TIPS FOR WORKPLACE HEALTH

Recent studies have shown that sitting behind a desk for long periods of time can be hazardous to your health…but it can be hard to integrate exercise into our work schedules. In an effort to help keep people healthy while at work, more and more employers are offering workplace wellness programs, offering everything from gym memberships to help with smoking cessation.

But what if your company doesn’t yet offer a wellness program? No problem, says Kenneth Clarke, owner of the one-on-one personal training studio Fitness Together, located in Silver Spring, Md. Clarke says following these tips can improve your health while making minimal change to your busy work schedule:

• Form a lunchtime or before-work walking group. You and your co-workers can keep each other accountable.
• Find a parking spot far away from the front entrance or if taking public transportation, get off a stop or two early.
• Invite a local, trusted fitness professional to conduct a weekly lunchtime or after-work boot camp/fitness class.
• Choose healthy snacks and lunches for office celebrations, instead of the usual donuts, bagels, and baked, sugar-laden foods.

More Resources for Staying Healthy at Work

• Healthy at work advice and exercises from the Mayo Clinic
• WebMD’s 10 Tips to Improve Your Health at Work
• NHS Boost your health at work- tips from the UK’s National Health Service

Original post by the Center for Advancing Health. Updated by the GW Cancer Institute January 2016.