7 Wellness Habits to Practice at Work This Year

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Whether employed by a company or yourself, you spend much more time at work than doing anything else. It makes sense to make this significant part of your life as healthy and fulfilling as possible. You’ve got to do the hours, so make the most of them by practicing wellness habits that will enrich your time behind your desk or in the boardroom.

1. Be Flexible and Take Decent Breaks

Nine to five working hours are so last decade, so if you’re in a position to make it happen, work the hours that suit you best. That doesn’t mean taking off more time than you should, but rather working in ways that bring out your utmost productivity and alleviate some of the stress about life outside of work.

If you can resolve some of your family and extramural stress points while still achieving your daily tasks, you’ll be happier, and those tasks will become more manageable. Your employer’s policies may restrict you, but try to break regularly to ensure optimal productivity and less burnout risk while better managing your energy.

2. Promote Healthy Posture

Sitting at your desk for a full working day is difficult, even if you take breaks. Promoting a healthy posture with a high-quality ergonomic chair is essential to leaving your workspace physically and mentally comfortable.

Not only do they follow your spine’s curve to support your posture, but if you’re a natural sloucher, the chair’s curve will help rectify this bad habit. Furthermore, it provides natural support to your lower back, reducing chances of constant neck, shoulder, and back pain. Having an ergonomic chair is an automatic wellness habit.

3. Watch Your Eating Habits

It’s easy to tuck into a chocolate bar or a bag of chips while you concentrate, isn’t it? Doing so can even be a subconscious habit — before you know it, you’ve finished the bar or the bag. Also, if you’re unwrapping a sweet, your focus isn’t precisely where it should be. Rather, resist the urge to pack unhealthy snacks for work or even keep them in your handbag.

Part of promoting wellness habits is by removing those that counteract them. Healthy snacking is good, but save those for your mid-morning or mid-afternoon breaks, combined with a light lunch at midday. Overeating during the day can make you drowsy, which doesn’t help productivity. Junk food like sweets and chips can also affect your glucose levels, meaning your mind could be anywhere but on the task at hand.

4. Fine-Tune Your Meeting Routine

Meetings are an often painful necessity in working life. It’s not always possible, but when you can, change things up a little by standing and even walking around during meetings. By simply standing up, you can minimize the strain of sitting in a boardroom chair during physical meetings or trying to concentrate on a telephone conversation while emails pour in.

For informal meetings — like when you need information from a co-worker — walk to their workspace instead of picking up the phone. If you’re in your manager’s office, politely decline an offer to sit in preference to getting that extra leg-stretching time. When you’re meeting off-site within walking distance, take the chance to get some additional exercise and promote a workplace wellness habit.

5. Keep It Clean

Instead of “spring-cleaning” your desk once a season, take time to clean your workspace regularly. Set up a time — preferably at the end of your day — to clear anything you might pile up in your workspace over the day. Then wipe down your desk and any high-touch objects, like your keyboard or phone. 

Not only does cleaning reduce the spread of germs, but it also increases productivity. When your desk is messy, it can feel overwhelming and distract you from your goals. Spending five minutes a day tidying your space will help you stay healthy and motivated. 

6. Brainstorm and Work Together

Your working environment shapes your life beyond it, with any unhappiness potentially filtering into your family life and — quite possibly — even your dreams. Growing a positive working environment through open communication, teamwork, and brainstorming helps make all employees happier and healthier. If you can approach a manager or a co-worker with a problem, you’ll feel like you’re part of a community in the office and when the day ends.

Grow an atmosphere of genuine camaraderie and build solid professional relationships with your peers. Brainstorm on tasks and attend office social events. Your personal and workplace wellness will substantially improve in a positive, proactive environment.

7. Listen to Music

There’s nothing quite like music to shape your mood, improve concentration and raise performance levels. Consider popping in your earbuds or headphones and lining up a playlist to stimulate your thinking and increase your productivity in the workplace. The wrong music can alter your mood negatively, adversely affecting your concentration and motivation, though, so choose artists and songs you enjoy.

You’ll want uplifting and feel-good tunes and albums to help you continue walking on sunshine as your working day progresses. Be aware of the music’s effect on your task progression, and feel free to stop it if you’ve become distracted. Although many experts view music as a concentration enhancer and motivating influence, everybody is different, so you can always abandon the habit if it’s not for you.

Wellness Habits Improve Health and Happiness

Instilling wellness habits at work has a butterfly effect that also improves your life outside the workplace. Consider that, if you’re happy in your working environment, you’ll be happier for most of your life.

It stands to reason that being in a better mood when you get home in the evenings will also help your domestic life. Relationships beyond work will improve, and you’ll be more content in social situations. Practicing wellness habits at work this year is a win-win situation.