Whether you are job searching, new to your role, or a veteran at your company, the work week can get crazy and exhausting! We live in a fast-paced society where everything should have been done yesterday and trying to juggle a successful career, your family, and attempting to have a social life can be overwhelming. Creating and maintaining healthy habits can easily fall low on our list of priorities, but here are 5 tips to start making small changes that can lead to a big difference in your work week and overall wellness!
Step 1. Drink more water
Dehydration can lead to fatigue, dizziness, and other symptoms that are not going to keep you sharp on the job. If you’re not a fan of drinking plain water throughout the day, try a fruit infuser water bottle like this one and experiment with different fruit combinations. Not only will drinking more water help with your energy levels but it can help to give you glowing skin, stimulate your digestive system, and much more. If find yourself firing up the coffee machine during the usual 3pm slump, try a glass of water instead!
Step 2. Meal prep
Having healthy, home cooked meals prepped ahead of time will be a game changer for your work week. If you bring breakfasts and lunches with you to the office, you’ll be able to fuel your mind and body with nutritious food that will keep you going all day. Pinterest will become your best friend for meal planning. You can find recipes, grocery lists, and guides for any kind of food you enjoy or any dietary restrictions you follow. Don’t bite off more than you can chew- simply start with prepping a few meals every week and ease into a new routine.
Step 3. Exercise
Even if your schedule is too hectic to get to the gym or a fitness class, make time to move! Step away from your desk at some point in the day to give your body a break. You can take a walk outside at lunch, opt for the stairs instead of the elevator, or get off the train a few stops early and walk farther than usual. Even getting a little bit of exercise in can refocus you and give you that needed boost of energy to get through the rest of your inbox!
Step 4. Get enough sleep
This is obvious and something we’ve been told to do all our lives, but is something we could all be better at. Getting in bed early is only half the battle when we are encompassed by technology and so connected all the time. See if you can allot yourself a half an hour before bed to not look at your phone, watch TV, or check emails. Try reading a book about something that interests you instead! Not only will it help slow your mind down, you’ll probably learn something new, too.
Step 5. Meditate
This may be the most ‘woo-woo’ of these tips but is totally worth a try! With the wellness scene on the rise, more and more people are giving mediation a chance. It is so easy to start a meditation practice these days with apps like Inscape, Headspace, Calm and many more. Many of these apps will walk you through where to start, how to meditate, and will even have you answer questions about your lifestyle and tailor a program specific to your needs. Even if you only have 5 minutes a day, meditation is said to boost productivity, creativity, attention span, and so much more. If you get really good at it, you could even try on a crowded subway train with some soundproof headphones!
Valerie is Clarity’s resident wellness expert and she is also a Certified Holistic Health Coach! Have more questions on how to optimize your workplace wellness routine? Send her an email: Valerie@claritystaffing.com
