5 Effective Tips to Stay Healthy in the Workplace

How many times have you thought of health, but only considered your personal life and home? Have you ever wondered how your habits at work can influence your health and work productivity? Most likely never, right?

With work hours extending beyond the traditional 9-5pm work hours, the average human spends roughly the same number of hours at the workplace as he spends in the comfort of his home. More importantly, these hours represent the active moments of your life. Your health habits in the workplace can either improve your health and hence increase work productivity, or negatively affect your health and impede your career growth.

So, how can you stay healthy in the workplace? Here are a few effective tips to consider;

1 – Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is crucial for many reasons, but most importantly because it boosts cognitive functions. Waiting to get thirsty before you reach for a glass of water does no good to your brain. Rather, it does great harm; as mild dehydration – as low as 2% fluid loss – can affect your level of concentration, memory, mood, and even your reaction time.

2 – Take Periodic Breaks

There is always so much to do in a typical workplace that even the thought of taking breaks can seem too farfetched. A few minutes break won’t hurt you, but would rather increase your productivity. Walk around and stretch your feet to increase blood flow – it does wonders to your health. If you sit before a computer all day, practise the 20-20-20 rule by taking a 20 seconds break every 20 minutes and look away from the screen at a distance of 20m. This eases the strain from your eyes and thus, protects your eyes.

3 – Choose Fruits or Food over Snacks

It is so easy to reach out for the snacks that colleagues bring to work without thought of how it affects you. Not only does random munching of snacks increases your weight gain and cholesterol level, but it also affects your job performance. But it is really simple – if you want your brain to perform at optimum levels, give it the fuel that it deserves. Fatty snacks is definitely not the answer. Choose to munch on fruits or healthy meals and you would be amazed at the positive difference it makes to your health and work productivity.

4 – Limit Your Caffeine intake

For most career-oriented individuals, coffee is the next best thing after chocolate, especially when there is a pile of work to go through. The temporary sense of wakefulness and alertness is certainly a push factor to take more cups of coffee. But what does the consumption of caffeine portend to your health? Excessive intake of caffeine causes anxiety, insomnia, headache, nervousness, restlessness, nausea, increased and irregular heart rate that can even lead to death. Why risk these complications when you can live a healthier lifestyle choosing healthy fruit juices or herbal tea?

5 – Maintain Good Posture

Be mindful of your posture, especially if you are a desk worker operating the computer. Avoid slouching, but remember to keep your back straight and your shoulders relaxed. Incorporate desk exercises when needed to avoid cricks in the neck, back aches and to strengthen your muscles. Maintaining proper posture such as these during work hours saves you a whole lot of pain and discomfort, which transcends beyond the present to the future – in your old age.

What other ways can you stay healthy in the workplace? Let us know in the comment section.

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