Make some conscious efforts to remain active whilst in the office. Occasional stretches while on your desk are good for your muscles. Take every opportunity to stand up while working. Open and close the door for whoever comes into your office. Don’t allow coffee to be served right on your desk, rise up, and get it yourself from the office kitchenette. And don’t accept the usual carbs-laden office snacks, bring along fruit or some nuts. Wash down your snack breaks with some cool water.
If you require some breaks in between, don’t just look out for other office mates and sit around for a chuckle. Walkout for five to ten minutes, this will reboot your brains, get you some fresh air, and exercise your stiff muscles. This also gives you some private relaxation moments. Occasionally skip the office canteen for lunch and take advantage of a walk to the quick shop around the corner. If you carry a packed lunch, you don’t have to gobble it on your desk. Walk out with it to the farthest shade in the compound. And make sure you are only eating healthy stuff.
If you can work-out after work, well and good. If you cannot, get some physical stuff to do on your way out or when you get home. Give the pub a miss every so often after work, it will do you lots of good. If you plan it well, you will not only be the top dog at work but also the healthiest.
The 10 Benefits of Workplace Fitness Culture
Encouraging our employees to embrace fitness as a lifestyle choice pays off in numerous ways!
1. Fit employees are less likely to get sick. A person who is physically fit is generally more resistant to the “bug going around” than a person who is not fit. Reduced absenteeism and reduced health care expenditures are the results of a fit employee base.
2. Fit employees have more energy. One of the many benefits of regular exercise is increased and sustained energy throughout the day. This energy allows the employee to stay focused on the task at handing, bringing the best of themselves to each task.
3. Fit employees have more self-confidence. A fit and healthy individual tends to have a high level of self-confidence because they have proven to themselves that they can accomplish what it takes to obtain a level of physical fitness. This self-confidence empowers the employee to challenge themselves, and strive for higher levels of achievement in the workplace.
4. Fit employees inspire confidence. Any person who maintains a high fitness level tends to be a person in whom others have confidence.
5. Fit employees tend to take on more leadership roles. Because of the many positive benefits of a healthy lifestyle, a fit individual tends to make a good leader
6. Fit employees set and achieve goals. Extraordinary fitness often demands that an individual set and reach goals related to their fitness. Learning to stay true to your goals and see them through to completion is a skill that is naturally brought into the workplace. An employee with the proven ability to set aggressive goals, and then REALISE those goals, is a valuable asset to any organization.
7. Fit employees tend to have better attitudes. Fit employees generally “feel good”. They tend to have a physical and mental “balance” that results in a more positive attitude in the workplace.
8. Fit employees are less stressed. Regular exercise releases the physical AND emotional tensions that life brings our way, thus a fit employee tends to have lower overall stress levels than an employee who does not engage in regular exercise.
9. A fit employee base presents excellent team-building opportunities. Team building activities are wonderful ways for employees to take their professional relationships to new levels, and discover new ways of working together. Obviously, employees that maintain a level of fitness are more likely to participate in these activities.
10. Encouraging fitness demonstrates a concern for employee’s well-being, and pays off! Employees NOTICE when an employer shows concern for the health and well-being of their employee base through a variety of wellness programs. Further, it has been shown that employee turnover is significantly lower among employees that take advantage of a wellness program implemented by their employer.