We are at workplace atleast 8-10 hours in a day, and 5 days a week. Technically that’s roughly 21% in a week that we spend outside our home in a place where we visit every day, work on computers, share many things with people around us. Other than the individual health hazards that we face like eye strains, tension neck syndrome, weight gain etc, we also are prone to viruses and infection that exist in the air. We cannot control the workplace environment around us, but we can control our adaptability to the environment. How…? Here are few tips
- Crunch the “munch” time – our hands and fingers just move to that cookie/ chocolate/ biscuit/ chips that is in the office pantry or that a coworker has so nicely placed on the desk. It’s very tempting but in its own way stealthily adds on calories and also could make you feel sluggish instead of energetic. Healthy snacks are a good option for munch time. Once you start eating healthy, you motivate others to eat healthy too.
PS: Fruits, green tea, Health bars, and Baked goods are good replacements for high calories snacks.
- Increase H20 Intake – 70 % of human body is water and so our diet too requires us to have more water as input to the body. Drinking an adequate amount of water, around eight to 10 glasses a day, helps in keeping the body temperature normal, body hydrated, skin nourished and hunger at bay. Many fruits like oranges, grapes, watermelon, and apples are good sources of water and can be part of the water intake chart.
PS: By 3 pm, when you feel dehydrated and tired, make your body re-energized by drinking water instead of a beverage.
- Walk before/ after lunch- Lunch time is the best time to walk. Walking is burning your calories, de-stressing and refreshing too. A good idea to stay in shape. Find a walking partner on whom you can depend on for a daily walk. Someone who will motivate you to walk even when you get lazy or are too busy. Use stairs more than lift, move more than you sit and stay active.
PS: Make the walking time enjoyable by changing routes every now and then.
- Watch your Portion size – Eating a healthy and balanced diet as part of lunch is important. One that is rich with proteins, and fiber rather than fats or carbs. But watching the portion size is equally important too. Eventually, you will have to sit for next few hours. So, portion control keeps that in check.
PS: Add more salads, fruits and antioxidants to your diet.
- Keep your ENT in check– Yes take care of your Eyes, Neck and Tension- Sitting in a upright position, holding the phone and talking for long hours, and limited movement cause neck and shoulder pain, tenderness. Watching the computer screen for long hours cause eye strain, redness and sensitivity to light. Stress and pressure cause Tension which in turn cause headaches. No job is worth risking your ENT. So, make sure your neck is not bent for a long time, relax your muscles by stretching and try keeping stress to its minimum. You should also be able to comfortably read what’s on your screen at that distance, without having to squint
PS: Keep your screen at arm’s length from the eye level, Use speakerphone while talking and listening, do spot exercises and listen to music to stay focused and calm.
- Improve your Immunity level– There are two main factors that impair immunity at workplace. One is burnout which is another type of stress that effects relationships, moods, sleep cycles and efficiency at work. The other is the virus that spreads through sharing of keyboard, mouse, phone, or someone coughing and sneezing without covering up their mouth and nose. When your immunity is low, you are fast to catch small infections and illnesses that could disrupt your daily routine.
PS: Have a daily dose of vitamins, exercise to strengthen immunity level internally. Keep a hand sanitizer, disinfectant, wash your hands regularly to protect yourself externally from viruses.
Staying healthy at workplace starts with you and self awareness. You are more aware of your limits, when to take a break, when to take a vacation, when to walk, what to eat, what not to eat and when to exercise. So, Think Healthy, Be Healthy and Stay Healthy!!!
You may also want to read other articles written by the same author ‘Decoding Stress‘, ‘Communication made easy…‘, ‘Personal Finance Planning’, ‘Are you financially fit?’, ‘3 M’s… Mantra for Morale‘ , ‘Tips for effective interaction with management’, ‘Adapting to global work culture – locally‘
About the author:
Padmaja Acharya – From the ancient language of Sanskrit comes my name ‘Padmaja’, derived from Padma (meaning lotus) and Ja (meaning to take birth from). A woman as created by the divine. An Engineer and MBA by virtue of education. A dance choreographer, teacher by virtue of passion. A soft skill trainer and educator by profession. An author and speaker as guided by my calling. This is what encompasses me.
(The author is a guest blogger at Her Second Innings. The opinions expressed are those of the author.)
You can reach our guest bloggers by mailing us at support@hersecondinnings.com.
Her Second Innings, helps capable women professionals to find their calling in their second innings. Women looking to get back to their careers, or needing advice to pursue alternate career to become financially independent Sign up with us and complete your profile. Feel free to connect with us at support@hersecondinnings.com after completing your registration formalities, our career experts would be happy to have a conversation with you and assist you to take the assessment to gauge your current knowledge level to restart your career.
Disclaimer:
“This blog claims no credit for any images or content posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images and content on this blog belong to their respective owners. If there is an image or content on this blog that belongs to you and you do not wish for it to appear on this site, please e-mail us with a link to said image or content and it will be promptly removed.”
