Employee Health and Fitness Month – Celebrating Morale and Productivity
May is Global Employee Health & Fitness Month – the perfect opportunity to promote health and wellness for employees across all working sectors.
The majority of the population is overweight or obese, promoting ill health and reduced productivity. Each employee has an average 7.6 days of sickness absence each year. The bigger economic picture is that this statistic costs £14 billion each year.
In the UK, companies place nutrition as 7th on their list of priorities. However, it often goes unnoticed that the six priorities placed above nutrition will become more efficient, productive and cost effective if nutrition was placed in the top spot ahead of everything else.
By making nutrition the number one priority, employees are given the opportunity to experience:
- Heightened morale
- Decreased stress levels
- Reduced absenteeism and illness
- Lowered blood pressure and cholesterol levels
- Weight gain and weight loss where desired
- Increased fitness
- Greater self-esteem, confidence and wellbeing
- Improved health awareness
Celebrating Global Employee Health and Fitness Month will benefit you personally regardless of your job role or position within your company. To get the very most from it, follow these 5 steps:
1. Up your snack game
Snacks can play a very important role in your performance if you lead a stressful and hectic lifestyle. The right snacks will help to boost productivity and focus rather than leave you feeling depleted and tired. We have a range of snacks to choose from, including:
2. Find time for breakfast
Research has shown that not only is breakfast the most important meal of the day, but that it should also be significant in size and high in protein to set yourself up for the day ahead. Lack of time is a common complaint when it comes to missing breakfast, however, this needn’t be an issue as filling, nutritious and sustaining breakfasts can be made ahead of time, in bulk or within a few minutes at most! Check out some of our breakfast options below:
3. Make the most of your lunch break
It is vital that health lunchtime culture is practiced among the workplace. Encouraging a 10-minute brisk walk will do wonders for the energy leading into the afternoon. Eating at your desk does nothing for staff morale and stress levels. Your choice of meal will also have a significant impact, so choose something sustaining, fillings and delicious! We have a couple of options below:
- Mexican bean soup
- Apricot and almond yoghurt chicken
- Smoked salmon and avocado skins
- Halloumi, tomato, green bean and couscous salad jar
4. Rid the afternoon slump
The 3 previous points will make the world of difference in making the afternoon slump a thing of the past. Providing health office snacks such as a bowl of fruit will further encourage healthy choices when energy is dwindling come 3pm.
5. Strategically plan office treats
If you are largely office based, it will seem like it is someone’s birthday almost every day of the week. Instead of daily cake installments, instigate sweet treats to a certain day of the week. A steady influx of sugary snacks will only hamper energy and productivity among employees. You could even turn this on its head and propose a healthy snack or lunch day. By getting each employee to bring in a healthy side dish, such as couscous or roasted vegetables, an entire lunch is easily achievable and affordable for all involved, providing a healthy meal for everyone.
Eating a healthy diet in the workplace can inspire engagement and motivation. If you would like to discover more please call Anna on 07810 716758 for a conversation about how we may be able to help your business or team.
