How Employees Can Keep Themselves Healthy and Fit at Work
8 hours of sitting in front of a computer, five days a week can have some serious bad effects on your body.
Sitting down for long periods is a common cause of obesity as your body doesn’t burn calories in an increased amount as a result you remain in a calorie surplus state due to which you continuously gain weight.
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A recommended way to take care of your fitness with a full-time job is to join a fitness program. It will help you to effectively lose body fat and gain muscle mass. In addition, you can also build social connections.
If you are someone who is busy other than your office hours and don’t have time to exercise then it doesn’t mean that you have to live your life with obesity and other health issues.
Here are some insider tips that can help employees to keep themselves healthy and fit at work.
Importance of Keeping Yourself Healthy for Work
We all must be well aware of the importance of good health for the normal functioning of our lives. If your health falls, it can impact everything that’s going on in your everyday life.
Your health affects your personal and professional relationships, it also impacts your social life and has a great impact on your career.
Let’s have a look at some reasons that show the importance of being in a good shape while showing up for work.
Impacts The Quality of Your Output
When you show up at work in good health, you are more likely to actively keep the work going without getting tired very soon or losing motivation.
Productivity has an important role in the quality of your work. If you don’t feel well and still insist on going to work, you won’t be able to complete your tasks effectively.
Showing at work in bad health results in low-quality work which eventually triggers stress, which is bad for your physical and mental health.
So, if you want to give your best and close some best deals for your company then first of all you should be in good health.
Affects The Performance of Other Employees
Yes, you are not the only employee in your organization. There are several employees performing their duties.
But it won’t be wrong to say that if you show up at work in a bad shape then the performance of other employees will be affected negatively.
Imagine it like this, you are a production manager in a big organization. You have to take care of documents, sign them, get them delivered.
Complete the production of items before the delivery date and a lot more. However, if you are not well and have to take the day off, it will have a bad impact on the operations of the business as well as the employees.
You Can Lose Your Job
The majority of companies only give you limited sick leaves. No organization would ever tolerate that you don’t show up every other day because you keep falling.
Even if you are coming to work you won’t be able to give optimal performance as your health won’t allow you to do that.
Suppose that your manager gave you some tasks and you are suffering from a severe headache. You might be able to finish it on time but it will have some errors.
Your boss won’t tolerate such mistakes for long and you will eventually end up losing your job.
Best Tips to Keep Yourself Healthy at Work
If your only excuse for not being in good shape is not having time or energy to do what it takes to be fit, then here are some of the best ways to keep you healthy at the workplace.
Looking After Your Physical Health
When we talk about physical health, all we mean is to take care of our bodies. Someone at their peak physical health is full of life and energy.
If you are not in a good physical state, then other parts of your life are affected as well. Failing to take care of your body leads to fatigue, low energy, and inefficient performance.
Here are some tips that can help you achieve a healthy body:
Take Right Amount of Sleep
It might sound simple, but in practice, it’s very difficult. Sleeping enough is essential if you want to function normally for the next day.
Taking the right amount of sleep plays a crucial role in your physical health. If you are facing sleep deficiency for quite some time then you have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, hypertension, and diabetes.
Let’s have a look at some health benefits of getting enough sleep:
- Improved productivity and concentration
- Lower risk of weight gain
- Helps in preventing depression
- Lowers inflammation in the body
- Develop a strong immune system
As an adult, the recommended sleep you should be getting is at least more than 7 hours. If you face problems while falling asleep quickly or waking up in the middle of the night, here are some tips that can help you:
- Avoid sleeping in the afternoon if you had enough sleep at night.
- Going to bed at the same time every night.
- Being active during the daytime and spending more time outside.
- Practicing yoga before going to bed.
Eating Sensibly
Most employees complain that they can’t follow a healthy diet when eating in the office. Well, it’s true that most of the time we munch on junk food or caloric treats brought by colleagues.
The first thing that you should focus on is exercising self-control. It might be difficult to stop your hands on a tasty meal but you should keep in mind the bad impacts it can have on your health.
Prepare your lunch at home, pack it and bring it to the office. Include healthy homemade food in your lunch. It can be a salad with grilled chicken, fruits, rice, etc.
Make sure that your diet includes protein, carbs, fiber, and fats. Moderation is key. You can munch on junk food sometimes which your colleagues offer but limit your consumption.
Some healthy snacks you can have while working include fruits, nuts, healthy smoothies, or granola bars. They will keep your hunger satisfied without giving you the sluggish feeling that you get from eating junk.
You must restrict your caffeine intake. We know that for most of the employees, it’s almost impossible to start their day without having caffeinated beverages.
Don’t worry, we are not telling you to completely cut from caffeine but, try to curb your caffeine consumption to one cup in the morning and one in the evening.
If you are worried about your health then omit the use of sugar and cream in your coffee so you can cut those calories.
Keep Yourself Hydrated
The pressure of work at the office could make you lose track of how much water you are drinking in a day. It’s important that you drink enough water to keep yourself hydrated and active.
Drinking water in increased quantities will help you to fend off those unhealthy snack temptations.
Dehydration causes a lot of ill effects such as drowsiness. The recommended water intake for an adult should be somewhere between six to eight glasses every day.
You can also have fresh juices to beat dehydration. Being immersed in work can make you forget to drink water. Put a reminder on your phone to help you remember that it’s time to drink water.
Practice Good Hygiene
Due to COVID-19, this has become even more important. Practicing good hygiene is not only to protect you against COVID, it’s the best way to prevent gastro and other infectious diseases.
If your job requires you to be in warm places that make you sweat then make sure that you take a bath first priority after reaching home.
Through sweating, our body eliminates toxins, taking a bath will greatly decrease your perspiration odor and drain out all toxins while killing bacteria and viruses.
Taking a bath daily has proven to decrease the number of infections you may suffer throughout the year.
Most of the time of your day will be spent in front of your workstation. Make sure to sanitize every day before starting your work. Keep sanitizing wipes in your drawer, and use them to wipe your desk.
Taking Care of Your Emotional and Mental Health
Mental health is as important as your physical health. It can have a great impact on your physical health and the normal functioning of your routine life.
Being emotionally stable means that you experience a sense of balance regarding your relationships with others. It also means that your emotions don’t interfere with your personal or professional life.
If your mental health is not good then you are more likely to experience anxiety, increased stress levels, and a weakened immune system.
Here are some tips that can help you in maintaining better emotional health at the workplace.
Talk With Your Colleagues
It’s not necessary that your colleagues have to be your friends. But they can have a better understanding of a problem you are experiencing at the workplace and can help you in finding an optimal solution.
Make some time to chat with your colleagues, it could be during the lunch break, or briefly in passing. You can share your problems with them or just ask them how everything is going on.
These small conversations can help to vent your frustrations so they don’t remain inside your mind and cause stress.
Set Short and Realistic Goals
Write down your goals on paper and put them somewhere on your desk where you can see them. Your goals should have everything that you have to complete in a week.
It’s not necessary that these goals have to be related to your work. They can even be intrinsic or extrinsic goals that you wish to achieve in the future.
After completing each goal, check it off the lost. It will give you a feeling of accomplishment and keep you motivated.
Choose a Career That You Love
Now, this is one of the most difficult tasks. Most of the time people land in careers which they never chose for themselves and have no interest in.
If you are always waiting for the weekend and counting hours in off time then you are stuck in a job that you don’t like. Find a career that suits your interests, even if it pays a little less.
Doing something you love doing is the best way to lead a successful life. It can also be defined as finding meaning in your job, it will make you feel like you have a purposeful life.
Keep Your Day Structured
Organizing your day solves many problems. Plan out the tasks you are going to complete the whole day, allot an estimated time to them and make sure to include breaks as well.
Working nonstop can sabotage your creativity so taking frequent breaks is very important. Use the break to walk around, talk with a coworker or just freshen up by drinking some water.
Don’t be so rigid with your plan. If you can’t complete a task within a given time frame don’t get demotivated. The plan is only to keep you on track and don’t fall prey to distractions.
Learn to say no sometimes. We know that it’s nice to show your boss that you are eager to work but learn to delay projects for some time with a good explanation.
The reason for this is that if you put too much on your plate, then the projects in the pipeline will not be completed any time soon and you will end up getting stressed due to increased work pressure.
Takeaway
You might not realize that small neglect can end up causing great physical and psychological health problems in the long run.
By following these simple tips, you can achieve a good balance between staying healthy and focusing on your work side-by-side.
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