May is employee health and fitness month!
Employees are the heart of every company, and their health & wellness is of the utmost importance to a company’s productivity. It is essential that employees are provided with the resources they need to remain healthy and take care of themselves. If an employee cannot properly address their personal health, they may begin to struggle with their job responsibilities.
Employee health and fitness month was created in 1989 by the National Association for Health & Fitness. The purpose of this month is to remind everyone that having a full-time job doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice a regular exercise & wellness routine. Onsite health promotion activities are a great way to promote the benefits of a healthier lifestyle. Employers and employees alike are encouraged to participate every year, whether or not they already have a wellness routine in place.
There are many reasons why Employee Health & Fitness month is important for both the employee and their employer:
- Exercising regular helps your body fight serious illnesses such as heart disease or diabetes, and helps prevent obesity.
- Exercise strengthens your body, decreasing the likelihood of injuries and other age-related disabilities.
- Being active can improve your mental health, leading to improved work performance.
- Having an exercise routine helps your brain cell growth and repair, improving your memory, learning comprehension, and concentration.
Staying active is not uniform for everyone; there are many ways to accomplish this goal. Simply going on a 15-minute walk can help improve your job performance and productivity.
- Try to stay moving during the workday; taking a phone call while walking around your building is a simple way to stay moving while working.
- Get your coworkers involved in your exercise methods. This will allow you to get to know your colleagues better, as well as provide you with a motivational support system at work!
- Plan lunches with healthy options – instead of reaching for the chips and soda, having vegetables and foods high in protein will keep you well energized throughout the day.
Along with promoting a healthy physical lifestyle, a healthy mental lifestyle is just as important.
- If possible, keep your phone put away while working. Having scheduled time for phone use can reduce outside distractions.
- Make sure you are getting enough sleep! A full and consistent sleep schedule improves your concentration throughout the day, as well as helps you feel less tired.
- Feeling stressed in the moment? Take a break and make a cup of tea! Research has found that the process of making and drinking a cup of tea boosts mood and tended to enhance creative problem solving.
Employee health & fitness month provides a great opportunity to examine your wellness strategies at work! First Bank recently began offering their employees access to the Calm app, the #1 app for mental fitness. Calm’s diverse content library offers resources to suit your schedule and needs. This includes guided meditations, specialized music playlists, expert-led classes, and more. Click here to learn more about Calm for your business!