PROUD MEMBER OF
PROUD MEMBER OF
Happy Monday Sea-licious friends!
Get your work-week going with a healthy head start both mentally and physically and one way to do that is to set your mind and body mood to the right energy and focus.
Many of us can relate to the high demands of work-life and the daily pressures we experience can lead to serious anxiety and stress that can become chronic. We are so happy to have Michelle Book, Holistic Nutritionist and Director of Communications for the Canadian Health Food Association share with us their natural guide in achieving workplace wellness.
You can also watch the Workplace Wellness video HERE for more tips.
A Natural Guide to Workplace Wellness
Being constantly busy may be the new normal, but feeling stressed shouldn’t.
At the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA), we recently conducted a national survey and discovered that more than two-thirds of Canadians are stressed from their jobs. Not only that, but a staggering 63 per cent say that this stress seeps through into other areas of their lives!
We all have different types of jobs. Some of us work in offices and some of us work from home. Maybe you call the airport a second home, or maybe you’re the welcoming face of a storefront. No matter where your job is, workplace stress is a real problem with serious consequences for Canadians.
To help remedy this issue, we’ve created a natural guide to achieving a healthy and productive day at work. Here are tips to help you achieve workplace wellness.
Watch what you eat
Juggling tight deadlines and assignments; meeting the demands of your customers and your boss; taking on new tasks…All of these can overwhelm us. Sometimes all of these responsibilities can leave us in a flurry and we end up losing our focus, which only causes us to stress out more.
Beat the stress naturally by packing healthy lunches and snacks with lots of fruits and vegetables. Dark-green, leafy vegetables like spinach contain folate, a B-vitamin that’s involved in producing dopamine, which controls the brain’s feelings of reward and pleasure. Preliminary research even suggests a connection between low dopamine and an increased risk of anxiety.
Supplements for success
For many of us, the words “work” and “stress” go hand in hand. We want to avoid letting our productivity slow down, otherwise it may be difficult to catch up on our assignments. Productivity-boosting natural health products (NHPs) that can help to maintain your energy levels include B-vitamins, which play a role in the creation of serotonin, our feel-good hormone; and greens supplements that can supplement your daily servings of essential nutrients.
Another supplement that has been shown to help with brain health is omega-3s. Omega-3s are especially great because these long-chain fatty acids play a crucial role in keeping our minds sharp throughout the work day. On top of this, recent research also points to the ability of omega-3s to protect us from mood deadline. This way, we can stay positive and make it through even the most trying of days. To ensure you are getting enough omega-3s in your diet, make sure you’re eating foods such as hemp, chia and fatty fish, such as salmon, on a regular basis. If these foods aren’t part of your regular diet, you may want to consider a high-quality and great tasting fish oil.
Make the time to be mindful
The everyday demands of a working life can make you feel like you’re running on an ever-accelerating treadmill. Once you get stuck in a routine and make your job your number-one priority, it’s possible that one day you’ll look up and think to yourself, “Where has all the time gone?”
This is why it’s important to be mindful regularly. Mindfulness occurs when we focus our awareness on the present moment. It involves a calm acknowledgement and acceptance of our feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations. Practising mindfulness by reflecting upon yourself, your habits, your goals and your journey can increase our awareness while decreasing stress levels, and empower you to bring your best, most creative self to your job. Studies have shown that practising mindfulness can also lower blood pressure and improve memory.
With all of our responsibilities in life, you’re probably wondering how you can even find the time to do this. It’s actually simpler than you may think! For example, try to eat your lunch away from your desk and pay attention to what you’re eating (and how much). Take an herbal tea break to relax your mind, go for a short walk outside for some fresh air, or just set an alarm on your phone to remind you to take three deep breaths and clear your mind a few times a day. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, every little bit helps!
Health is wealth!
We spend about 50 per cent of our waking hours at work — 50! That’s half of our lives dedicated only to our jobs, never mind our families, personal lives, health, hobbies and everything else. This makes managing deadlines and duties both in and outside of work a daunting balancing act.
I encourage you to take a step back and evaluate your daily routine. Discover what changes you can make to your supplement and exercise routine to help boost your productivity and energy levels, while striving to eliminate that stress. Whether it’s exercising on the job, packing healthy and nutritious snacks, or taking a few minutes at work every day just to be with your thoughts, there are many ways to improve your workplace wellness — and the benefits are worth it. Don’t forget that at the end of the day, our health is the most important asset we can possess.