Most of us spend about 8 – 12 hours a day at work. This means our workplace environment plays a big part in our well-being. But, there are about 30 million workdays lost due to work place injury and ill-health.
There are many things we can do to reduce our risk of work related ill-health, but also use our time at work to boost our health at our work place.
Here are 5 ways you can do to boost your health at your workplace.
1) Stress
Stress at workplace is an undeniable fact. Knowing how to deal with excessive pressure at work is critical. Learn to identify symptoms of stress:
- Pounding of hear or hear palpitation
- Dry mouth
- Headaches
- Odd aches and pains
- Loss of appetite for food or sex.
Good stress management is critical in your health as well as work performance. One thing we should do is to avoid the unhealthy habits such as relying on alcohol, caffeine or smoking to manage stress.
Take control with effective time management. Be active by exercising. It will won’t make the stress go away but it can reduce the emotional intensity.
2) Back Pain
The main cause of back pain developed during work is poor posture and sitting for too long. Sitting for too long can cause tension and stress in the muscle. Awkward twisting movement such as sudden bending or stretching can also lead to back pain.
About 9.3 million workdays are lost due to back pain and musculoskeletal disorders. The best treatment is to stay active to ensure supple muscles and joints.
3) Exercise
It is difficult for busy working people to take time off for exercise. So, you should build exercise into your workday:
- Cycle or walk, if not all then partly, to work. Get off one bus stop or subway station earlier and walk the rest of the way.
- Walk over to your colleagues’ desk instead of speaking to them by phone
- Take the stairs, instead of lift or escalator. Or get out of the lift a few floors earlier and use the stairs for the rest of the way.
- Use lunch breaks to exercise. Go to the nearby gym, swim or just jog around the block.
4) Eating
We eat at least a third of our caloric intake while at work. What we eat and drink affect not just our health but our work performance too.
Healthy nutrition begins with proper breakfast to provide you the fuel for your work. Choose food that give sustainable energy level and make your brain active and boost your immune system.
5) Sitting for too long
Sitting for too long is bad for health. If you are desk bound, make sure you are sitting in the right position in relation to the computer. If you are working at the computer a lot, it is important to take regular breaks by stretching your neck and shoulder as well as taking vision breaks. For every hour on the keyboard, take 10 mins break.
While is we all enjoy our work and are very committed to doing it well, you should take steps to ensure that does not affect our health. Try these 5 ways and you will find that your effectiveness and performance will increase.
Do you have other ways that can boost your health at your workplace? Do share it in the comment box below.
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