Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle at Work

Maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle whilst working in an office environment every week can be a challenging task for employees. It’s very easy to slip into the bad habits of office working, be it staring at your computer all day, not moving around enough, drinking too much caffeine or maybe eating one too many office treats – and if you’re anything like me, I have a whole drawer dedicated to them.

According to an article written by Employee Benefits, “74 % believe that traditional working environments detract from a healthy lifestyle”. As health and well-being is a hot topic amongst employers and seeing as I myself in the past have felt the struggle with balancing a healthy lifestyle whilst working an office job, I thought it fitting to do some research and find some points that can help maintain that work-health balance.

Stand Up and Walk About

Sitting in your office chair for copious amounts of time is restrictive and straining on our postures. The human body was not made to be sat down all day, so it’s really important to try and get up and walk about as much as you can. Try taking regular short breaks to allow yourself to stretch your legs, walk to the printer, make a drink, go to the toilet, or even go and talk to a colleague instead of sending an email. It’s really important to move about frequently to give your body a rest from sitting in the same position all day, every day. An article published in My Domaine suggests ‘Brief periods of walking can add up to make a big difference in energy expenditure. In our office, some employees prefer talking on the phone whilst standing up or walking about, they feel as though it helps improve their concentration levels and voice projection.

Take your lunch break

It’s important to take a lunch break to allow yourself to take a time-out from your work and focus your mind on other things. Try to use this period of time to go out for a walk, get some fresh air, and focus your eyes on something different than your computer screen. Try to carry out some tasks that you need to do in your everyday life– grabbing some shopping, picking up a delivery, meet a friend for lunch or take the time to call a friend or family member. Stress and management coach Catherine Llyod stated that taking your lunch break helps keep energy levels up and allows time for reflection and provides a better mindset for your afternoon.

Snack On The ‘Good’ Stuff

Sitting all day can have all sorts of impact on our lifestyle, it has been linked with increased hunger, high blood pressure, inflammation, joint and muscle pain and it can contribute to obesity. However, it’s not all that bad, adding the following foods to your diet can contribute to combatting the associated health issues linked with sitting down all day: Berries, Nuts, Pineapple, Olive Oil, Tumeric, Garlic, Green Tea, Avocado, Fatty Fish and Flax Seeds are all recommended foods leading to a healthier mindset and a healthier you.

At Foundation, we want to promote a healthy lifestyle for our employees. We encourage employees to take regular coffee breaks to stretch their legs, we use headsets so employees aren’t restricted to being in the same position and provide back support cushions for anyone who feels those aches a little too often.

The office is provided with a fruit basket each week for all of our employees to enjoy and snack on as they see fit. In addition, all our employees are provided with our own branded water bottles because staying hydrated is very important and helps maintain concentration through out the day.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be a chore, just making a few, minor changes to your day-to-day routine and making a conscious effort to get up and move as much as possible will make a massive difference. Swop the packet of biscuits in your desk for some berries and nuts and you’ll feel the difference in no time!

Jenna Sakim, Operations Executive, Foundation Recruitment