Promoting wellness for a healthy office is as simple as stand, stretch and walk. Office wellness programs should begin with a focus on common sense and lifestyle tips. All of them should be budget-friendly and many don’t have to cost anything at all.
Why Movement is Important
Healthy people move regularly. That doesn’t mean you need strenuous workouts or need to arrange an office killer hike. But getting up to walk briskly for about five minutes each hour will get blood circulating and reduce strain on the body’s joints. Movement also promotes blood flow to the brain so foggy thinking is cleared up. Consider walking or stretching in the office with a colleague. Have a chat about a client account or professional goals while on the move – at least on occasion. A write-up in the Harvard Business Review, How Simply Moving Benefits Your Mental Health, describes that moving in sync with someone else boosts self-esteem, and overall healthy office.
Now, get moving.
Standing
For someone working on an intense project, it’s tempting to sit at a desk and gradually slump over a computer screen. Gravity begins pushing on the head and straining the muscles along the shoulders. Eventually, the spine becomes mis-aligned from the pressure since an average head weighs from ten to fourteen pounds. A height-adjustable desk or height-adjustable workstation offers a standing break. This isn’t about burning calories since standing won’t burn many at all. A new perspective, though, can generate new ideas and reduce strain on the lower back. Adjustable desks are flexible not just in their movements, but also in their configurations like the G2 Height Adjustable Desk from OFS. This allows each office to be arranged based on personal preferences.
Walking
This is one of the easiest ways to move and promote a healthy office. At the top of the hour, or once every 90 minutes, get up and walk briskly around the office for about five minutes. Improvise by going up and down a staircase or taking a walking break outside. Brisk strides can burn the calories that standing won’t. It’s a good way to chat with a colleague over important issues, too.
Stretching
Gently stretching the arms, legs and torso is an easy way to promote movement and maintain a healthy range of motion. The goal with stretching is to reduce or eliminate musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The most common MSD complaints center around lower back, neck and shoulder pain. Some industries and occupations are more at risk than others for MSDs, including nursing, workers in light manufacturing facilities and warehouse and construction operations.
But sitting in one place without moving is also a problem for a healthy office. Here’s why: have you ever seen a RV sit in a driveway for a long period of time without being driven? Problems occur. Tires start going flat because air isn’t properly distributed. Hoses crack from lack of use and the Southern California sun beats down on seams. The principal of movement is the same for our bodies. Inaction leads to various health problems and challenges while regular movements keep the staff limber and healthy.
Image Source: Global Terina Tables
