As the festive period approaches, the office environment can become one of the unhealthiest places to be. Generous colleagues bringing in a never-ending glut of mince pies and chocolates; working lunches and parties full of waist-expanding feasts; and the temptation to work long hours, sat continuously at your desk, desperately trying to finalise your workload before the Christmas break.
We’ve certainly all been there, but what can you do to break this cycle in the New Year? January is traditionally a time for new beginnings, from exercise regimes to diets, so why not make your New Year’s resolution one that makes your working life healthier too?
To help, here are our top 5 tips for a healthier office life.
Staying hydrated is a key step to feeling energised and alert, but drinking sufficient water can also help to curb any cravings for sugary or carbohydrate laden snacks. Dehydration is often the root cause of the ‘2 o’clock slump’ that many of us feel at work, so water can even help with productivity and performance.
The average person should aim to drink between 8-10 glasses of water per day, but this can vary depending on your level of physical activity and climate. There are plenty of online tools to help you calculate how much water you need, such as the one in The Two-Week Detox Challenge.
To help monitor your consumption, we’d recommend using a water bottle, so you can easily see how much you’ve had and how much more you’ll need throughout the day. If you want to take your water-game to the next level, try adding a slice of lemon, as this will also help to deacidify your blood- an extra plus!
At the Oakham Office, we provide freshly filter water for all of our tenants and visitors, which we chill in glass bottles that everyone can help themselves to. We found that this simple measure become a massive perk for everyone and has led to a more hydrated and productive workplace.
I’m sure it comes as no surprise that exercise is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle, but why limit it to outside of work?
Whilst some offices do have their own gyms, the majority of us don’t have this type of onsite facility. That shouldn’t be an issue though. One of the easiest ways to incorporate some exercise into your working day is to take a walk at lunchtime. Not only will this help you to burn calories, the fresh air can also help you to destress, refocus and take some time out to practice mindfulness. Walking is great for both your physical and mental wellbeing.
One idea that we incorporated a few years ago was the ‘walking meeting’. Rather than sitting for hours in a meeting room, going for a walk-and-talk with a colleague meant that you had quality time to talk through some important issues in a healthier environment.
Being based in Rutland means that we have quick and easy access to some beautiful and rural walks, such as Hambleton Peninsular. However, if you are limited by your location, you can still incorporate walking into your office life by electing to take the stairs rather than the lift, or parking slightly further away to encourage you to walk before and after your shift.
As humans, we weren’t designed to sit all day. Traditionally, the office environment automatically involved everyone sat at rigid desks for hours on end, but that no longer has to be the case.
Standing desks have revolutionised the way we work, and have helped thousands of people with their posture, performance and overall health. In fact, research has shown that by standing up to work, people can reduce their risk of obesity, lower their blood sugar levels, reduce the risk of heart disease, boost their overall mood and performance, and ultimately live for longer. Not a bad outcome from the simple act of standing!
Of course, it may not always be practical to stand for certain tasks, so if you do need to sit, make sure that you use ergonomic chairs to support your back, neck and lower body. You should also try to regularly stretch, take breaks and use equipment and positioning that reduce the need to sit at awkward angles or maintain uncomfortable positions for prolonged periods.
At the Oakham Office, all of our work spaces come with adjustable standing desks and ergonomic chairs, giving our tenants the flexibility to stand or sit depending on the task in hand. It might only be furniture, but standing desks are one of the benefits that our team and customers value the most from our office.
Food, glorious food: It’s one of the things that gets us through work, but it should fuel our productivity, not create unhealthy patterns, sluggish afternoons or weight-gain.
The first step to a productive, happy day is to eat a good breakfast. Rather than grabbing a bacon roll on your way into the office, or even worse, a bar of chocolate from the vending machine, start your day right by having a healthy breakfast that gives you sufficient energy and doesn’t leave you starving by 10:30. A high protein, low sugar and low GI breakfast is a great way to set you up for the day.
Lunchtime at work is often a highlight for many workers, but make it standout for the right reasons. Delicious doesn’t have to be detrimental for your health, so try eating a lunch that is full of nutrients and vitamins, rather than sugar, carbs and fat. The easiest way to fight the temptation to grab a greasy pasty or sad-looking soggy sandwich is to bring a homemade packed lunch. That way, you can control how many ‘naughty’ additives and artery-clogging fats are involved. But if you don’t have the time to prepare, find a local food outlet that offers delicious but balanced fare. In Oakham we are blessed with cafes and such as The Larder, Fika, and GA Sushi, which all offer take-away versions of their delectable but nutritious lunches.
Snacking is the final piece of the puzzle, but can often be the most calorific part of the day. I think most of know that reaching for the crisps, fizzy drinks and chocolate bars does nothing for our health, so try replacing these with nuts and fruit. At our office, we stopped providing unhealthy snacks for our staff years ago and in return gave them free fruit as a way of encouraging a more balanced diet. This cultural shift led to a much happier and healthier team.
Overworking is crippling us! Consecutive long days, very few breaks and ever-increasing workloads are destroying our productivity, passion for work and having a hugely detrimental impact on our personal lives. One of the most important ways to increase health in the workplace is to ensure that a sustainable work-life balance is achieved for everyone employed by your company.
Most of us need to work for financial reasons, but what is the point in overworking and earning good money if we don’t have the time or health to enjoy it?
It is probably fair to say that the workload is not going to reduce by itself, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be better managed, giving you and your team more flexibility, time off and more creative freedom.
But how? It’s actually very simple- by setting goals. If you want to end the cycle of overworking and start enjoying your life again, now is the time to set some exciting and rewarding goals for 2023. Investing a short amount of time creating a plan, will mean that you have a clear focus for the coming year, and you will have a far greater chance of accomplishing your aims. As Abraham Lincoln famously said, “If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.”
To help with this, one of the companies that use our office is hosting a series of half-day workshops onsite. Led by business coach, Charlie Reading, these free events will help professionals and entrepreneurs reclaim their free time, learn how to better delegate and manage their team, and reignite their passion for working.
To find out more, please contact The Trusted Team on www.thetrusted.team or hello@thetrusted.team
We all spend nearly a third of our entire lives at work, so any bad habits or unhealthy practices will make a huge impact on our health and wellbeing. Finding better ways to work will not only help to boost your business, but it will lead to a healthier, more productive and happier workforce and make your company the best place to be.
