Dr. Corinne: The Importance of a Happy, Healthy Workplace
Dr. Corinne Weaver : Aug 2, 2019
DrCorinneWeaver.com
We spend so much of our time at work it's in your best interest to incorporate wellness techniques into your day!
In our modern-day work environment, we experience long periods of sitting, fast food meals that we grab on the go, morning donuts, and computer screen eye strain, 5 days a week. This behavior has been shown to be harmful to our mental and physical well-being. Of course, we all have bills to pay, so not working isn't an option, and some of us love our work, even though the habits surrounding it are harming our health and well-being. (Image: Pixabay)
Let's define well-being.
There are five areas associated with well-being:
- Purpose- liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals. We Christians are hopefully fulfilling God's purpose for our lives.
- Social- having supportive relationships and love in your life. Having a Christian spouse that supports your dreams is one of the most rewarding gifts.
- Financial- managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security. Money is not everything and it can tear down a relationship. Having pure joy is priceless. If we truly relayed on God for finances how would our lives be different?
- Community- liking where you live, feeling safe and having pride in your community. I love the fact I am a southern Carolina girl and I love my hometown, Charlotte, NC.
- Physical- having good health and enough energy to get things done daily. Boy, is this a good one. My hope for you is that you wake up feeling good every day, having the energy to fulfill God's purpose in your life.
Using these five areas of well-being, we can begin to implement strategies throughout the workday to improve each aspect and achieve better overall wellness.
Some of the strategies we're going to discuss today can be implemented by you as an individual. Others, however, will require talking to your HR department.
Find out if your office has a wellness committee and join it. If they don't, start one so that your workday wellness initiatives can help others too!
Things you can incorporate into your personal routine no matter your workplace.
- Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water throughout the day. You can bring in a large insulated cup to keep water cold.
- If you don't care for water, try a flavor-infused water bottle that is designed with a compartment for fresh fruit and herbs to add a little flavor to your water. One of my favorites is lemon, cucumber, and mint!
- If you're worried about frequent bathroom breaks, don't! It's a good excuse to get up from your desk and go for a walk. Our bodies aren't designed for long term sitting, which is why 80% of people will experience back pain at some point in life.
- According to WebMD, the 3 o'clock lull you experience at work can be due to dehydration.
- Find a work buddy or start a group and go for a walk during your lunch break instead of spending it sitting in the cafeteria, at your desk, or in a fast food drive through.
- Find a local park or even take a stroll through your work parking lot. The goal is to get moving, and if you can do so outdoors, even better!
- You can also increase your activity throughout the day by taking the stairs and parking away farther than you need to.
- Another option is to schedule walking meetings. Get your team outside or take that phone meeting on the go.
Eating in the workplace
With some simple meal prep and planning, you can have healthy snacks and lunches every day. No more excuses! By making your own food, you have full control of what you're putting in your body. When you fuel yourself properly, you'll have more energy throughout the day.
Check out this link for cheap and easy healthy work lunch ideas.
Some healthy snacks include:
- Nuts and dried fruit
- Bell peppers and guacamole
- Brown rice cakes and avocado
- Roasted chickpeas
- Apples and peanut butter
- Homemade granola
If you enjoy going out with friends to lunch, get them in on eating healthier too! Everyone can bring dishes to share or start a recipe swap. Get creative and involve others for increased accountability.
Move!
The importance of getting up throughout the day cannot be overstated. Did you know sitting is considered to be as detrimental as smoking? It's true! Sitting can actually cause disease in your body.
Try spending at least 30 minutes a day standing while working. This can be done while answering emails or making calls. Talk to your office administrator about a standing workstation or designing something for your desk. I just got standing desks in my office and my team absolutely loves them!
At the very least, make sure to stand up once an hour.
Find out if your office has someone who can help you set up your desk ergonomically. This will help reduce strain and prevent injury from repetitive movements and poor posture.
Your monitor should be an arm's length away and at eye level. Your hands should be at elbow level, and knees should be level with hips.
For more useful tips on setting up your desk ergonomically, Click Here.
Move around a little while sitting at your desk. Shoulder and neck rolls feel nice. Perhaps a leg stretch. Do whatever your body is asking for.
When you sit back down, do so with intention. Try keeping your head aligned over your spine, core tight, and feet flat on the floor. Within minutes you'll be back to a slumped posture, but practicing better posture every time you sit will help your body create muscle memory and eventually improve your sitting posture.
For this idea, you can get your company's wellness team involved, or start one yourself!
Gather a group of wellness-minded coworkers and set monthly challenges. Or, you can challenge yourself each month by setting a new goal. Challenges can be geared towards weight loss, getting in daily steps while at the office, or whatever you can think of! Get creative with it and use the challenge as an opportunity to set new goals for yourself.
Talk to your team or your HR department about creating a monthly wellness newsletter for employee distribution. It can even be in email format. Gather a few wellness tips from experts and ask coworkers to contribute. This can be fun and help you learn different work wellness techniques.
Talk to your company about fitness class or gym options. Some companies have an onsite gym for employees, and others can team up with local gyms to offer membership discounts for employees.
Other options may include gathering a few work buddies willing to dedicate a lunch hour to a stretching session and hiring an instructor. Everyone can pay towards the class and maybe your office will have a space where everyone can stretch out.
Many companies now host annual wellness fairs for employees. If your office doesn't, talk to your HR department about getting one started.
You can also talk to local hospitals or doctor offices about setting up free employee health assessments. Early detection and prevention of disease risk factors are key to staying well.
Happy Employees Achieve More
More and more companies are recognizing happy employees achieve more. For this reason, some companies are beginning to offer flexible scheduling. Working according to your schedule can allow you the freedom to enjoy more of the thing you love or spend less time sitting in traffic.
Some offices offer summer hours, allowing employees to work longer hours Monday through Thursday to work half days on Friday. Talk with your manager or HR department about getting flex hours for you and your coworkers.
Most offices have vending machines or onsite catering. Talk with your company about swapping out snack machines for healthy vending options and adding healthy meal options to the catering menu.
Get with your coworkers about joining a Community Supported Agriculture program. If you have enough people to participate, you may be able to set up deliveries at your office.
CSAs are a great way to eat healthier and support your local farms.
Gather your coworkers or your team and set up a monthly recipe exchange. Everyone can sign up to bring their favorite healthy recipe to share with the group.
This is a great way to socialize and develop team building while improving wellness.
In addition to setting up your workspace ergonomically, you should also try to incorporate things that are calming and bring you joy.
Remember that great family trip last year? Hang a photo to act as a reminder of happy memories. Missing the outdoors, get yourself a desk plant to take care of.
Here are some stretches to incorporate into your day to reduce tension:
UPPER SHOULDER AND NECK STRETCH
- Sit on one hand.
- Tilt your head away from the hand you're sitting on.
- Tilt your head slightly forward, towards your shoulder.
- You should feel the muscles in your neck and shoulder being stretched.
- Change sides, and repeat.
POSTERIOR SHOULDER STRETCH
- Hold one arm across your body.
- Pull your elbow into your chest.
- You should feel your shoulder gently stretching.
SEATED SPINAL ROTATION
- While seated, cross your arms over your chest.
- Grab your shoulders.
- Rotate your upper body from the waist, turning gently from left to right as far as you can.
- You should feel tension on both sides of your lower back as it stretches out.
Dealing with Workplace Stress
When you find yourself in a stressful situation or having a particularly stressful day, take a moment to breathe. As you breathe, be sure that your stomach is rising and falling instead of your chest - this ensures deeper breathing that calms the system.
By focusing your intention on your breath and taking a few deep breaths, your body is signaled to calm down. This will help you think clearer and react better to stressful encounters.
We spend so much of our time at work it's in your best interest to incorporate wellness techniques into your day!
I hope everyone gained at least one useful technique. If you could use additional help talking to your company about setting up a wellness program, let me know!
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to read this!
My mission is to help you get healthier without needing more medications. Join here to get my FREE ebook and join the INNER Circle if you want accountability to take action for your health.
By joining this circle, you have the unique opportunity to ask questions and share personal experiences while engaging with like-minded individuals and gaining the support of health professionals who are experts in health and wellness.
I am looking forward to Showing Up more in your life and Serving you Better!! Don't forget to Listen to the No More Meds Podcast and join the No More Meds Movement with me. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here
Resources
Keep Breathing,
Dr. Corinne Weaver
Email: Dr@DrCorinneWeaver.com
Website: www.DrCorinneWeaver.com
Dr. Corinne Weaver is a compassionate upper cervical chiropractor, educator, motivational speaker, mother of three, and internationally bestselling author. In 2004, she founded the Upper Cervical Wellness Center in Indian Trail, North Carolina. Over the last 13 years, she has helped thousands of clients restore their brain to-body function. When she was 10 years old, she lost her own health as the result of a bike accident that led to having asthma and allergy issues that she thought she would always have to endure. Then, after her first upper cervical adjustment at age 21, her health began to improve thanks to upper cervical care and natural herbal remedies. This enabled her to create a drug-free wellness lifestyle for herself and her family, and she also enthusiastically discovered her calling to help children heal naturally.
Dr. Weaver was named one of Charlotte Magazine's "Top Doctors" in 2016 and is now a number-one internationally bestselling author to two books: Learning How to Breathe and No More Meds.
Upper Cervical Wellness Center is known for finding the root cause of health concerns through lifestyle changes, diagnostic testing, nutraceutical supplementation, and correction of subluxation (as opposed to just medicating the symptoms). The practice offers cutting-edge technological care at its state-of-the-art facility, including laser-aligned upper cervical X-rays, bioimpedance analysis (measures body composition), digital thermography (locates thermal abnormalities characterized by skin inflammation), and complete nutritional blood analysis, which is focused on disease prevention.