Simple ways to incorporate small moments throughout your workday to focus on your wellbeing
You may already know that prioritising your health can benefit your work. It can have a positive impact on your productivity, improve your focus, you can feel more creative and are more resilient with managing stress. The challenge with our health tends not to lie in knowing how important it is. But rather, in how to incorporate healthy habits into our day.
Lack of time is often cited as a top reason why many people feel they can’t prioritise their health. However, having a healthy lifestyle doesn’t only include 60min workouts or eating a certain way. Carving out small moments during the day add up over time and can go a long way to improving your overall wellbeing. Think 10min for your morning matcha –a favourite of the OnOffice team– 5min breathing exercises between meetings, or a short walk at lunchtime.
Here are a few strategies to help combine wellbeing practices throughout your workday:
Movement:
The good news here is that there are quite a few great ways to incorporate more movement into your day that go beyond stand-up desks – although use those whenever possible. Try scheduling in a walking meeting with a colleague, either in person or over the phone. Take your breaks outside to add steps into your day. Even a simple walk around the block will help.
If you’re able, aim to take the stairs whenever you can. If you work in a larger building use the stairs to move through the office, to speak with colleagues, attend meetings or even to go the washroom on a different floor.
Nutrition and Hydration:
To help ensure you’re drinking enough water throughout the day keep a reusable water bottle filled on your desk and bring it with you everywhere. Especially to meetings as these can often run for an hour.
Pack healthy snacks and lunch with you instead of relying on the vending machine and local takeaway. This will require some weekend pre-planning but is incredibly beneficial for your wellbeing in the long run. Focusing more on eating whole foods will also help you avoid those energy crashes in the afternoon.
Read more: How to eat yourself happy at work
Take Breaks:
Prioritise taking regular breaks throughout the day. Create pauses and moments for yourself between tasks instead of diving immediately into the next thing on your to-do list.
We tend to plan meetings for 30min or 60min to align with our calendars but try instead to book in 25min or 50min creating a wellbeing pause in between. Be intentional about what you want to achieve during the meeting and plan accordingly.
Schedule your wellbeing time:
Things that aren’t planned often don’t get done. Treat your wellbeing practices like you would a meeting or appointment and schedule in the time.
Use tech to your advantage to help create new habits. Set reminders on your phone to drink more water, to move and take breaks, building moments of rest into your day.
Combining wellbeing practices with your work sometimes requires a change in mindset about time.
Try combining habits like meeting a colleague outside for lunch – getting in steps, fresh air and social connection– to optimise your health and time. Experiment with different strategies and consider activities that suit your lifestyle, ones that you truly enjoy. Carving out small moments to focus on you can really add up, making all the difference to your overall wellbeing.
Image by Jarek Ceborski, Unsplash
