Build a Culture of Health 10 Ways to Boost Your Wellness at Work

Build a Culture of Health

10 Ways to Boost Your Wellness at Work

#1 Go green

Get a nature fix (without going outside)! Buy a plant for your desk — it reduces fatigue and discomfort and improves performance and mood. Interacting with Mother Nature is uplifting to your spirit and soothing to your nerves, but it’s harder to do during the cold winter months. To continue enjoying nature’s health-boosting effects, invest in a plant for your desk (or wherever you spend the majority of your time). A Japanese study found that mood and performance improved among female students who performed a cognitive task in a room with a plant in it, and a Norwegian study found that workers with plants in their office reported 20 percent to 30 percent fewer physical symptoms — including fatigue, cough and dry throat — than workers with no plants.

#2 Be thankful

Research shows giving thanks improves mood — even at the office. The key to workplace happiness: Remember what you like about your job.

Some days it’s hard to remember what we like about our job. But reflecting on its benefits is exactly what will make us more appreciative of the daily grind. Expressing gratitude helps us cope and stay positive. That doesn’t mean you should try to be so blissed out that you ignore problems. Complain constructively. Use a journal to brainstorm solutions — even when you don’t feel like it.

#3 Stay on the ball

Here’s a resolution for brain and body — replace your desk chair with an exercise ball. It strengthens the core and boosts concentration.

You might not associate a large, inflatable, bouncy ball with improved productivity, but using what the fitness industry calls a stability ball as a desk chair can keep your core muscles and your mind engaged. In fact, a rapidly growing number of schools across the United States have replaced their traditional chairs with stability balls, according to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times — the physical challenge of balancing on the balls helps keep otherwise easily distracted students mentally engaged. You needn’t be a child to benefit; sitting on a balance ball requires your core muscles to engage and grow stronger, and this minor physical challenge gives your brain enough of a task that it becomes more alert.

#4 Get up, stand up!

Do you spend most of your day sitting down? Stand up for heart health. Taking mini activity breaks can help boost your health.

From sitting at a desk all day to plopping down in front of the TV at night, most of us lead a very sedentary lifestyle. Even if we work out regularly, all this downtime takes a toll on our health. Turns out, people who sit on their duff all day without taking breaks are at greater risk of a slew of health issues than those who get up and walk around regularly. Sitting for prolonged periods of time is linked to larger waistlines, higher blood pressure, lower levels of “good” HDL cholesterol, increased levels of triglycerides, and higher levels of inflammation. And that even goes for gym rats. Yikes. According to the study’s researchers, 30 to 60 minutes of activity a day can’t undo the effects of sitting for eight to 12 hours at a time. But standing up and walking around periodically throughout the day can help. They recommend standing during phone calls and meetings, walking over to a person’s desk instead of e-mailing them, and making frequent visits to the water cooler and bathroom.

#5 Break for lunch

Got more work than you can handle? Resist the urge to hunker down and skip lunch. Taking breaks increases productivity — and lowers stress. When you’re under the gun, pushing yourself harder to get everything off your plate may sound like a good idea, but unrealistic deadlines will only stress you out more. It is also the quickest path to mental exhaustion. On-the-job burnout isn’t just bad for morale — it can hurt your heart. According to the American Psychological Association, chronic work stress can cause inflammation that leads to cardiovascular disease. Instead, take a step back from your work. Get some fresh air or call a friend. Remind yourself that even if you can’t control how much work you have, stressing about it won’t get it done any sooner.

#6 Step outside

No time for the gym? Lace up your shoes and head outside for a walk instead; it’s as good for your heart as a more intense workout.

Your schedule is jam-packed and there’s not enough time for a full-fledged workout. May as well hang up your shoes and try again tomorrow, right? Science says no — moderate exercise is just as effective at preventing cardiovascular disease as more vigorous workouts, according to a Harvard study. Keep a pair of comfortable shoes in your desk drawer and head out for a lunchtime walk on those days you don’t have the time or energy for your regular routine.

#7 Laugh it up

Heading to a brainstorming session at work? Goof off a little first. Research suggests that being in a good mood boosts creative thinking.

A new study published in the journal Psychological Science has found that being in a good mood boosts creative thinking. And, say the study’s authors, doing things at work that put us in a happier frame of mind shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as a waste of time. Watching funny videos, for instance, helped people perform better on a series of tests that required creative problem solving. Of course, that doesn’t mean your boss will agree with you on this one. Lift your mood before work or during your lunch hour by listening to humorous podcasts or hanging out with the office clown. Besides boosting creativity, laughter is also a great way to relieve stress.

#8 Surf the web

Goof off (a little) at work: A recent study found workers who surfed the Web for fun were more productive than those who didn’t.

All work and no play may make you dull in more than one sense of the word: A 2009 University of Melbourne study found that workers who engaged in frivolous Web surfing — for less than 20 percent of the total time they were at work — were 9 percent more productive than those who didn’t. The researchers theorize the brain can work more effectively after it has had a chance to take a break from concentrating. If your boss catches you watching videos on YouTube, just tell her that you’re doing it for the good of the company.

#9 Think positively

Nervous about an event? Take it as a good sign. A Harvard study shows that putting a positive spin on your jitters improves performance.

If the thought of an upcoming speech or presentation has you quaking in your boots, don’t resign yourself to giving a subpar performance. A recent Harvard study found that in students taking the GRE, those who were told their nervousness would improve their performance got better scores than the group who wasn’t told anything about their jitters. Before you embark on your anxiety-producing task, imagine your anxiety as a positive force that’s heightening your alertness and focus, and prepare to shine.

#10 Choose wisely Looking for a job that brings you less stress and greater productivity? Choose a company that offers parental perks like on-site child care. Whether you’re a CEO looking to improve employee morale and productivity, or you’re a nine-to-fiver trying to find a job that will bring you less stress, take note that companies that offer flex time and on-site child care to parents will give you all of those things. That’s according to a Northeastern University poll of 4,000 working parents. If you’re trying to choose between two jobs, one of which offers parental perks, don’t underestimate its ability to improve your quality of life. The study found that people who worked at family-friendly firms had fewer headaches and stress-related illnesses. Meanwhile, those at companies without those benefits were 62 percent more likely to experience job-related sleep issues and three times as likely to be treated for high blood pressure and diabetes.

10 Ways to Have a Healthier Work Life

#1 Take a break
Workplace stress is hitting Americans hard. A recent survey shows that two-thirds of U.S. workers reported extremely high stress levels in the past year. Thirty percent said they were too stressed to be effective at their job for at least five days in 2011. Don’t accept stress as just another part of your job. There are several strategies you can — and should — use to bring your levels down. You might think every minute counts, but taking short breaks between tasks can actually help you stay focused and productive. Think of them as mini rewards for completing one job before moving onto the next. Taking a step back can also help you put your workload in perspective. If you’re afraid of things falling through the cracks, keep a to-do list or use an electronic task manager so you’re not constantly worrying about assignments you may have forgotten. Also, make the most of your downtime. Instead of zoning out in front of the TV, schedule activities that cheer you up, like having lunch with a friend or watching a funny movie. Having things you look forward to outside of work can help combat burnout.
#2 Master new skills
“No pain, no gain” may be a fallacy when it comes to working out, but research shows it’s good advice when seeking happiness. According to a study in the Journal of Happiness Studies, working hard to master a new skill, though it causes significant momentary stress, leads to greater long-term contentment. Setbacks and frustration often cause many of us to give up on our goals. But, when it’s for something we care about, pushing ourselves to overcome obstacles helps us achieve more satisfaction in life. Even if your dream feels impossible, go for it anyway.
#3 Take the stairs
Skip the elevator and take the stairs. According to a study in the journal Preventive Medicine, our expanding waistlines may have a lot to do with our on-the-job activities — or, rather, lack thereof. Researchers found that workers move significantly less during the workday than we used to. Fitting small bursts of exercise into your day, such as taking the stairs or walking during your breaks, could make it easier to meet daily fitness recommendations, say the authors. A 2010 study of sedentary workers found that using the stairs at work can help improve cardiovascular fitness, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
#4 Sneak in a power nap
Feel like putting your head down on your desk for a few minutes? Even if your boss considers it slacking, we don’t. Research shows that fighting your internal clock can decrease job performance. When your energy starts to slip, powering down for a 15- to 20-minute nap can help increase reaction time, boost critical thinking skills and rejuvenate you. The more hours we go without sleep, the more sluggish our minds become. Just be sure to keep it brief: Dozing for more than 30 minutes can leave you in an even groggier state and potentially impact your sleep quality and sleep length at night. And if you do decide to rest your head on your desk to catch a few zzz’s, just be careful not to drool on your PowerPoint presentation.
#5 Make friends at work
Connecting with your colleagues could add years to your life. According to a study in the journal Health Psychology, working alongside people you consider friendly and helpful is associated with a smaller risk of all-cause mortality than working with people you don’t feel supported by. Other research has shown that having a strong network of friends can help keep us healthy and young — but having 500 friends on Facebook doesn’t count. Superficial connections can’t stave off loneliness or health problems the way close social ties can. On-the-job relationships are just one way people can stay connected. If you’re a nose-to-the-grindstone kind of person, try to take a few minutes each day to establish a bond with your office mates. Taking periodic breaks from work to socialize can help you decompress from a stressful workday — which is also good for your health.  
#6 Practice good posture
If you spend several hours a day at your computer, maintaining a proper workstation layout and practicing good posture can help minimize the risk of injuries, aches and pains. Use these ergonomic tips to help your body assume a neutral, strain-free position: Sit upright — no hunching or slouching — with your feet flat on the floor in front of you. Your back should be fully supported by your seat, with lumbar support. Keep your shoulders relaxed, allowing your upper arms to hang naturally. Your elbows should be close to the body and bent between 90 and 120 degrees. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor, and your knees should be close to the same height as your hips. Keep your monitor about an arm’s length away; the top of the screen should be eye level, so that you can read it without craning your neck up or down. Also, be sure to stand up and walk around several times an hour to allow your body to stretch.
#7 Leave work at the office
Americans have cut back a little on time they previously spent relaxing, according to the 2010 American Time Use Survey. The survey shows that work-life changes since 2009 affected women more than men: Women worked more hours overall than they did two years ago, especially on weekends. Now a survey from the University of Rochester shows how that affects health. From Friday night to Sunday afternoon, study participants were in a better mood, showed greater vitality, and had fewer aches and pains, among other things, a phenomenon known as “the weekend effect.” Why such positives only on weekends? The research explains that having the freedom to choose one’s activities and having opportunities to spend time with loved ones are top reasons. The researchers suggest working some of the weekend effect into your workweek: Make time for friends and loved ones, participate in a hobby, and do your best to relax.
#8 Learn good sleep habits
You probably don’t need a scientific study to tell you that insomnia and work don’t mix. And yet there is one: the America Insomnia Survey, which used a national sample of 7,428 employed health plan subscribers. The results, which were reported in the journal SLEEP, clearly showed that insomnia is associated with substantial workplace costs — to the tune of $63.2 billion a year! Between the cost of absenteeism for the employer and health care costs, the numbers add way up. And that’s not including the cost to the employee — lost wages and even losing a job. The researchers recommend trials to test if some of these costs could be recovered with insomnia disease-management programs. In the meantime, what can you do to ensure quantity and quality sleep and fewer lost workdays? Try these tips from Michelle Drerup, PsyD, a sleep psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center:
• Keep consistent go-to-sleep and wake-up times throughout the entire week (weekends too!)
• Reduce your coffee intake, especially within six hours of bedtime
• Nix nicotine
• Avoid alcohol within four hours of bedtime
• Keep your bedroom cool, dark and noise-free
• Exercise regularly, but not within three hours of bedtime
• Practice relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation — and even walking — to reduce stress
#9 Update your résumé
Being unemployed for a long time can take its toll on a person’s mental health, as anyone who’s been out of work knows. That’s why taking the first position you’re offered can be tempting — especially when the bills are piling up. But if it’s not a job you want, you may want to hold out for something better. Research shows that taking a job that’s beneath you is even worse for your emotional health than being unemployed. According to the study, demanding jobs that offer little control, support or reward are bad for your well-being. Even though we all love to gripe about hating our jobs, research shows that we benefit from them, because they provide a sense of purpose and the opportunity for friendships. If your job is draining your emotional reserves, it may be time to update your résumé and call the headhunter.
#10 Forget sitting still
Fidget your way to fitness. Moving around constantly throughout the day can help combat a sedentary lifestyle. Researchers have found that incidental activities like walking to the water cooler or fidgeting can have a cumulative effect on one’s cardiovascular fitness — provided one moves quickly enough and often enough. Try to include short bursts of activity, like climbing stairs, walking briskly around the office or cleaning up around the house, throughout the day. As an added incentive, clip on a pedometer to see how many steps you take daily. If you haven’t met your quota of 10,000 steps by the end of the day, enlist friends or family members to join you for a summer’s evening walk or bike ride.

Foods to Avoid in Your Healthy Meal Plans to Lose Weight

People get excited about a lot of things, but I have never in my life met anyone who’s thrilled about being overweight. I have however, met folks who are sick of the up and down rollercoaster of so-called healthy meal plans to lose weight. Rather than deal with more dieting disappointments, some of these people conclude that living “large” is simply in the cards for them.
Throwing your hands up in defeat and deciding to spend the rest of your days (unhappily) overweight is no way to live. A decision like this can beat your self-esteem into the ground and shave years off of your life. C’mon, you owe yourself and your loved ones so much more than this.
There’s no magic formula to losing weight – if there were, everybody and their mama would be slim. The best way to achieve successful weight loss results is to know what types of foods to keep out of your diet.

Just Say “No” to Processed Foods

Processed foods are cheap, convenient and easy to prepare. Unfortunately, these foods are bad for your health. Of course, you’d never know this by watching those hyped up television ads. Since manufacturers aren’t going to give you the dirty on the ingredients they use in processed foods, I’ll gladly do it for them.
Let’s start with trans fat. This ingredient lowers good cholesterol, raises bad cholesterol, and can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Considering heart disease is one of the leading killers of men and women, trans fat is one ingredient you want to steer clear of.
If you’re wondering where that double chin came from, the high fructose corn syrup used in some of your favorite processed foods may be partially to blame. This ingredient has been getting a lot of press lately because it is believed to be a major player in the rising obesity epidemic.
Don’t even get me started on the chemicals manufacturers use in processed foods. If I tried to name some of these chemicals, I’d be tongue tied for days. Besides, you’d probably think I was reading the label on a can of bug spray instead of the ingredients in your favorite microwavable meal.

Send Sugar Packing

The average person consumes about 150 pounds of sugar per year. When you think about the fact that sugar is in almost everything, it’s easy to eat tons of this stuff without even realizing it. So what’s the big deal? There isn’t enough time in the day for me to tell you about all the damage sugar can do to your health. However, I can give you a quick rundown.
Sugar contains nothing but empty calories. When you eat this stuff, a large portion of it gets stored in the body as fat. If your goal is to slim down, being heavy-handed with the sugar isn’t going to help. This is not even the worst of it. Sugar can also depress the immune system, feed cancer cells, contribute to heart disease, raise your risk of osteoporosis and make you look decrepit.

Give Artificial Sweeteners the Boot

Before you run out and stock your fridge with a bunch of those zero-calorie diet drinks, there’s something you should know. The artificial sweeteners used in diet drinks and other low-calorie products are lab-created. Yep. You heard me right – mixed up in a lab like something out of a Frankenstein movie.
These chemical sweeteners can cause or contribute to a laundry list of neuropsychiatric disorders and chronic illnesses – depression, anxiety, migraines, mood changes, panic attacks, vertigo, memory loss, Alzheimer’s, brain tumors – should I go on? And if you think you’re going to shed a few pounds using artificial sweeteners, think again. These sweeteners stimulate your appetite and make you eat more food.
When you’ve tried diet after diet and not one of them delivers results, it can certainly make you want to give up. But you owe it to yourself and to your family to live the healthiest life possible. Processed foods, sugar and artificial sweeteners are the main culprits of weight gain. When you eliminate these foods from your diet, you greatly improve your chance of losing weight.
Make dieting disappointment a thing of the past. Let the Diet Solution Program arm you with the tools you need to create effective healthy meal plans to lose weight and live healthier.

Why Cholesterol Matters

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in the walls of cells in all parts of the body, from the nervous system to the liver to the heart. The body uses cholesterol to make hormones, bile acids, vitamin D, and other substances.

The body makes all the cholesterol it needs. Cholesterol circulates in the bloodstream but cannot travel by itself. As with oil and water, cholesterol (which is fatty) and blood (which is watery) do not mix. So cholesterol travels in packages called lipoproteins, which have fat (lipid) inside and protein outside.

Two main kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol in the blood:

■ Low density lipoprotein, or LDL, which also is called the “bad”cholesterol because it carries cholesterol to tissues, including the arteries. Most of the cholesterol in the blood is the LDL form. The higher the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood, the greater your risk for heart disease.

■ High density lipoprotein, or HDL, which also is called the “good” cholesterol because it takes cholesterol from tissues to the liver, which removes it from the body. A low level of HDL cholesterol increases your risk for heart disease.

If there is too much cholesterol in the blood, some of the excess can become trapped in artery walls. Over time, this builds up and is called plaque. The plaque can narrow vessels and make them less flexible, a condition called atherosclerosis or “hardening of the arteries.”

This process can happen to blood vessels anywhere in the body, including those of the heart, which are called the coronary arteries. If the coronary arteries become partly blocked by plaque, then the blood may not be able to bring enough oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle. This can cause chest pain, or angina. Some cholesterol-rich plaques are unstable—they have a thin covering and can burst, releasing cholesterol and fat into the bloodstream. The release can cause a blood clot to form over the plaque, blocking blood flow through the artery—and causing a heart attack.

When atherosclerosis affects the coronary arteries, the condition is called coronary heart disease or coronary artery disease. It is the main type of heart disease and this booklet will refer to it simply as heart disease.

Because high blood cholesterol affects the coronary arteries, it is a major risk factor for heart disease. Risk factors are causes and conditions that increase your chance of developing a disease.

Other major heart disease risk factors are given here:

Heart Disease Risk Factors

Risk factors are conditions or behaviors that increase your chance of developing a disease. For heart disease, there are two types of risk factors—those you can’t change and those you can. Fortunately, most of the heart disease risk factors can be changed.

Risk factors you can’t change

● Age—45 or older for men; 55 or older for women

● Family history of early heart disease—father or brother diagnosed before age 55, or mother or sister diagnosed before age 65

Risk factors you can change

● Smoking

● High blood pressure

● High blood cholesterol

● Overweight/obesity

● Physical inactivity

● Diabetes

B O X 1

What Affects Cholesterol Levels?

Various factors can cause unhealthy cholesterol levels. Some of the factors cannot be changed but most can be modified. The factors are:

Those you cannot change—

■Heredity: The amount of LDL cholesterol your body makes and how fast it is removed from your body is determined partly by genes. High blood cholesterol can run in families. However, very few people are stuck with high cholesterol just by heredity —and everyone can take action to lower their cholesterol.

Furthermore, even if high cholesterol does not run in your family, you can still develop it. High cholesterol is a common condition among Americans, even young persons, and even those with no family history of it.

■ Age and sex: Blood cholesterol begins to rise around age 20 and continues to go up until about age 60 or 65. Before age 50, men’s total cholesterol levels tend to be higher than those of women of the same age—after age 50, the opposite happens. That’s because with menopause, women’s LDL levels often rise.

Those under your control—

■ Diet. Three nutrients in your diet make LDL levels rise: • Saturated fat, a type of fat found mostly in foods that come from animals;

• Trans fat, found mostly in foods made with hydrogenated oils and fats such as stick margarine, crackers, and french fries; and

• Cholesterol, which comes only from animal products. These nutrients will be discussed more later But it’s important to know that saturated fat raises your LDL cholesterol level more than anything else in your diet. Diets with too much saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol are the main cause for high levels of blood cholesterol—a leading contributor to the high rate of heart attacks among Americans.

■ Overweight. Excess weight tends to increase your LDL level. Also, it typically raises triglycerides, a fatty substance in the blood and in food, and lowers HDL. Losing the extra pounds may help lower your LDL and triglycerides, while raising your HDL.

■ Physical inactivity. Being physically inactive contributes to overweight and can raise LDL and lower HDL. Regular physical activity can raise HDL and lower triglycerides, and can help you lose weight and, in that way, help lower your LDL.

Knowing Your Cholesterol Level

You can have high cholesterol and not realize it. Most of the 65 million Americans with high cholesterol have no symptoms. So it’s important to have your blood cholesterol levels checked. All adults age 20 and older should have their cholesterol levels checked at least once every 5 years. If you have elevated cholesterol, you’ll need to have it tested more often. Talk with your doctor to find out how often is best for you.

Cholesterol Classifications

B O X 3

Total Cholesterol

Less than 200 mg/dL Desirable

200–239 mg/dL Borderline high

240 mg/dL and above High

LDL Cholesterol

Less than 100 mg/dL Optimal (ideal)

100–129 mg/dL Near optimal/above optimal

130–159 mg/dL Borderline high

160–189 mg/dL High

190 mg/dL and above Very high

HDL Cholesterol

Less than 40 mg/dL Major heart disease risk factor 60 mg/dL and above gives some protection against heart disease women. It can slow, stop, or even reverse the buildup of plaque. It also can lower the cholesterol content in unstable plaques, making them more stable and less likely to burst and cause a heart attack.

Lowering LDL is especially important for those who already have heart disease or have had a heart attack—it will reduce the risk of another heart attack and can actually prolong life. The level to which your LDL must be lowered depends on the risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack that you are found to have at the start of treatment.