Office workers are particularly vulnerable to neglecting their health. Unfortunately, in the effort to develop the habits necessary to being productive for 9 to 5 office work, both workers and managers often neglect factoring in crucial health habits. In fact, being sedentary or sitting for prolonged periods of time is common behavior among office workers – a behavior which the National Institutes of Health says can increase a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers, and other chronic conditions. This brings us to our first neglected health habit: Standing up every now and thenGiven the risks of sitting for prolonged periods of time, office workers need to factor in standing up into their daily workday routines. Pain-Free Working indicates that the ideal sit-stand ratio is around 1:1 or 1:3 – according to the University of Waterloo kinesiology professor Jack Callaghan. This simply means 20 to 30 minutes of standing up for every hour. Callaghan also recommends not being static during this period – walking, standing at your desk, taking a call, or even grabbing a coffee can all be done while on your feet. Including this simple change into your daily routine could help you avoid the above-mentioned conditions linked to prolonged sitting. Consuming a healthy amount of caffeineDo you know how long coffee lasts in your system? Healthline notes that the half-life of caffeine can be up to 5 hours. This means that it can take 5 hours for the amount of caffeine you’ve induced to be reduced to half within your body. If you drink an 80mg worth of caffeine (1 cup) at 8 AM, there will still be 40mg of caffeine left in your system by 1 PM, and then 20mg left by 6 PM. By the time you go to bed, the remaining caffeine would be negligible and likely won’t affect your sleep. This is why drinking coffee even early in the afternoon can sometimes cause bouts with insomnia. It’s best to consume coffee at the start of the workday – that way, it won’t lead to sleeplessness, which is also linked to all sorts of health problems. Taking mental health seriouslyWhether neglecting their own or their coworkers’ mental health, office workers tend to put mental health in the back burner in the pursuit of 9 to 5 productivity. However, no less than the World Health Organization confirms that mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression cost the global economy about $1 trillion per year in lost productivity. Negative working environments lead to physical and mental problems, including but not limited to decreased focus, poor memory, absenteeism, stress, and a slew of long-term conditions. This is why it’s particularly crucial to take mental health seriously, especially in a high-stress office environment. This means requesting mental health days off if you need to. Also. don’t force yourself to do overtime if it feels like you’ll be putting your physical and/or mental health at risk – no office task is worth risking either. Coordinate with your manager or team leader to develop programs that cater to the mental health of everyone in the office. Pursuing health goals as a teamIt’s no secret that working alongside other people in the pursuit of a common goal can boost productivity as opposed to tackling things alone – this goes for the pursuit of healthy habits as well. In our article titled “How can sports promote a healthy body and mind?” we tackled how playing team sports deepens bonds between people and reveals their character. In short, it’s good for both the body as well as the mind. Consider playing team sports with your coworkers, or even joining a yoga or jiu-jitsu class together. You’ll be surprised at how developing healthy habits is easier if you do it alongside like-minded people. Feature article for healthy4lifeonline.com Contributed by Frances Agustin from https://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/health-habits-office-workers-often-neglect
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