by fit-2-workUK | Articles, MOVEMENT Articles
How to keep your back healthy at work..
MOVEMENT
WORKPLACE WELLBEING
Back Pain!
Ways to maintain a Healthy Back and Bones
‘Bone health’ largely refers to bone density – the amount of bone mineral in bone tissue, but also the ability of our skeleton and its bones to protect, repair and recover from serious injuries.
The bones in our body work as a support system, providing structure and shaping our posture, but they also provide protection for many of our vital organs and aid in the production of blood cells.
It’s needless to say that bone health is important!
But how is our Bone Health affected by what we eat…?
To maintain healthy bones, it is important to consume foods that are rich in calcium. Foods high in Vitamin D also help the body to absorb the calcium that we eat, which encourages the growth and strength of our bones.
Try to consume foods that encourage healthy bone development and help to maintain the skeleton’s vitality. These include, but are not limited to:
Salmon – One serving provides all the Vitamin D you need for a day, aim for fresh where possible, but even the canned servings with edible bones are packed with lots of calcium.
Low Fat Yogurt – One 8-ounce serving can provide 42 percent of your daily calcium needs.
Breakfast Cereals and Milk – Consume cereals fortified with Vitamin D and reap the benefits of calcium absorption at the same time.
Dark Leafy Greens – Kale, greens, swiss chard and spinach are rich in Vitamins C, A and K, which also helps calcium absorption.
Soy or Almond Products – These can be used as milk alternatives, both for breakfasts and when cooking. Such products are often also enriched with calcium and Vitamin D.
Just a few examples of foods high in vitamin D
Add these to your diet to stay
Fit-2-Work!
How can our lifestyle and what we eat help us avoid back pain?
According to research, younger adults between ages 25 to 45 are more likely to experience back ache, such as; lumbar disc herniation or degeneration disc disease.
Leading an active lifestyle is also a great way to take care of your back, prevent common injuries and improve your posture. Even if going to the gym to exercise isn’t your thing, performing simple but effective exercises can be done anywhere and can help to keep the structures of your spine healthy and strong.
Try out Fit-2-Work’s
Top 3 Back Exercises
for Reducing Pain and Improving Posture
Planks – Lie face down on the floor with your elbows beneath your shoulders and your feet and legs hip width apart.
Raise yourself from the floor maintaining a straight back and continuing to breathe. If you are a beginner, aim to hold for 30 seconds and gradually increase your time.
Planks are great for working the deep abdominal muscles, shoulders and back.
Back Extensions – Lie face down and extend your arms by your side, keeping your palms face up.
Slowly lift your chest as high as possible, keeping your head in line with your spine.
Repeat for multiple repetitions. This exercise is great for the posture as it strengthens the lower back and the muscles of the pelvis.
Shoulder Rolls – An easy exercise that you can do sitting or standing. It can help to relieve tension in the upper back and neck, which can contribute to an improvement in your posture.
Raise your shoulders towards your ears as you inhale and gently release and lower your shoulders as you exhale. Repeat 5 to 10 times rolling forward and backwards with control.
Back Health for
DESK WORKERS
Check that your workstation is right for you. If you spend the majority of your day sat at a computer, avoid sitting too far from the desk. Ensure that your sight and arms are aligned to the computer and that you’re sitting all the way back in the chair, to help with the natural curve of your spine.
Is your DESK setup affecting your BACK?
Download our FREE Workstation Assessment Guide
Back Health for
MANUAL WORKERS
Always perform warming up exercises prior to manual handling. This is a good way to minimise the risk of musculoskeletal injury.
Practising neutral postures and mobilising the joints will help in activating your core muscles effectively and can decrease inflammation, which causes spinal degeneration of discs.
Perform safe and effective lifting and manoeuvring techniques…
If your job requires the lifting and moving of heavy objects, always use the right equipment and effective techniques to avoid any form of injury to your spine.
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Always push heavier objects rather than pulling
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Keep your spine aligned even when reaching to pick something light off the floor
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Avoid twisting your back while lifting
Even the slightest twist in your back could cause serious pain, and left unattended could lead to further injury as well as other spine related problems.
Remember – always use your legs as much as possible to lift and never your back!
Simply stay active and eat well to maintain a healthy back and bones!
In the event of prolonged pain or serious injury always consult your medical professional
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Health and Wellbeing tips
by fit-2-workUK | Articles
How can I protect my vision at work?
Eye Health!
How to protect your vision at work
Computer vision syndrome is one of the most common stress injuries in the workplace. A common cause is
staring at a computer monitor for too long and can lead to headaches, blurred vision and dry or irritate eyes.
Follow these tips to prevent eye strain and other eye sight related issues, especially if your job’s requirement is staring at a computer screen all day.
For every 20 minutes spent at the computer screen, spend 20 seconds looking away relaxing your eyes on anything 20 meters of distance. These short breaks will help reduce the strain caused to your eyes, relax your mind and help in staying focused.
It’s recommended that most people should get their eyes tested every 2 years.
Your GP or optician may recommend that you have an NHS sight test more often than every 2 years if you:
- Are newly wearing glasses
- Have diabetes
- Are aged 40 or over and have a family history of glaucoma
- Are aged 70 or over
Your work work enviroment could also be affecting your vision…
If required by your job, always ensure that you wear protective eyewear during the relevant manual handling tasks and sun glasses if outside or exposed to UV rays.
If you are desk based and spend the majority of your days staring at a computer screen, make sure tht your workstation is correctly set up for you
Is your DESK setup affecting your EYES?
Download our FREE Workstation Assessment Guide
Stay Active, Eat Well and practise the 20-20-20 Rule to promote Eye Health at work!
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Health and Wellbeing tips
by fit-2-workUK | Uncategorised
Cycling is a fun and easy way to get more active and can be enjoyed by everyone at all ages. It allows you to easily incorporate exercise into your daily routine because it is also a great form of transport.
Cycling is a low-impact type of exercise, so it’s easier on your joints than running or other high-impact aerobic activities. As for exercise in general, it is recommended that you do at least 150 minutes of physical activity, so with just a few rides this can be easily achieved!
With summer upon us, cycling is the perfect option to get plenty of vitamin D if you don’t like exercising indoors at the gym. It’s also great for weight loss as brisk cycling burns around 500 calories per hour?
Cycling can not only help you lose weight, but also maintain weight and it has numerous other benefits too. Cycling can:
Boost your mood
Reduce your stress level
Reduce the risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke
Save you some money i.e. your daily commute and gym membership
Help the environment
To increase your weekly exercise, why don’t you cycle to work a few days a week, or do a couple of shorter rides during the week and add a longer ride at the weekend?
If you’re thinking about commuting by bike, you can plan your route to work using Sustrans or contact your local council for free cycling maps. You can also check Transport for London for interactive cycle journey planner and free local cycling maps.
As much as cycling is fun, don’t forget to stay safe while on the road. Here are a few tips you can follow are:
Look behind you before you turn, overtake or stop
Use arm signals before you turn right or left
Obey traffic lights and road signs
Don’t cycle next to another person on busy or narrow roads
When overtaking parked cars, watch out for car doors opening suddenly and allow room to pass safely
Don’t use headphones and mobile phones whilst cycling
If you’re new to cycling or are out of the habit, find a traffic-free area to practice, such as your local park. Try to ride single-handed so you can make hand signals, and get comfortable looking over both shoulders to improve your visual awareness. If you want to cycle with confidence, visit CyclingUk and Bikeability for information on training schemes.
Unless you’re aiming to become a pro, any good working bike will do – hybrids, road or mountain bikes are the most popular. Go to any bike shops and talk to a specialist who can advise you on the correct frame size and help you choose the right bike to suit your budget and the type of cycling that you want to do.
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by fit-2-workUK | Uncategorised
Men are usually the first to complain when they catch a (man)-flu, but when it comes to more serious health problems, they are often too shy or embarrassed to talk about it and go to their GP.
More than 100,000 men a year die prematurely in the UK as a consequence of neglecting their health. It’s important that you are aware of changes to your health so that you don’t risk paying the price. If you notice that something isn’t right, act immediately and visit your GP.
What better occasion of Men’s Health Week to rethink about your health and see what you can do to improve your wellbeing?
Here are 3 health issues and symptoms that you should never ignore:
1. Moles
Check your moles regularly and be aware of any change in colour or shape, or if they start bleeding. Most changes are harmless but if a mole looks unusual or becomes itchy, see your GP.
2. Depression
If you’re depressed, you may lose interest in things you used to enjoy. Depression can affect your work, social and family life. Don’t be scared to talk about it with your mates and family but if you need extra help, contact your GP.
3. Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer usually develops slowly, so you may have no signs for many years.
Symptoms often only become apparent when your prostate is large enough to affect the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis).
Some of the symptoms you might experience are: the need to urinate often, especially at night, difficulty starting to urinate, straining to urinate or taking a long time to finish and pain when urinating or during sex. These symptoms can also be caused by other prostate problems such as prostate enlargement. In any case, don’t ignore the problem and go to your GP.
Stay healthy by following our 3 top health tips for guys…
1. Be active
Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, such as cycling or fast walking, and strength exercises that work all the major muscles.
Avoid sitting down at your desk for too long. Stretch your legs and take a stroll. No matter how busy you are, you’ll feel refreshed, energised and less stressed afterwards.
If you already exercise and want to experience something different, why don’t you try some British Military sessions or sign up for adventurous challenges
2. Minimise Alcohol
Did you know that a standard glass of wine can contain as many calories as a piece of chocolate, and a pint of lager has about the same calories as a packet of crisps? Keep alcohol within the sensible limits – no more than 3 to 4 units in a day.
The benefits of reducing alcohol are huge, for example: you’ll feel less tired during the day, your skin may start to look better and you may stop gaining weight.
3. Eat Healthy
There’s no need to be master-chef to prepare healthy meals. Stick to simple ways of cooking such as baking, boiling and steaming. Eat plenty of fruit, veggies and fish, avoid processed meat like sausages and bacon and cut down on butter and hard cheese.
Eating out? Try to choose the healthier options on the menu. If you can’t resist your temptations, go for a regular, single-patty hamburger without mayonnaise or cheese and add extra salad instead.
For more information on men’s health and Men’s Health Week visit: www.menshealthforum.org.uk
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by fit-2-workUK | Uncategorised
Diabetes is a condition in which the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood are too high.
There are two types of diabetes:
Type 1 Diabetes, this is when your body doesn’t produce any insulin (the hormone that controls the level of glucose in your blood).
Type 2 Diabetes, when your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or isn’t able to use the insulin that is being produced.
It is estimated that around 3 million people in the UK have diabetes and worryingly the number is continuing to increase. Unfortunately people with diabetes are more likely to develop coronary heart disease and have a heart attack. Although diabetes can’t be cured, it can be managed very efficiently with lifestyle changes and medicines.
So what can you do to control your diabetes and reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
1. Keep Physically Active
Exercising is a great way to help you control your blood glucose, providing a way that you might be able to reduce your medication and insulin intake. Aim for 150 minutes (2 hours and a half) of moderate intensity activity a week (i.e. walking or cycling) and then gradually build it up.
2. Stop Smoking
Diabetes increases the damage done by smoking, so quitting is the most positive thing that you can do to protect your heart and improve your health. Want to stop smoking? Talk to your GP or visit websites such as: www.smokefree.nhs.uk or www.quit.org.uk to get advice and support.
3. Eat More Healthily
Eating a balanced diet means making sure that you eat a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. Aim to have two portions of fish a week, reduce the amount of salt and sugar that you eat, cut down on alcohol (no more than 3-4 units a day for men and 2-3 units a day for women), eat high-fibre foods (i.e. oats, pulses and kidney beans) and cut down on saturated fats (i.e. butter, cheese, red and processed meats).
4. Try to Control or Prevent High Blood Pressure
Check your blood pressure regularly and make sure it’s below 130/80 mmHg. Some people need to take medicines to control their blood pressure but keep in mind that losing weight, exercising, cutting down on alcohol and salt are fundamental parts of the process too.
5. Maintain a Healthy Body Weight
Losing some weight can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. To find out if you’re a healthy shape, measure your waist to see if you’re carrying too much weight around your middle. For men being at risk means having a waist measurement of 94 cm/ 37 inches and for women 80 cm/ 31 and a half inches.
6. Keep blood sugar at a good level
Following the above steps will help you to control your blood glucose. However, people with diabetes will need to take tablets or daily insulin injections to keep their glucose down effectively.
To find out more about diabetes and how you can get help visit: www.diabetes.org.uk
