5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Health Whilst Working
Implement these small changes for large improvements.
The average person spends a third of their day at work. And for the vast majority of us, this means spending each day, hunched over a keyboard staring at a computer screen.
We live in a time where we have so much knowledge about what is good and bad for our health but the modern workplace can be so detrimental to our health.
Research has found many adverse effects of sitting down for long periods. This includes:
- Increased risk of mortality, similar to smoking and obesity.
- Exhaustion throughout the day.
- Musculoskeletal problems such as back, shoulder and knee pain.
- Increased weight.
Whilst you’re working, whether it’s your office job or doing your freelance writing, it’s important to look after your health.
You don’t have to do anything drastic to notice improvements. Just small, simple strategies can go a long way.
“The power to change your life lies in the simplest of steps.”― Steve Maraboli
Take Short Activity Breaks
No.
It doesn’t mean scrolling through your Instagram feed, sat in the same position — that’s not an activity.
You won’t gain any benefit by taking these breaks but still being sat in the same position on your phone.
Instead, in your short breaks, get up. Go make a coffee, go outside for five minutes, have a walk around — do something.
Even five-minute walks, every hour has been found to improve wellbeing, including, increased energy, improved mood, decreased fatigue and reduced food cravings.
As the research suggests, take regular, short breaks every hour (not including your lunch break) for five minutes.
You don’t need to do anything strenuous. Just something small.
Do Some Stretches
Because we are sat down for so long, having aches and pains is not uncommon.
Musculoskeletal problems accounted for nearly 28 million days off work a year in the UK.
Doing some easy stretches during your working hours can reduce these aches and pains we have.
Lucie O’Shaughnessy, a Physiotherapist at BUPA UK, provides a variety of stretches that anyone can do. For example, three of my favourite are:
Neck rotations — keep your head upright and turn your head gently and slowly, side to side and feel the stretch on each side.
Shoulder Stretch — Hold one arm across your body and pull your elbow into your chest.
Shoulder Shrugs — Lift your shoulders, pause for two seconds and then let your shoulders fall slowly. Now repeat.
There are loads more stretches that we can do to ease any strain and improve our health and wellbeing whilst we work.
Stay Hydrated
We probably drink more tea or coffee when working than actual water.
However, a lack of water intake can result in a depletion in energy, headaches and impaired cognitive function.
So, staying hydrated is an important part of our health.
Here are some tips to help you stay hydrated:
Keep a bottle of water next to you when you work.
Set a timer on your phone. When the timer goes off, start drinking that water and repeat.
Set a goal of how much water you want to drink every two hours.
Once you finish the bottle, fill it up immediately.
Drink one glass of water with each meal.
Put fresh lemon or lime in your water to flavour it.
Try out these tips and see which ones work best for you!
Prepare Your Meals
Because we’re so busy with work, it’s much easier to grab a quick fast food meal from outside somewhere than have a nutritious meal.
And let’s face it. Most of us can’t be bothered to make ourselves lunch in the morning and take it to work.
However, I know the majority of us are working from home. There’s no excuse not to prepare your meals now and have healthy meals.
If you do still go into the office right now, try making more of your dinner and put some aside for your lunch the next day. That way your meal is prepared and you’re good to go.
If you feel you eat out of boredom and stress (which is very common) try to have healthier snack options such as fresh fruits, nuts or yoghurt.
By preparing your healthy meals in advance and your healthy snacks, you’ll force yourself to have a better diet and you’ll take massive strides to improve your health.
Implement These Changes With a Friend
If you really want to commit to improving your health and wellbeing at work, one of the best ways to implement these changes is to do so, with a friend.
As Misty Copeland said:
“Anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.”
The best thing about having a friend involved is that you can motivate but also compete with each other to improve your health.
For example:
See who can drink the most water during the day.
See who can stick to a healthier diet the longest.
See who can come up with new stretches to reduce any pains.
As a reward/forfeit — whoever loses has to treat the other person!
These small incentives can motivate you both to do your best, to make these small changes and to improve your health whilst working.
Final Comments
Because many jobs require us to be sat for long periods staring at a computer screen, our health can be adversely affected.
There are simple tips that anyone can implement to improve their health and wellbeing during their working hours:
- Take short activity breaks.
- Do some stretches.
- Hydrate.
- Prepare healthier meals and snacks.
- Try out these small changes with a friend.