Workplace Wellness Whisperer – (August 6)

Hello Workplace Wellness Seeker,

Happy Saturday! Are you having difficulty sleeping? We spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping, allowing our bodies to restore themselves by replenishing and balancing hormones. During sleep your brain also gets rid of toxic by-products, and is able to lock in the information you learned during the day and store important memories. Sleep also helps with weight loss and keeps your immune system strong. For more details check out my post on Instagram or Facebook

🙏Gratitude Practice🙏

Expressing gratitude can improve your mood. People who regularly express gratitude for the positive things in their life are shown to be happier overall, leading to lower rates of stress and depression.

🙏

 I appreciate the following things about my job/work. . .

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Why Employee Wellness NOW?

According to Berry, of Texas A&M University; research shows that the ROI on comprehensive, well-run employee wellness programs is impressive, sometimes as high as six to one.

Employees who are healthy and happy usually have higher levels of productivity than those who are not. It’s a win-win situation, as it leads to many benefits for the company. Wellness programs also lead to increased engagement, improved employee morale and retention, and reduced health risks. There is a positive connection between employee wellness and the performance of a business. Undoubtedly, the benefits of implementing comprehensive employee wellness programs surpass the costs.

My Workplace Wellness Calendar can guide you with some ideas for implementing your wellness strategy. 

What are some steps to launching an Employee Wellness Program?

A good employee wellness program should cater to the employees’ emotional, physical, mental, and financial wellness. Here are some basic steps for implementing a successful employee wellness program at the workplace.

1. Set goals that will benefit both the company and the staff

2. Set up a dedicated team

3. Collect data

4. Make a plan

5. Communicate the program

6. Acquire feedback and adjust the wellness program

I invite you to listen to several of my podcasts on Self-Care and subscribe to my YouTube channel for amazing practical workplace wellness tips that I share everyday.

Here’s a summary of this week’s 5 tips that can help you personally and professionally.

Read, Listen and Share!

Tip #1. Move Your Body Naturally

Time Out in Nature, Physical Activity, Brain Fitness, Optimizing Sleep, Managing Stress, and Living with Purpose & Gratitude are just a few of the common denominators that help you live a long, healthy life according to the hotspots of longevity around the world. One of my favourite ones is to Move Naturally.

The world’s longest-lived people don’t pump iron, run marathons, or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving. They grow gardens, walk everywhere, and most certainly don’t sit in front of a computer all day.

So here are some tips to incorporate movement in your daily routine for busy professionals:

✅ Park further from the entrance of your building

✅Ditch the elevator & take the stairs

✅ Take a short moving break throughout the day (every 30mins) ideally outside to get some natural light

✅Walk before you start your day in the morning

✅Skip the Netflix binge watching & take a walk after dinner

How can you incorporate more movement into your daily workplace routine? I urge you to include natural movement throughout the day everyday, make it a habit.

Check out my podcast #28 with Grace Van Berkum on the Self-Care Goddess Podcast where she shares simple and practical tips on how to begin your plant-based journey.

Tip #2. What to Eat to Live to 100?

Do you want to live passed 100? Then eat like this.

About 95% plant-based and 5% animal-based. A typical centenarian plant-based diet from the famous Blue Zones is made up of beans, and legumes including fava, black, kidney, chickpeas and lentils, complex carbs like garden vegetables and ancient grains, and accented with meat. Meat is largely reserved for Sundays and special occasions. 

Of course I always recommend starting with fiber first, so have a salad – the bitter the better – like arugula or spinach to get the enzymes going and prepare your body to digest your food.

Going plant-based can sound like a daunting task if you’re a meat lover, but you can begin with just a few meals a week and ensuring that you always have something GREEN on your plate.

Check out my amazing delicious ‘Pistachio Quinoa Cookies’ recipe

Tip #3. Eye Exercises for Computer Eye Strain

We are using digital devices more than ever and my computer eye strain is REAL and can lead to dry eyes, blurry vision and even headaches.

When working on a computer it’s a good idea to follow the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. You can also try rolling your eyes in a circular motion with your eyes open and then closed.

To help lubricate the eye try slowly blinking every 5 seconds, I know it sounds easy but we often forget to blink as often as we should.

And my favourite one is rubbing your palms to create some heat, then gently cover your eye without pressing hard, open your eyes in the darkness and hum on your exhales to relax your eyes and your mind. Try these exercises a few times throughout your workday.

🌸 Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for guided meditations to help you destress.

Tip #4. Do You Have A Morning Routine?

According to the hotspots of longevity around the world, Purpose is the #2 secret for living a healthy long life.

The Okinawans from Japan call it “Ikigai” and the Nicoyans from Costa Rica call it “Plan De Vida”, for both it translates to “why I wake up in the morning”. In all Blue Zones people have something to live for beyond just work. Research has shown that knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to 7 years of extra life expectancy.

One practical way to help you with your purpose is to establish a morning routine. Yup I know it sounds simple but it’s super powerful.

A morning routine helps us set the tone for the day, better allowing us to control our schedules rather than our schedules controlling us.

As we start each day fresh, we can better focus on what is in front of us, where to prioritize our time, and, ultimately, increase our productivity. I have found that I am most productive as soon as I wake up. So I tend to do all my creative tasks in the morning. After my 60mins of self-care which is usually a mix of Breathwork, Yoga and weight training or spin.

Creating a morning routine for yourself is essential to a successful life. Waking up a little earlier than usual will give you ample time to focus on your goals and conquer the day with more energy, mindfulness and strength.

Download my FREE Morning Routine and learn how to: 1. Increase Energy 2. Improve Sleep & 3. Decrease Mood Swings.

Tip #5. Take a (1min) Time Out: Connect with Your Breath & Gratitude

Hello everyone and welcome to this quick coherence technique. It can be done any time to check in and relax.

I love to do it before it client meeting or a client call and it’s an amazing way to connect with your heart and your mind.

So start by relaxing your shoulders, keeping your spine straight and deep belly breaths in through the nose, out through the nose and I now invite you to focus your attention in the area of the heart. And as you continue this heart focused breathing, you can also lower your gaze or close your eyes if you’re not driving or operating machinery.

And I invite you to consider somebody that you’re grateful for today. Send them some love and gratitude for them in your life.

If you’re ready to leverage your workplace wellness strategy and explore how to optimize individual, team and your company’s performance, book your complimentary Workplace Wellness call with me here.

References:

https://hbr.org/2010/12/whats-the-hard-return-on-employee-wellness-programs