

17. Keep the kitchen at your office junk-food free.  

18. Dress in a way that is both professional but also comfortable enough to encourage movement. Or keep a pair of walking shoes and socks at hand for those days when you have time and the weather allows for a short walk. ​

​MIND YOUR MILIEU, YOUR MANNER AND YOUR MOOD
19. Make changes in your workspace to support physical and mental health and wellness.

20. Create comfort.  Michigan-based contemporary interior furnishings company, Herman Miller tells us to pay attention to physical comfort, functional comfort and psychological comfort.

• Physical comfort includes the quality of light, air, temperature, sound, and ergonomics.
• Functional comfort refers to using the right tools and effective interaction with the work environment.
• Psychological comfort implies things like the human need for control over the job and the workspace. But it also relates to working in a space that provides visual interest like being able to look out a window,  art on the walls or natural elements like plants or water features. ​

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... workers can be reinvigorated and refreshed after a period of intense work by spaces that provide a feeling of sanctuary or that introduce natural elements. - Herman Miller 

​21. De-clutter, organise and simplify. It improves focus and clarity relaxing the mind and improving productivity. Clutter has been shown to overload the visual system in the brain. It saps our energy and distracts us. It adds to our stress levels making it easier for us to revert to old habits.

​So go ahead! Beautify and personalise your space and enhance your wellbeing.
 
MAKE MASSAGE A ME-TIME HABIT
22. Schedule a weekly or monthly massage as part of your wellness strategy. It makes perfect SomaSense to schedule time out.

There are many, many ways in which massage can contribute to your physical and mental health, our productivity and our general wellbeing. To learn more, have a look at my website as well as the blog posts that I have written on the topic.

But most of all, massage gives you the me-time needed to recharge.  

​If you have any short-cuts or hacks that you use to massage wellness habits into your workday, share it with us please. 

​Looking for an wellness accountability partner to help you integrate workplace wellness habits into your life? ​For more information about  SomaSense On-site and the services I provide to solopreneurs and micro business owners, click here:

CLICK HERE

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