Mind Your Health
One out of 5 Canadians suffer from some form of this.
What is mental illness
You get lots of this Vitamin from the great outdoors in summer. In the fall/winter months supplementation is sometimes recommended.
What is Vitamin D. While we must protect our skin from the sun’s damaging rays, just 10-15 minutes of exposure/day in the summer is enough to get the required amount of Vitamin D.
Taking a 5 minute one of these at your desk can help boost your energy and make you feel more alert.
What is a stretch break/movement break/ meditation etc.
This spooky vegetable is actually a fruit.
What is a pumpkin. Because it has seeds it is scientifically classified as a fruit but when it comes to cooking it’s referred to as a vegetable. Pumpkin is very rich in vitamin A has a good amount of vitamin C and potassium and 1/2 cup cooked pumpkin only has 50 calories.
This type of relaxation involves focus, deep-breathing and can help decrease blood pressure and heart rate
What is meditation
Bringing a healthy brown bag lunch to work can help you do this.
What is: save you money, eat healthier, control weight, avoid unhealthy cafeteria food.
It’s important to do this every hour to decrease your risk of certain diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
What is – movement / get up from your desk and move.
This is the largest muscle in the body.
What is the bum muscle – gluteus maximus. Do squats and lunges to strengthen this muscle. Strong gluts help to protect the back and the knees.
This has been shown to be very effective when included in the treatment for depression.
What is exercise
Consuming foods containing this building-block nutrient at each meal will help you feel full for longer.
What is protein (chicken, fish, eggs, etc)
Taking these on a daily basis have been shown to reduce stroke risk.
What are the stairs (instead of the elevator). A study found that men climbing 20-34 flights of stairs per week had a 29% lower risk of stroke.
It has scientifically been proven that this is contagious.
What is laughter. It’s true—laughter is the best medicine! A good laugh can lead to a considerable drop in the levels of stress hormones, not to mention it’s a whole lot of fun!
Three things you can do at work that will benefit your mental health.
What are: Stretch break (or any break), any exercise, meditation, healthy snacking, eat away from desk, lunchtime walking break, helping colleagues, getting involved in clubs and other activities, ask for help, leave work at work.
These are 3 examples of healthy snacks.
What are: fruit, hummus/pita, veggies, nuts, hard-boiled egg, whole grain cracker/cube of cheese. Whole foods
These 3 things can help build exercise into your day and will keep you fit and healthy!
What are – take the stairs, go for a lunchtime walk, take a stretch break, go to the coffee station/washroom on another floor, workout, park at the far end of the parking lot, walk over a message instead of email – any answer that promotes movement.
These are 3 things you can do to inject fun into the workplace.
What are smile, get to know your co-workers, bring in healthy treats, wear bright colours, organize a dept lunch, organize a stretch break to music, celebrate birthdays. Anything that creates a positive experience.