Top 9 Tips To Transform Your Workplace Into A Healthier And Productive Haven

It’s challenging to stay healthy and productive in a place that makes you sit all day and do repetitive tasks. But no matter how challenging it is, it’s definitely not impossible! Here are some tips that may help you along the way.

1.  Walking Meetings

While formal matters definitely require a sit down meeting, why not change things up when it comes to more informal ones? You know those meetings where it’s basically information dissemination that involves only two or three persons but still needs face time because it’s still delicate to just email them? Yes those meetings can be done while walking to get coffee. This way, employees are more likely to pay attention instead of fiddling through their phones until the meeting is done.

2. Standing Workstations

We’re not saying your office should boycott chairs altogether, just that it would be better to design your workstations in a way that will allow you to comfortably work while standing from time to time. Sitting all day can’t just kill you slowly but it can also affect the quality of your work because of the prolonged slump.

3. Plants In The Office

Plants are calming to look at, give off oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide, plus they can make any surrounding look more alive. So decorating your cubicle with plants can help make you feel better even with a truckload of work. When a worker is less stressed, his work improves and his health doesn’t decline.

4. Start A Healthy Breakfast Club

Since more and more individuals often eat breakfast at work to avoid running late, be more conscious of what you stuff on your mouth. Don’t mindlessly buy fast food for your breakfast every day. Instead, encourage your co-workers to pack breakfast so you can all eat together. Fun right! Take turns in bringing breakfast for everybody, volunteer to go first so that you’d be more motivated to bring healthier food like hard-boiled eggs, sweet potato hash and fresh fruits. The others then will feel compelled to make the same choices with the food they’ll pack.

5. Sponsored Gym Membership

Gym memberships can be pricey and not everyone can afford it. So why not suggest that the higher-ups or your boss include free gym membership among the other benefits of employees. If they ask how this benefits them in return, you can simply say that healthy and fit workers become more productive employees who are less liable to use sick days.

6. Integrated Exercise Equipment In The Office

Most people only get to sweat it out in the gym after work nowadays. The problem with this is that, employees are often too tired to work out after office hours or they have other commitments to attend to. This results to a lot of no-gym-for-today day. But if your office has pullup bar leading into the break room, a climbing rope hanging from the rafters, gymnastics rings attached to the overhead beam near the bathrooms then it’d be easier to squeeze in some workout every day. Even if it’s just for 10 minutes at a time, it’s better than nothing all day.

7. Fitness Challenges

Employees always find a way to entertain themselves to stay sane from their monotonous office lives. Instead of gossiping or beating each other on online games, why not initiate fitness challenges? Since it’s a competition, people will be motivated and challenged to participate. This also breeds progress because people are trying to be better than their competition so they’re more likely to push themselves. What a sneaky way to stay active right!  

8. Office Naps

People often feel sleepy after a big meal like lunch, aside from that we all know that workers are less productive in the afternoon because it’s around this time that fatigue hits people, hence the afternoon slump. Instead of forcing yourself to stay awake by mindlessly scrolling through social media to beat your urge to sleep, try to cut your lunch a bit short and take a nap. Better yet, consider suggesting the idea of allowing employees to take short power naps after lunch to your superior in your next meeting. This may not fly at first but if you explain that tired employees are less effective employees who produce sub-par work, then they may start seeing the point.

9. Lead By Quiet Example

If you want to encourage more people to lead healthier lives, you don’t have to teach them how, just lead by example. If you show your co-workers how energetic you are after a quick power nap that you don’t need coffee to get through the day, or how you don’t seem stressed at all despite the pile of paper works on your desk because you do jumping jacks before tackling the work, or how you take less sick leaves because you bring your own healthy meal instead of ordering fast food, they’ll all soon follow your ways.

10 Common Reasons Why People Get Injured While Playing Sports

People get into sports for a lot of reasons but none of them is to get injured. So it’s important that you know the risk factors in playing sports so that you can avoid getting hurt as much as possible.

1.      Overuse

Sports that involve overusing or repetitive movements tend to result injuries. This is why if you noticed tennis elbow, golf elbow, and runner’s knee are named after a sport. These injuries are named such way because the sport utilizes that particular part of the body repeatedly.

2.      Stops And Twists

People who play sports like basketball, gymnastics, and soccer often encounter knee and ankle injuries because of the quick stopping and twisting motions involved in the sports. Athletes of these sports are often running at full speed and make abrupt stops and twist which tears muscles and cushioning cartilage.

3.      Falls

Whether it’s training or during a proper game, falls are unavoidable especially with high impact sports. When this happens, it’s usually the wrist which gets injured because people tend to use their hands to break their fall.

4.      Improper Equipment

Wearing shoes that do not provide enough support, lifting weight that too heavy for you and ill-fitting helmet can all lead to injuries. This is why it’s important that you invest in sports gears that suit your body so that it can help you perform better instead of cause you injury.

5.      New Or Increased Activity

Whether you’re trying a new sport or increasing your level of current activity, know that you can’t do that all of a sudden. You have to start gradually and not go from 0 to 10. Otherwise you’ll suffer plantar fasciitis, lower back pain, or cramps.

6.      Fatigue

This is why experts advice against working out every day. Your body needs to rest in between activity to recover from the intense workout and avoid muscle pulls.

7.      Poor Warmup

There’s a reason why people are always told to warm up properly prior to exercising. You have to ease into the workout by stretching to deliver blood and oxygen to your muscles. This doesn’t just prevent injuries but it also help you muscles work more efficiently.

8.      Impact

Hard impacts are another culprit behind injuries such as shin splints and plantar fasciitis. Hard surfaces cause a more jarring impact on an athlete's feet, legs, hips and back.

9.      Unilateral Movements

When you do an activity that only exerts one side of your body, like golf and tennis, it results to weaker muscles on less active side of your body. This can lead to pain for the active side and dull ache for the not so active side.

10. Technique Or Posture

This is why it’s important to hire an instructor or trainer when starting a sport because they can help check you form and if you’re doing the activity right. If you don’t have the right posture you risk suffering from pain, spasm, and pulls. Not to mention you won’t be getting the most out of the workout because you’re doing it wrong.

Everything That You Should Know About Whiplash Injury

Whiplash can be so severe that even the simplest daily task would be impossible for you to do or it can be a mild annoyance that keeps you from turning your head to the side. No matter the intensity of your injury, it should not be left untreated!  

4 Phases Of Whiplash

Did you know that whiplash occurs in phases? Yes it does, actually it has four phases that all happens in less than one-half of a second when your body is thrown forward and then pulled back with intense speed and force during a rear-end collision.

Phase 1

This is exactly at the moment of rear-end impact. What happens is that your mid-back flattens against your seat while your head moves backward acting as opposing forces on your neck. By this time, the injury has already occurred before your head even touches the head rest.

Phase 2

This is where your torso has accelerated as far out as possible. Your head then continues to move backward resulting to your neck forming an abnormal S-curve.

Phase 3

By this time your torso has starts to descent back to your seat and your head is now in its peak acceleration movement forward.

Phase 4

In this phase your head continues to move forward in a forceful bending motion of your cervical spine. This is where the spinal cord and nerve roots are stretched and irritated while your brain may have hit the inside of your skull.

Symptoms Of Whiplash

Patients generally don’t feel anything right after the collision but that doesn’t mean there is no injury. This is why it’s vital to seek chiropractic care for early diagnosis and treatment.  When symptoms materialize though, you may experience:

· Neck and back pain and aching

· Neck stiffness and decreased range of motion

· Shoulder pain and stiffness

· Headaches (most commonly at the base of the skull radiating towards the forehead)

· Jaw pain

· Arm pain and weakness

· Fatigue

· Sensory disturbances, such as pins and needles

Some patients also experience cognitive symptoms of whiplash such as:

· Dizziness

· Ringing in the ears

· Visual disturbances, such as blurred vision

· Difficulty concentrating

· Memory problems

· Difficulty sleeping

· Irritability

When To Seek Medical Attention

Whiplash will often get better on its own or after simple treatment in a few weeks or month. But once you start experiencing pain that spreads to your shoulders and/or arms; if it becomes painful and difficult to move your head; if you experience numbness, tingling or weakness; or if the pain is severe and interfering with everyday life, seek a chiropractor right away!

Treatment Options For Whiplash

Different patients show different symptoms depending on the severity of the injury. But typical treatments could be:

· Ice Pack

This is often advised right after the injury is sustained to lessen inflammation and swelling. The ice pack will be placed against the nape in 5-10 minutes intervals for the initial day following the accident.

· Heat

Heat compress is to relieve aching and pain. This is typically given after the 2-3 days of icing following the accident.

· Exercise

Since the muscles around the neck have weakened due to the injury, gentle neck and shoulder exercise helps strengthen the muscles and helps with the recovery.  

· Chiropractic Care

In case you condition need more comprehensive treatment but you would like to avoid pain medications as well as surgery, chiropractic care can help. Chiropractors can gently move the involved joint towards the restricted area. This helps create mobility and encourages healing.

Things To Consider When Looking For An Ergonomic Chair

Most people who have an office job have a common complain—back pain, being uncomfortable all day, and being more and more tired by the day. Those complain boils down to the fact that they spend a great deal of time in an office chair.

They’re sitting all day, shouldn’t they be comfortable?

That’s the common misconception but is hardly the case. Most often than not, the chair they’re using do not have proper support for the lower back nor promote good posture. Sitting all day is already detrimental to one’s health and using a poorly designed chair for prolonged sitting is adding more stress to the structures in the spine.

However, in a market full of great ergonomic chair, buying one can be challenging. But to make your search easier, you just have to focus what you need out of an office chair. Don’t get blinded by added features that you probably wouldn’t even make use of. Here are some things that you should keep in mind when shopping for the perfect office chair for you.

Recline-Ability

Sitting in front of a computer all day is very stressful for your back. This is why you find yourself leaning back on your chair in the middle of the day while still trying to work. Because of this, it’s important that your office chair should be able to recline while still allowing you to reach your keyboard without straining your eye, shoulders, or arms.

Your Joints Should Be Comfortable At 90 Degree Angles

Your hips, knees, ankles, and elbows should be at 90 degrees while sitting on your office chair. This could mean the chair is either too tall or too short for you. This can result to your blood circulation being limited and there will be too much pressure on the sensitive area behind the knee if the position is too high. While if it’s too low, your body weight will shift back and put pressure on the sitting bones.

Lumbar Support

The lumbar spine has an inward curve or what people typically address to as the small of the back. Now, it’s important that you find an ergonomic chair that have lumbar adjustment both height and depth that you can easily adjust to fit you. Otherwise you would end up slouching after sitting for long periods of time without lumbar support and strain your lower back.

Don’t Ignore The Upholstery

When it comes to this, don’t be easily bought by how cool the material looks. Instead, try sitting on it before you buy it, make sure you feel comfortable while seated. Go for breathable, medium texture upholstery because this is the kind if material that even after hours and hours of sitting will still make you feel comfortable. If it feels scratchy, pokey, or hot it will surely bother you all day, so it’s best to walk away from that chair.

Mobility

Can you easily move the chair in case you have to transfer it from one room to another? Can you easily slide and rotate the chair to reach different areas of your desk without straining? You should be able to move freely in your workspace to boost productivity, so ask yourself these questions before purchasing a particular chair.

Adjusting Your Office Chair Should Not Require Tools

You will find yourself needing to adjust the chair to your comfort throughout the day. So be sure you buy one that won’t require any tool to do that because that would be too much of a hassle when you’re supposed to be investing in this chair for convenience. Ask for a demonstration or try adjusting the chair for yourself before buying to be certain you know how to operate everything.

It Should Encourage You To Move

Yes, you’re buying an ergonomic chair to be comfortable and not strain your body even after hours of sitting. However, you won’t be sitting in one position all day right? You’ll be shifting from one position to another throughout the day so you should consider picking a chair that supports your body even when you move. So when you’re testing a chair, really test it out. Try different positions that you usually do when you sit in front of a computer all day, move around, if it’s still comfortable then you found your chair.

Top 7 Companies That Excel At Corporate Wellness

In a perfect world, we all would love where we work and never complain about being too burned out. But we all know that this hardly the case for most people. Majority of employees these days are too stressed out at work where they either drag themselves everyday despite having a constant cough and cold or get scolded for missed days at work due to sickness.

If you’ve ever wondered if there’s any hope out there, lighten up because more and more companies are taking their employees’ health into consideration!

Here are a few companies that are taking the corporate wellness a notch higher.

1.      Fitbit

The best thing about Fitbit’s approach when it comes to their employee’s wellness is that they make it a part of the office culture in general. They strongly motivate people to hit target steps, calories burned, active minutes, distance, and hours of sleep, etc. with the help of Fitbit dashboard with aggregated data to track those.

2.      Houston Methodist

When it comes to keeping patients and employees healthy, this leading Texas medical center isn’t far behind Fitbit. They developed creative competitions and events revolving around steps which allow employees who have hit a certain goal enjoy irresistible prizes. No doubt this tactic is working since even their CEOs are out there and visibly walking with their staff!

3.      Google

This company is extremely invested in finding unique ways to improve the health of its employees. In fact, they house plenty of amenities like ping-pong tables, nap pods and LEGO stations. They can even shower, get their laundry done, get massages, swim, and learn various subjects like kickboxing, parenting, and mindfulness through Googlers-to-Googlers education program.

4.      Motley Fool

Aside from free spinning classes and boot camps to in-house subsidized massages, they also create different challenge or theme to excite staffs into being more active. Sounds basic? Well Motley Fool employees even get free personal training sessions and wellness consultations that

5.      Earth Friendly Products

If this company’s name alone doesn’t make you wanna work for them, the fact that their facilities has an organic garden from which employees can snag fruits and vegetables will! They also have wellness program where staff members can swap clothes and household items, the company helps pay for eco-friendly car, and gives $1,000 for those who decides to move closer to the office to reduce carbon footprint.

6.      Zappos

Aside from basic fitness perks like free gym membership, Zappos have a wellness program called Wellness Adventures which gets people to voluntarily be more physically active while having fun. Who wouldn’t want to work for a company that actually encourages employees to play an hour-long golf lesson, laser tag or trampolining?

7.      Draper, Inc.

Nothing says healthiest workplace more than participating in a 10-week weight loss challenge, holding an annual health fair, hosting Weight Watchers classes, walking competitions, and Zumba sessions. No wonder they were voted as the healthiest workplace in the United States in 2014 by Healthiest Employers LLC!

Top 5 Best Practices That Define A Successful Wellness Program

Since majority of the reason for an employee’s absences is due to health issues, companies nowadays try to incorporate wellness programs into their office environment. However, only a few of them actually have comprehensive programs that produces better health outcomes among employees as well as improved performance at work which naturally happens when employees are healthier.

Whether you’re on a job hunt and is seriously considering this aspect in a company you’d like to work for or have been in a company in a while but wonders if your workplace is doing a good job at this, here are some cues that will help you determine that.  

1.      Programs Are Practical And Accessible

Does it seem like the company gym is only available during the most hectic hour at work? Or the company only has the gym as their wellness program and nothing else? This means the company is hardly putting effort into wellness program. Because a comprehensive wellness initiative offers variety of scheduled programs where employees can choose from and easily fit into their schedule.

2.      The Work Environment Is Health-Conscious

It’s no use having a company that has wellness programs if the environment within the office doesn’t contribute to healthy practices. The cafeteria should offer healthier food options that can be easily seen, even vending machines should be filled with appealing but healthier foods and drinks, no-smoking policy should be strictly implemented and cleanliness, regular and appropriate breaks, regulated noise, spaces for walking or other physical activity should be encouraged.

3.      Wellness Is Integrated Into The Company's Structure

Leading a healthier lifestyle and doing well at work shouldn’t feel like a tug-of-war. Therefore it’s important that a company establish wellness programs that are embedded in everything the organization does. Otherwise it would come off as hypocrisy if the company wants employees to be healthy but makes their people work longer hours or doesn’t even offer reasonable health benefits.

4.      Wellness Is Linked To Existing Support Programs

You know the company is genuinely concerned about their employees’ wellness when employee assistance programs and other support systems are in place. How can an employee enjoy a company’s wellness program if it contradicts the company’s existing support programs in any way? Like having smoking cessation program but doesn’t give any discount on health insurance premiums to those who successfully complete the program.

5.      Health Screenings And Education Are Offered

Wellness Programs isn’t all about offering free gym membership or just having smoking cessation programs. A lot of people know they should quit smoking but doesn’t because they don’t realize how much damage it can do to their body.  Offering voluntary screenings while giving incentives to those who participates encourages employees to be educated about their own health is important too. This also helps companies develop programs around issues that most affect their employees.

Top 7 Companies That Excel At Corporate Wellness from Dr Gary Tho

Ways That Chiropractic Care Helps You Manage Stress

Stress is a normal part of life, a little of it is helpful but too much of it can take a toll on your health. When you’ve tried taking a day off or even making more healthy choices like lessening alcohol consumption or switching fast food to home cooked meals but you still feel off, maybe it’s time for a more in-depth action. Chiropractic care is a great option for that, in fact it may be just the right relief for whether you’re dealing with mental stress or physical one. Dig in and find out how chiropractic care can help with stress management and improve your life in the process without being filled with medications or dealing with nasty risks and side effects and that pills usually have. It Eases Mental Stress When you’re trying to run your career, family life, personal life, you’re bound to come across problems which will take a toll on your mental health. This is especially true for those things you constantly worry about. When that happens you’ll start noticing you always have headaches, you’re not as together as you usually are, and it becomes difficult for you to concentrate to whatever task you have at hand because you’re simultaneously thinking about other things. One of the best ways to release stress is book an appointment with a chiropractor. Getting your spine adjusted corrects misalignments that may have been sitting in your spine and causing pain and discomfort. Aside from that it also eases muscle tension along with it. Both of these helps balance your nervous system to help you relax and sleep better. Relieves Physical Stress Whether you have a white or blue collar job, your body takes beating from the stress of manual labor and even the prolonged sitting at the office. For those with office jobs it’s important to maintain proper posture and ensure an ergonomic workplace to prevent your body from suffering from the sedentary position. While those with physically demanding jobs have to mind proper lifting as well as be resourceful enough to find ways and use available tools to make the job easier. But aside from those, it’s also vital to pay attention to your nutrition, exercise (yes, even for those with manual jobs) and adequate rest. Because these three help your bodies take on your daily activities and recover from them. A chiropractor can give recommendations regarding those three points that suits your body condition. Keeps The Spine Balance Despite Constant Sitting More and more people are being confined to their chair because of the nature of their career and sedentary lifestyle. This kind of living leads to a lot of health issues like obesity, cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, spinal diseases, anxiety, and more. Chiropractic adjustments not only correct spinal misalignments from all the sitting, but it also takes the pressure off your nerves, and eases the strain on your muscles. This way you’re not just freed from the pain but it also restores your body’s innate ability to heal itself. It’s A Safe Option For Pain Relief Although pain medications are always available and easy to get access to, they also pose a lot of health risk and side-effects after a long time of relying on them. Chiropractic care, however, is not only a drug-free treatment, but as well as non-invasive procedure that helps patient get relief from pain. This pain relief option also go beyond pain relief, it addresses the root cause of the pain so you’re not always dealing with the same issues.  

Things That You Should Expect In Your First Chiropractic Care Appointment

• Sessions usually take around 20 minutes, more or less depending on your condition and your discussion with the chiropractor about the suitable treatment for you.
• The doctor may ask you a couple of question regarding your medical history and symptoms that you’re experiencing.
• He may ask you to move your body to determine where the spine is out of alignment.
• You may be asked to go through different test, like x-ray, for more `accurate diagnosis.
• After evaluating the situation, the chiropractor will place you on a table either face up or face down. He will gently push on your body to realign your spine.
• You shouldn’t feel any pain during adjustments, in case you do, tell your doctor right away.
• You’ll hear audible popping sounds, but that’s not because of cracked bones. It’s just gas being released from between misaligned spinal vertebrae.

How You Will Feel
Generally, people who received chiropractic adjustment doesn’t feel pain during the session, instead they feel instant relief. And that’s because the spine is being snapped back into alignment and pressure on nerves that is causing the pain are being taken off. But for first time patients, you may experience stiffness or soreness the next day, but those are normal because it’s the area where muscles have been pulling for a long time, so moving them any differently will cause some discomfort. Some people experience cold-like symptoms, which is also typical since their body are now aligned for the first time in a long time, and their bodies have gotten used to the incorrect postures so their body is basically adjusting to the changes.        

After these initial adjustments, you’ll start feeling better, you’ll notice that you feel less stressed out and the quality of your life will improve.