How To Stay Healthy At Work

05/14/2019 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Developing healthy habits in the workplace is a mental venture as well as a physical one. It’s important to be in the right frame of mind to reach your full potential, and this can be affected by all manner of different triggers.

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Start With Nutrition

Every good day starts with a healthy breakfast! You need to begin with a nutritious, carb-focused and protein filled meal to give you the energy to work through until lunch, and avoid giving into unhealthy sugary snacks or caffeinated drinks. If you have time in the morning, whip up an omelette, make some fresh porridge or blend some of your favorite fruit and vegetables together to make a smoothie. If you’re usually in a rush, grab some fruit and greek yogurt, or prepare some overnight oats before you go to bed to eat on the go. Snacking at work is commonplace, and it’s likely your colleagues will be around to offer temptations. By giving into the treats, your body will get an instant rush of sugar, but this won’t last long. You will slump shortly after when its dispersed and has been absorbed, and you’ll be left feeling lethargic and peckish until you get another bite. To combat these types of cravings, ensure you bring more nutritious options to work of your own – some great and easy options include carrot or celery sticks with hummus, sweet or salted popcorn, or any portions of your 5-a-day. When it comes to eating lunch at work, its best to plan ahead and make something of your own. Shop bought meals are often very high in salt and fat, so opting for a healthy homemade dish will keep your energy levels stable until it’s time to go home. However, don’t forget to treat yourself every now and again. After all, you deserve a reward for working so hard!

Stay Hydrated

There is nothing more important for the human body than drinking water. It’s so easy to lose track of how much of the clear stuff you’ve had to drink each day, but even slight dehydration can leave you feeling nauseous and fatigued. The human brain is made of around 75% water – by not drinking enough your circulation is forced to slow meaning less oxygen can travel around the body, and to the brain. This can most certainly have an affect on your mood, leaving you unfocused and foggy. To combat these symptoms, you should aim to consume around 8 glasses (2 Litres) of water each day, and a simple way to check your hydration levels is by passing urine: a light colour means you’re doing fine. If you’re not so keen on the taste of water on its own, try adding a sugar-free fruit cordial to give it more flavour, or some refreshing herbs and fruit wedges such as mint and lemon or lime.

Be Active

If you work in an office or in front of a computer, it’s essential that you get outside to exercise and give your eyes and lungs a much needed break. Sitting down at a desk shroud by artificial light and air conditioning all day can leave you feeling lethargic and slow, but going for a brisk walk or heading to the gym after work will release endorphins making you feel more energised. The same endorphins (medically known as Serotonin) can relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression, and make stress much easier to handle. Much like drinking enough water, doing regular cardio increases blood flow to the brain, leaving you more alert and focused. It also helps your body in gaining the vital strength it needs to fight off any illness or disease, meaning less sick days and better long term productivity. If you find yourself seated for most of the day, stand up and stretch as frequently as possible – run on the spot to encourage blood flow and stretch your back and neck regularly to avoid aches and pains from bad posture.

Know When To Switch Off

Sometimes it’s hard to find a good work-life balance. Problems aren’t always left at the desk; they can follow you home and whirl around your mind whilst you lay in bed, stopping you from sleeping and making you feel like your shifts never end. One of the easiest ways of separating work from home is by having a simple ‘end of shift’ routine. Washing up your coffee cup, switching off your laptop and moving any documents out of sight can send an effective signal to the brain that you are no longer on the job, helping you to wind down and focus on relaxation. Use the time of your home commute – listen to an audio book or some calming music and choose a quieter more scenic route. It’s necessary for your body to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night; meditation is a wonderful way of cleansing the mind of the days worries, and can give you a clear mindset to drift off with more ease.

What To Do If It All Goes Wrong

Illness can strike at any time, no matter how much effort you put into your health and nutrition. It’s essential to have a plan in place if something unexpected were to happen, as workplaces are not always sympathetic in situations of absence. Getting health insurance should be a top priority, as it will give you peace of mind if anything were to happen and also give you the necessary means to survive a break from employment. Make sure you let your boss know about any health problems you have when you start your job, as this can help them to help you. Let them know of any medication you need, so they can give any details to assist in an emergency situation.

Hopefully these useful tips will aid you in staying healthy and happy at work, allowing you to thrive and do your job to the best of your ability whilst maintaining good energy levels and handling stress appropriately!

Life, Parenting

How To Keep Your Child Safe Online

04/30/2019 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

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When it comes to your children, like most parents you’d do anything you can to keep them safe, and in the world they’re growing up in this can sometimes seem more and difficult to do.

However, it’s important for parents to remember that the world is actually a lot safer than it was 30 or 40 years ago, it’s just that we now know what’s going on everywhere because we have more technology that allows to us to get information quickly, such as the internet and social media – and much of the mainstream media likes to only feed us with the negative news out there, so it can certainly seem like the world is a scary place.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that precautions shouldn’t be taken when it comes to children, and especially when they’re going to be using the internet or getting a phone, so in this post we’re going to share with you how to keep your child safe online.

Communicate:

Communication is one of the best skills you can ever have, and being able to communicate with your child about things like safety or having other difficult conversations with them about things that are perhaps uncomfortable for you is really crucial to helping them understand that it’s not them who you don’t trust, but other people, and that you simply want the best for them. When communicating with your child the dangers that exist online, you should be speaking to them, not at them or down to them, and it’s important that you let them know that they can and should always come to you with any problems – even if it’s embarrassing for them.

Monitor use:

Technology isn’t all bad, and this is proven through the invention of apps and software that allow you to monitor the devices your child is using. You can do things like track their location, check what they’re looking at online, and view things like social media activity and even text messages. There are multiple places you can buy iPhone Monitoring online, for example, so it’s really just about finding the right one for you. However, it’s important to remember that this should only be done with your child’s knowledge, otherwise it’s a complete invasion of privacy, and if they find out about it, you can be assured they will never trust you with anything.

Set ground rules:

As much as trust and communication are essential, it’s important to remember you’re still the parent and the rules you set are the ones they have to follow, so if you’re considering getting them a laptop for school work, it’s important to set rules around how this should be used. Or if they want a phone, you can state that it shouldn’t be used during school hours, what social media apps they’re allowed, etc.

Stay eductaed:

Education is always the best way to combat something you’re afraid of or don’t understand, so when it comes to safety online, then it’s a good idea to stay on top of what’s happening in the world in terms of new social media apps, trends and what children may be looking at online.

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Life

Staying Healthy As You Get Older

04/22/2019 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

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Looking after yourself is essential no matter what age you are. However, you may need to pay closer attention to your body as you get older because things change as you age. For example, it is likely that your bones will become thinner and more brittle. Conditions such as osteoporosis are caused by thinning bones and decreasing bone mass. This will also make you at risk to falls which could give you broken bones. To prevent this, make sure you have a nutritious diet and a good calcium intake as well as a decent supply of vitamin D.

A healthy diet and regular exercise could lower your heart rate, but to look after yourself properly, you need to cut out bad habits too. Everyone knows that smoking is bad for you and is linked to a whole range of different health problems, including heart disease, lung cancer, and bronchitis. No matter what age you are now if you stop smoking, your circulation, your lung capacity, and your energy levels will improve.

Also, don’t forget to top-up with lots of water to avoid dehydration. Tea, coffee and fruit juice will help you to stay, but you should avoid sugary fizzy drinks. If you do drink alcohol, make sure you have some days in the week where you don’t drink to give your liver time to recover.

Make the most of expert help, particularly your doctor. Don’t be afraid to get routine tests to check your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. While high readings increase your risk factor for stroke and heart disease, any problems are reversible with medication. Many people have a vitamin D deficiency and aren’t even aware of it, but vitamin D is essential and being deficient in this vitamin has been linked to health issues such as cognitive impairment, bone problems and cardiovascular disease.

Try to get outside in the fresh air for at least 15-20 minutes a day for a boost of vitamin D boost and increase your intake of eggs and oily fish or have a word with your doctor about a vitamin D supplement.

While you’re getting tests and help from the doctor, you may as well get the full MOT from the GP but also make time to go to specialist doctors such as a testosterone doctor or an ear specialist for hearing tests and get your eyes checked too to make sure your vision and hearing are up to scratch.

As well as sight and sound, your other senses could be affected by ageing, as you may start to lose your sense of taste meaning that flavors may not seem as distinct to you. Your senses of smell and touch may also weaken as your body takes longer to react and needs more to stimulate it.

Getting older can also cause changes in your reflexes. While dementia is not inevitable in old age, it is common for people to experience some forgetfulness as they get older as cells in the brain and nerves become damaged over time.