The environment in which we work often can undermine our best efforts to stay well. For example, a big bowl of candy at the front desk, snacks and calorie-dense drinks in vending machines, Sally’s leftover birthday cake in the staff room, all call out like sirens luring sailors to cliffs — plummeting you into an abyss of guilt. Multitasking (I think you mean multitasking, but multi-taking is a problem, too! LOL!) compounds the issue. Eating at your desk, for example, can keep you planted to your chair all day and…well, the list goes on. You can help change your workplace norms in small ways to better support wellness.
Here are simple tips for improving your worksite’s wellness quotient:
- Who says you have to sit down to meet? Suggest a walking or stretching meeting. Talk about healthy multitasking.Replace the candy dish with a fruit bowl — or even a fish bowl!
- Ask your co-workers to pledge to leave leftover sweets at home.
- Encourage your company to replace unhealthy vending choices with water, fruit juices and energy bars.
- Ask your workplace to install a bike rack, and then commit to use it!
- In addition to those inspirational quote posters, ask your management/administration to post simple stretching exercises. Encourage everyone to stand up and stretch every ½ hour — even in meetings.
Every little bit helps. Do you have ideas about making your worksite a well-site? What’s your unwell-workplace beef? What’s your favorite or most unique well-workplace story?