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3 steps to healthier eating

Healthy Eating is easier than you think…

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MEALS

WORKPLACE WELLBEING

IMPROVE HOW YOU EAT

3 Steps to Healthier Eating

We all know that eating well is important… so why is it so difficult?

The simple answer is that most of us feel that in order to eat well we need extensive time, effort and energy. But this doesn’t have to be the case…

A healthy well balanced diet helps us you to maintain a healthy weight and reduces the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It can also help to reduce your risk of developing coronary disease and some cancers.

Although if this isn’t enough to convince you, healthy eating has other benefits too….

You’ll find yourself having more energy, better concentration and improved quality of sleep.

Keep in mind that eating well isn’t about eliminating foods. So you can still enjoy the odd take away, desert or sugary snack every now and then. It’s important to eat these foods in moderation and maintaining a well-balanced diet by eating a wide range of foods in the right amounts is important to give your body what it needs.

Sound like a lot of effort?

You’ll be surprised to know that your journey to a healthier version of yourself can be very simple.

Start by following these 3 key tips for eating well:

1. Cut down on Fat… Particularly Saturated Fat

Here’s how:

Use fats and oil in small amounts when you’re preparing your meal but also remember to keep an eye on how much of them are in the things that you buy.

Saturated fats can raise the amounts of cholesterol in your blood so you should cut down on foods such as: butter, hard cheese, fatty meat, cream and fried foods.

Changing the way you cook your food can also help when cutting down on fat. Why don’t you try baking, boiling, steaming or poaching so that you don’t need to add fat to your food?

2. Cut down on Salt

Here’s how:

The recommended maximum amount of salt for an adult is 6g a day (about a teaspoon). The majority of us don’t realise just how much salt we’re having, so we go way over the limit.

It’s not just about the salt we add to our food, as most of the salt we eat is already hidden in foods. A few examples of foods high in salt are: soups, cheese, savoury snacks, biscuits, ready meals and fast foods. Check the labels of the food you’re buying to see how much salt they contain and try and choose the products with the least salt in them.

If you find low salt food to be tasteless or bland, try adding herbs, spices, ginger and lemon to give your meal extra flavour.

3. Know your Portion Sizes

Here’s how:

People generally think that ‘portion control’ means weighing out everything that they eat. But you’ll be surprised, there’s no need to weigh all the food we eat. Ditch the scale and just keep in mind the tips below:

A serving of meat or fish should be about the size of the palm of your hand, one cupful is the right amount of starchy foods like pasta or rice, a portion of potato should be the size of two eggs and a serving of cheese should be the size of a matchbox.

To reduce your portions, eat off of a smaller plate so you are likely to eat less and put leftovers in the fridge or freezer straight away so you’re not temped to have seconds.

6 BENEFITS OF SMART SNACKING

SUMMARISED 

1. Cut down on bad fats 

2. Reduce your salt

3. Control your portions 

Improving how you eat really can be easy. Try these 3 tips and start improving your eating habits today!

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Chair Massage

Chair Massage

Why is it so good for your health?

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MIND & MOVEMENT

WORKPLACE WELLBEING

Chair Massage

Much more than just relaxation

Work related stress is one of the biggest causes of illness in the UK. We all want to give 100% and work successfully, but sometimes we find ourselves under pressure and unable to cope with the demands that are placed on us at work.

Instead of listening to our body and slowing down, we push through with the risk of jeopardising our health. Stress at work can be a significant cause of illnesses such as backache, insomnia and digestive problems.

Seated Acupressure Massage also known as chair or on-site massage is a mixture of the traditional Japanese Massage, Remedial Massage therapy and Shiatsu Massage and can be an effective solution to these problems.

Unlike “acupuncture”, there’s no needles and the therapist uses his or her hands, fingers or elbows to stimulate the acupressure points, or energy points, on the 12 major meridians on the back, arms, hands, neck, head and legs.

This technique, based on a specific sequence of movements called ‘kata’, helps to stimulate and balance the flow of energy throughout the body. The massage also strengthens the circulatory, nervous, muscular, immune and lymphatic systems whilst releasing endorphins and important mood regulating neurotransmitters. As a result, you’ll feel relaxed but energised and in a much more focused frame of mind.

 

It’s convenient…

The reason why acupressure massage is so convenient is that the therapist can bring their massage chair to the workplace so that you can benefit from the therapy whilst you are at work.

You don’t need to do anything apart from sit down and relax. You don’t even have to remove your clothes and there’s no use of oils or creams. You sit facing forward in an ergonomically designed massage chair and rest your chin and forehead on a thickly padded platform designed for this.

Seated acupressure is gentle, non-invasive and convenient. You could take advantage of this de-stressing therapy during your lunch break and then get back to your desk refreshed and ready to finish off your day.

This kind of massage is suitable for everyone. However, make sure you tell the therapist if you have had any health conditions or injuries including fractures or sprains, or if you suffer from diabetes or any other long-standing medical condition. Refrain from the treatment if you’re pregnant or trying to conceive.

 

Seated acupressure is gentle, non-invasive and convenient. You could take advantage of this de-stressing therapy during your lunch break and then get back to your desk refreshed and ready to finish off your day.

This kind of massage is suitable for everyone. However, make sure you tell the therapist if you have had any health conditions or injuries including fractures or sprains, or if you suffer from diabetes or any other long-standing medical condition. Refrain from the treatment if you’re pregnant or trying to conceive.

Seated acupressure massage has multiple benefits, and can help with:

  • Repetitive strain injury
  • Asthma
  • Toothache
  • Fatigue
  • Sinus problems
  • Menstrual pain
  • Eyestrain
  • Anxiety
  • Irritability

In addition to this, it can help to boost the immune system, assist the removal of toxins and can reduce stiffness and improve flexibility. 

At Fit-2-Work we provide companies with experienced massage therapists too. Want to get the benefits of chair massage at your workplace?

Contact us today to make a booking or for more information.

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Cycling

Cycling

Why it is one of the best things for your health…

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MOVEMENT

WORKPLACE WELLBEING

CYCLING

Transport with numerous health benefits

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 simple form of transport.

With more people opting for alternative methods of transport, cycling is also 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 only helps you lose weight, but also maintain weight and it has various other benefits too:

 

  • It can boost your mood
  • Reduce your stress level
  • Help minimise the risk of chronic illnesses
  • Save you some money
  • Help the environment

Another reason why I love cycling is because it 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 each week, so with just a few leisurely rides or commutes this can be easily achieved!

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 Google Maps or contact your local council for free cycling maps. You can also check online for an interactive cycle journey planner.

As much as cycling is fun, don’t forget to stay safe whilst on the road.

Here are a few simple safety tips that you can follow:

 

  • 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.

Not got a bike? 

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 shop 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.

Make use of cycling, a low impact form of exercise that you can use to commute and improve your health and wellbeing.

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Alternative to Exercise

Alternative to Exercise

Improve your fitness without exercise

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MOVEMENT

WORKPLACE WELLBEING

EXERCISE ALTERNATIVES

Overlooked Everyday Options

You don’t have to go to the gym to stay active, fit and healthy. “Physical activity” accounts for so much more, and is essential for improving and maintaining health as well as preventing disease and numerous health risk factors.

But what counts as Physical Activity?

This is simply anything that gets you moving. Activities that increase your heart rate and breathing rate can be classed as beneficial physical activity.

How long do you need to be active to achieve the benefits?

The NHS recommends a minimum of 150 minutes each week of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity.

The difference between the two is still up for debate and will depend significantly on the person performing the activity.

To give you an idea…

Moderate = manageable without too much effort i.e. you can still hold a conversation during these activities

Vigorous = requires high effort intensity levels i.e. you can’t talk easily and will likely sweat during these activities

Stay Fit-2-Work with our

Top 4 Choices for

Alternatives to Traditional Exercise

1. Take the stairs

Use every staircase as a chance to efficiently improve your activity levels for the day. Stair climbing is a great way to strengthen your leg muscles as well as improving your cardiovascular fitness and burning extra calories.

 

2. Get out for some fresh air

Use your lunch break or evenings as an opportunity to get some fresh air whilst improving your health with a leisurely walk. Particularly if you have spent the majority of your working day indoors and sat down, your body will appreciate some much-needed movement.

Find the nearest park or open space and refresh your mind and body with a welcomed walk. Track your progress and aim for a minimum of 10,000 steps per day.

3. Do it yourself (DIY)

Manual labour is a great way to increase your physical activity levels whilst staying productive. This could include gardening, decorating or tidying at home. Instead of just sitting in front of your TV, get productive and active whilst you watch your favourite show or listen to the radio.

4. Try some sport

Remember that physical activity doesn’t have to just be ‘traditional exercise’ like going to the gym or attending an aerobics class.

Sports are a great option and a competitive, or non-competitive, alternative to traditional exercise. Individual or doubles racquet sports such as badminton and squash are great for your cardio and coordination. But if team sports are more your thing then football, netball, volleyball, basketball or cricket are just a few of the options.

Remember that you don’t have to go to the gym to stay fit and active, simply use our 4 tips for alternative exercise to keep yourself fit-2-work!

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Symptoms of Stress

Symptoms of Stress

How do you know if you really are stressed?

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MIND

WORKPLACE WELLBEING

Symptoms of Stress

Understand these to cope better

How do you know if you are truly stressed?

And if you are…

Is your stress acute…?

Is it chronic…?

And are you showing stress symptoms?

Understanding the symptoms of stress is a starting point, and by doing so we can best develop our stress coping strategies.

Research* has shown that people who have a wider range of stress management strategies cope better with stress. Although most people develop stress management habits which they regularly rely on, not knowing about the type of stress that they have, the cause or the symptoms can be detrimental.

Stress can be acute or chronic and often presents with different symptoms.

These symptoms can be Physical, Psychological and Behavioural. In this article we will present some of the common symptoms associated with acute and chronic stress in these three areas.

Physical Symptoms

These symptoms relate to the physical changes that we experience because of our stress. Common physical symptoms of acute stress include but are not limited to:

  • Muscle tension
  • Joint or back pain
  • Headaches, migraines and dizziness
  • Indigestion, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, nausea
  • Appetite changes
  • Weight loss or gain
  • Breathing problems
  • Sleep problems
  • High blood pressure, chest pain or palpitations
  • Ear pain
  • Coldness or sweating

Over prolonged periods, stress can become chronic and can contribute to the development of a range of physical disorders including:

  • Obesity
  • A weakened immune system
  • Low energy, exhaustion, and fatigue
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • Chronic pain
  • Respiratory problems
  • Insomnia
  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Accelerated ageing

Psychological Symptoms

These symptoms relate to the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that we exhibit as a result of our stress. Common psychological symptoms of acute stress include but are not limited to:

  • Becoming easily agitated, frustrated or in a mood
  • Having difficulties with your concentration
  • Being indecisive
  • Feeling overloaded
  • Finding it difficult to relax
  • Having racing thoughts
  • Feeling angry or resentful
  • Avoiding others

Over prolonged periods, stress can become chronic and can contribute to the development of a range of psychological disorders including:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Low self-esteem
  • Confusion
  • Boredom
  • Feeling overwhelmed
  • Loneliness
  • Burnout

Behavioural Symptoms

These symptoms relate to the behaviours that we exhibit as a result of our stress. Common behavioural symptoms of acute stress include but are not limited to:

  • Excessive TV watching or video gaming
  • Over-eating or under-eating
  • Drinking alcohol, smoking, or using recreational drugs
  • Lying
  • Self-isolation
  • Procrastination
  • Recklessness
  • Nervous habits such as biting nails or grinding teeth
  • Arguing regularly or easily losing temper

Over prolonged periods, stress can become chronic and can contribute to the development of a range of behavioural disorders including:

  • Obsessive compulsive disorder
  • Hyperactivity
  • Lack of control
  • Communication problems
  • Relationship issues
  • Increased nervousness and habits

Take a moment to consider how stress is affecting your life… ask yourself what are the symptoms that you are presenting and what are the consequences of these symptoms?

By understanding the symptoms of stress, we can best develop our stress coping strategies.

For a more detailed insight, check out our Wellbeing Hub and Stress Assessment Questionnaire as a start to developing your Stress Prevention Plan.

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*References:

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2019). A mindfulnessbased stress reduction workbook

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