Last Updated on March 3, 2019 by Aram
In this article I will tell you the 6 healthy habits to boost your productivity at work that you can follow to keep your body healthy, improve your body functions and therefore boost your productivity at work.
I am quite sure you know that you spend more than 1/3 of your day at work, right?
If you do not follow some healthy habits at work, then you will soon end up in health problems and you will be causing harm to your body and thus degrading your performance at work.
So Let’s get started.
1. Arrive Before Time
If your workplace doesn’t restrict the start of work on a specific time, then be good and arrive on time, and even before time.
This will give you a useful start for your work day and will make you prepared for the busy schedule ahead of you.
Nothing is better than coming early and getting yourself ready to start work, and nothing is worse than the moment you arrive you getting inundated with a meeting call, a colleague asking you something and your boss is calling you loudly!
You can achieve this when you have the habit of sleeping early, so you can wake up early, have a proper breakfast with rich fibers and good range of dairy products, and then you arrive work on time or early, and indulge yourself with work.
2. Have a Proper Lunch
For a proper functioning of your body parts, particularly your brain, It is essential that you feed it with the correct type of food, this includes having lunch rich in proteins, fibers, different types of vitamins, minerals, omega-3.
A good lunch can include whole wheat bread which includes fibers, a portion of chicken or meet or fish for proteins and omega-3, a mix of rainbow colour veggies to get different types of vitamins.
Avoid junk food at all cost, these are processed food, full of saturated/trans-fat oils (like the fries that have been fried with the same oil for several times), has loads of artificial additives and preservatives, and also you never know the source of these foods.
Also avoid sugary drinks as well, this includes all types of soft drinks, energy drinks, many types of juices that have really low fruit content. Such drinks only include excessive amounts of sugars, artificial colors, and additives that are alien to your body, which will impose health risks over the long run.
3. Healthy Snacking
Bring some nuts or seeds with you at work, and keep them in an air-tight container or zipped bag, and munch a handful of any of both between hours (if your work is 9-6 , then snack at 11 and 4)
Nuts and seeds are very rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals needed by different body parts essentially to boost their functions, and improve your overall health. It will take a full article to explain the benefit of each type of nut and seed, check this healthline article to learn more about the benefits of nuts and to learn more about the benefits of seeds, this WebMD slideshow explains the 9 Seeds you Should be Eating
Nuts and seeds are healthy substitutes for chips or other oily snacks that are prepared with hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated cooking oils. These oils can raise the bad Cholesterol (LDL) and lower the good Cholesterol (HDL) and cause many other health problems.
It is better to consume raw nuts or seeds than the roasted ones, if you don’t have the raw options at your side, then opt for the lightly salted ones. And even better, you can get the raw nuts or seeds and roast them yourself at home, this way you can control the heat and duration of roasting for ultimate benefits. You should definitely read this comprehensive guide for roasting nuts and seeds.
Avoid buying the nuts that are roasted with honey, caramel or sugar, as these would obviously contain high amounts of sugars, artificial flavours and additives, therefore high amounts of calories and nutritionally poor ingredients, which you don’t need at all.
Never forget the fruits and vegetables as well. As healthline.com site suggests, the minimum daily recommended fruits and vegetables intake is 5 fruits.
To further benefit from your fruits and vegetables, make sure to choose different types with different colours, depending on the season.
Fruits and Vegetables are fully loaded with vitamins, minerals, fibers and really important phytonutrients, all focusing towards your health. Check this reader’s digest page about 10 Healthiest fruits for your body and healthline has the 20 Healthiest Fruits explained. Healthline also tells you about the 14 Healthiest vegetables on earth.
Bottom-line, always opt out fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds as your primary snacks during your day, at work or anywhere.
4. Drink Plenty of Water and Fluids
Always make sure to have enough water to keep you hydrated during your working hours.
The exact amount of water you need depends on many factors, including your weight, height, age, gender, your general physical activity level, and also the weather conditions, since you need more water in summer than it is in winter.
But a rough measure or a general rule of thumb would be to drink 8 cups of water per day. You can increase that number with a few more cups of herbal drinks, tea, coffee or fresh fruit juices.
At work time you should drink 5 cups, try to regularize it as a cup at each of the following times: At 9 AM (once your arrive) and then at 11 AM (after your snack) , 2 PM (after your lunch) next at 4 PM (after your 2nd snack) and finally at 6 PM (before you leave).
An important note for the fruit juices, always read the ingredients (and the expiry date for sure) before buying.
Pick the newer ones (check the production date), If you don’t have available fresh fruit juice, then choose the ones that have more fruit content (you will find the percentage in the back), and choose different types with different colours and better to be fresh juices, whenever available.
Avoid sport drinks, energy drinks, or those drinks with no actual fruit content, these are largely packed with sugars, artificial colours and other weird chemicals that can only harm your body. In fact, many countries have banned using some types of artificial colourings.
On the other hand, tea and coffee are also healthy choices when it comes to fluids intake. Both are rich in anti-oxidants and Polyphenols to boost your immunity and health. Just make sure not to drink excessively, because of the caffeine, stay within the limits of few cups of coffee or tea per day. This Healthline article has more details about coffee and caffeine and how much should you drink.
5. Go Out for a Fresh Air Breath
If the work environment allows this, it is always great to go out for a short break to get some fresh air.
This doesn’t mean to go out and a have a smoke! I am pretty sure every single working employee knows about the detrimental effects of smoking on the human body and the environment. Stay away at all costs!
Note that the workplaces have ACs turned on almost all the times and windows are shut off, and usually these ACs are not set to optimal or comfortable degrees, and many facilities do not have the proper ventilation system installed.
All this can cause several health issues including frequent headaches, feeling dull and general tiredness, this can lead to degradation in your work performance and might imply even worse health conditions in the future.
Another crucial aspect on this point is the exposure to the sun, we all know that Vitamin D is generated by the body only once the skin is exposed to sunlight. There are also some foods that have good amounts Vitamin D such different types of sea food, egg yolks and some fortified foods. To know more about the foods high in Vitamin D, check this article.
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to muscle weakness and bone pain, this webmd article better explains everything about Vitamin D Deficiency. So whenever you find the chance to get out for a short break, just make sure to find some sunny spots and stay there for a little time, you don’t have to stay really long, maybe a couple of minutes per each break would be sufficient, because staying longer might expose you to some risks such as getting burnt especially in Summer times. A good read for how to safely get Vitamin D from Sunlight.
For a better brain function and blood circulation, the body must move around and breathe some fresh air to feed the brain with oxygen and the movement will circulate the blood allowing a harmonious body functions.
Just take a short break every hour or so, and move your body. Don’t stay dummy!
6. Office Ergonomics
According to Cambridge Dictionary, Ergonomics is:
the scientific study of people and their working conditions, especially done in order to improve effectiveness
Ergonomics is about everything that has to do with your work-space including, room lighting and temperature, desk height, monitor placement, keyboard and mouse types and placements, chair, your sitting/standing posture. Most often, the office ergonomics are overlooked
The below picture illustrates the optimal posture for sitting or standing desks, according to multitable.com
Below are some important tips to help you prevent fatigue and tiredness and thus boost your productivity at work:
- When sitting, always make sure to sit with a straight back, don’t lean forward or backward. these will put strains on your back and neck.
- When standing, make sure to stand straight line, don’t hunch or lean on desk.
- Your eyes have to be centered and perpendicular on the upper corner of your screen, and you should always look away from the screen to a far point and blink 10 times slowly, otherwise you might suffer from eye dryness.
- You should always have good lighting in your office or your work-space, make sure you can properly see the keyboard letters and digits. You can make use of the daylight to save some energy.
- Don’t keep your hands always on mouse and keyboard, just to avoid straining them, on the long run this might lead to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. In fact, there are many keyboard and mouse options available that are ergonomic and will help you prevent such cases. Check this article for more details
- Most work-places have Air Conditions installed, whether these were built into the ceilings or set up as standalone devices, always make sure that the temperate is set to comfortable levels. Failing to do so can negatively impact your body temperatures and make you feel unwell and thus lower your productivity levels.
7. Leave on Time (whenever possible)
Work will never end.
That’s a fact!
So try not to stay a lot after your work hours is done. I know these words will be opposed by some managers stating that there are deadlines and work to be handled to clients and so on.
But the point is that the person should not prioritize work over his/her health.
It doesn’t mean that the employee should never stay for later, but it means that it should not become a habit, unless there is a real need to stay longer, then just go home and leave work for work.
Don’t take work to home with you, and don’t think of it. Just enjoy your social life with family and friends.
Don’t become workaholic, give it the adequate amount of time, but not all your time.
Life has a lot more than only work to do. With a healthy body, you would be capable of handling everything you want in the optimal way.
Conclusion
Always prioritize your health over anything else, particularly your work.
Work can sometimes drain massive amounts of your energy and that would cause you fatigue, headaches, stress and many other health complications. I literally went through different times where I hadn’t had food for the whole working hours, which is an absolutely terrible idea.
Follow the healthy habits mentioned in this article and in a short amount of time you will notice a significant boost in your overall health and productivity at work.
Let me know if you liked this little article.
Important Note
The content in this article doesn’t constitute a medical advice for any of the aforementioned medical cases. You must always consult your GP or Certified Medical Professional for proper diagnosis.
Bonus
I was listening to this piece of music while writing this article.
Enjoy it. Always stay healthy!