Thursday 31 January 2013

Office Yoga for Reducing Asthma Symptoms

We like to keep you up to date with the latest research from the world of wellbeing so that you can share this with your colleagues or use it to help you design the most effective corporate wellness programme.




Consider offering your employees Yoga classes.  It is a wonderful form of physical, mental and spiritual discipline.  It can improve flexibility, muscle tone and will also help them to relax. In addition to this The American College of Sports Medicine has now found that yoga could also reduce asthma symptoms.  In the study a group of adults with asthma found their symptoms were halved after just ten weeks of regular yoga.  Respiratory issues are one of the major causes of staff absence so maybe yoga could also help to reduce the amount of sick days taken by asthma sufferers.




Source Material
www.mensrunninguk.co.uk
www.womensrunninguk.co.uk
www.womenswalking.co.uk
www.womenfitness.net
www.menshealth.com
www.rodale.com
image by lyntally at flickr.com



Read more on this article...

Wednesday 30 January 2013

Healthy Breakfast Choices

We like to keep you up to date with the latest research from the world of wellbeing so that you can share this with your colleagues or use it to help you design the most effective corporate wellness programme.





Most people know that having a good breakfast is important.  It increases your metabolic rate which will burn more calories during the day.  But it's worth passing on this new research from Venezuela and Virginia Commonwealth University.  They have found that eating a big breakfast filled with carbohydrates and protein and then eating a low-carb, low-calorie diet for the rest of the day not only helps you lose weight but is also a great way to keep it off as well. It's also a great way to achieve high and consistent energy for the duration of the whole working day.  Oh, and remember to stay away from the sweets and chocolates in the vending machines too.  They cause a quick rise in energy levels followed by a quick dip and often contain more energy than your body can use meaning much of it will be stored as body fat.


Source Material
www.mensrunninguk.co.uk
www.womensrunninguk.co.uk
www.womenswalking.co.uk
www.womenfitness.net
www.menshealth.com
www.rodale.com
image by meglet127 at flickr.com

Read more on this article...

Tuesday 29 January 2013

Eat Eggs and Stay Fuller for Longer

We like to keep you up to date with the latest research from the world of wellbeing so that you can share this with your colleagues or use it to help you design the most effective corporate wellness programme.





We often eat eggs for breakfast but why not encourage staff to consider including them at lunchtime as well?  A recent study published in The International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition found that egg-based meals help people feel fuller for longer when compared to lunches containing a similar amount of calories. Eggs are not only relatively low in fat but help fight cravings later in the day.  Protein takes longer to digest than complex carbs and so will keep your employees feeling fuller for longer and experiencing better energy levels for longer.


Source Material
www.mensrunninguk.co.uk
www.womensrunninguk.co.uk
www.womenswalking.co.uk
www.womenfitness.net
www.menshealth.com
www.rodale.com
image by slightlyeverything at flickr.com


Read more on this article...

Monday 28 January 2013

Lose Weight and Sleep Better

We like to keep you up to date with the latest research from the world of wellbeing so that you can share this with your colleagues or use it to help you design the most effective corporate wellness programme.



If anyone in your business is looking for extra incentives to lose weight, you could point them in the direction of some new information relating weight management and sleep quality.  Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the USA have recently found that improvement in sleep quality was significantly associated with overall weight loss.  So not only will losing weight increase the self esteem of your employees but dropping a few extra pounds could help with their rest and recovery as well, leading to increased concentration and better productivity at work.


Source Material
www.mensrunninguk.co.uk
www.womensrunninguk.co.uk
www.womenswalking.co.uk
www.womenfitness.net
www.menshealth.com
www.rodale.com
image by riebschlager at flickr.com

Read more on this article...

10 Incredibly Easy Ways To Improve Your Life

Here are a couple of useful articles from the Business Insider website:


10 Incredibly Easy Ways To Improve Your Life

A Cab Driver's Challenge To Get Healthy Changed My Life


Read more on this article...

Nearly half of adults feel stressed every day or every few days

It's not a surprising statistic. The more interesting question is what are they or their employers doing right now to ensure the situation improves over the coming 1-5 years?

You can read more about the survey here:

http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-news/news-archive/2012/130108-stress/ 


Read more on this article...

Wednesday 23 January 2013

Saturday 19 January 2013

Creating healthy workplaces: top tips


We like to keep you up to date with the latest research from the world of wellbeing so that you can share this with your colleagues or use it to help you design the most effective corporate wellness programme.





Clock up the miles in the urban jungle
City dwellers and office workers often bemoan the lack of varied walking terrain.  But access to lots of parks or open spaces  doesn't necessarily mean you walk more often.  An Australian study found that those who don't have much parkland nearby cover up to 35% more ground by foot.


Source material
Men's Running: www.mensrunninguk.co.uk
Women's Running: www.womensrunninguk.co.uk
Women's Walking: www.womenswalking.co.uk
image by jaypoct at flickr.com

Read more on this article...

Friday 18 January 2013

Creating healthy workplaces: top tips


We like to keep you up to date with the latest research from the world of wellbeing so that you can share this with your colleagues or use it to help you design the most effective corporate wellness programme.




Keep the Doctor away and your heart in great shape
Eating an apple a day could keep your heart healthy.  A study of healthy, middle-aged adults at Ohio State University found that munching one apple a day for four weeks lowered blood levels of a substance linked to hardening of the arteries by 40%



Source material
Men's Running: www.mensrunninguk.co.uk
Women's Running: www.womensrunninguk.co.uk
Women's Walking: www.womenswalking.co.uk
image by jaypoct at flickr.com

Read more on this article...

Thursday 17 January 2013

Stress today hurts ‘Velcro people’ years later

Here's an interesting article reinforcing that the decisions we make today and the behaviour patterns we follow can have long-term implications for our wellbeing - positive or negative.

Stress today hurts 'velcro people' years later.

Read more on this article...

Creating healthy workplaces: top tips


We like to keep you up to date with the latest research from the world of wellbeing so that you can share this with your colleagues or use it to help you design the most effective corporate wellness programme.





Why pushing yourself really is worth it
A regular fast walk or run could cut the risk of heart disease by as much as 50%, whereas an hour's plod makes little difference, Danish scientists report.  Results of a study of more than 10,000 adults indicated it's the intensity, rather than the duration, of the exercise that counts in combating risk factors including midriff bulge, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, higher than normal levels of blood glucose and abnormal blood fat levels.


Source material
Men's Running: www.mensrunninguk.co.uk
Women's Running: www.womensrunninguk.co.uk
Women's Walking: www.womenswalking.co.uk
image by photoantique at flickr.com

Read more on this article...

Wednesday 16 January 2013

Creating Healthy Workplaces: Top Tips


We like to keep you up to date with the latest research from the world of wellbeing so that you can share this with your colleagues or use it to help you design the most effective corporate wellness programme.




Walk more, sneeze less
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School found that people who walked every day had 25% fewer colds than those who were sedentary.



Source material
Men's Running: www.mensrunninguk.co.uk
Women's Running: www.womensrunninguk.co.uk
Women's Walking: www.womenswalking.co.uk
image by themactep at flickr.com

Read more on this article...

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Clarity, Deadlines and Accountability: Three golden rules of successful wellbeing for 2013


Next week I'll be catching up with a group attending a leadership programme which began in December.  When I last saw them we discussed their wellbeing objectives for the Christmas Holidays and, if we're being honest, many of them weren't that optimistic about their chances of staying focused in the face of seasonal socialising and the temptations of extra eating and drinking.



However, in anticipation of seeing the group again, I got in touch with them this week to see how they'd got on.  And their responses were surprisingly positive.  Between them they've managed to:

  • Begin or maintain a regular exercise routine
  • Walk more
  • Maintain weight or lose some weight
  • Improve their work-life balance
  • Make better food choices and eat more healthily
  • Join a gym or begin exercising at home
  • Reduce cholesterol levels
  • Increase water intake
  • Improve sleep routine
  • Eat more regularly
  • Reduce alcohol intake
  • Reduce consumption of caffeinated drinks

It's impressive stuff and it's clear what has been the secret of success.  Yes, they all made commitments to themselves but I know for a fact that they'd made similar commitments in the past.  What's different this time is that they have a specific date by which to have made noticeable progress with their commitments as next week they'll come together as a group again and will be checking up on each other.  Everyone is motivated to have positive news to tell.

So as we're all thinking about new beginnings at the start of a fresh year, encourage your teams to remember the three golden rules of success with wellbeing.

1. Choose your objectives carefully.  Simple lifestyle changes are best to begin with as you can plan them clearly and they enable you to feel you are making progress right away.  Select something from the list above or pick one of your top three wellbeing objectives and commit to making progress with it this year.  Write down what you are aiming to achieve, what good looks like and all the ways in which success with this objective will make a positive difference to your life.

2. Pick a specific deadline by which you will review your success and schedule interim review points along the way so you can ensure you're always on track.  For most wellbeing objectives 6-8 weeks is plenty of time in which to experience dramatic and positive change.  Make a note to review your progress every 2-3 days leading up to this deadline.  If things aren't going according to plan, modify your approach quickly.

3. Add some accountability.  Share your goals with others who you know will encourage you, support you, challenge you or compete with you.  Find someone, or a group of people, who will provide you with all the help you need to succeed.  Sometimes you'll need a sympathetic ear, sometimes you'll need some tough love.  Make sure you know where to go to get the support you need, whenever you need it.

Spread these guidelines throughout your organisation and you'll greatly improve the chances of everyone succeeding with their wellbeing where they've struggled in the past.  Trust me, they'll thank you for it.

Follow our updates on Twitter
Become a fan on Facebook

Visit our Website www.the-tonic.com

image by weldonwk at flickr.com

Read more on this article...

Thursday 10 January 2013

The Secret of Wellbeing Results that Last

Many employees approach the New Year with an enthusiastic, 'things will be different and they're going to be dramatically different as soon as possible' approach.  They try to make changes with many areas of life at once - career, family, health - but this can feel overwhelming.

So, if there's one vital thing you can achieve with your wellbeing initiatives this year, it will be to help staff appreciate and adopt a slightly more considered approach.

This may mean that their desired results may take a little longer but this is always preferable to seeking instant and dramatic results and ending up with nothing to show for their efforts or, worse still, having to revisit the same changes next January but feeling that they're starting from an even worse position.

It is possible to get great wellbeing results quickly.  It's even better if these results last.  For example, here's an extract from an email someone sent me today.  This person attended a leadership programme and we worked with them in September 2012.

Gym membership sorted. No sugar / sugary drinks, no alcohol and eating well so you’ve had a pretty major effect.  Weight takes longer to get and stay off but pretty good so far….a work in progress!

These are great achievements in 3-months but's what's most important is that there has been a change in mindset and this change will be long-lasting.

So, one useful question to ask at the beginning of the year is, what wellbeing initiatives can you set up that will contribute to results that will benefit your staff for the next 3, 6, 12 months and beyond?

Read more on this article...

Wednesday 9 January 2013

Wellness Tips and Motivation for 2013

Here are some top tips and some motivating results that will help kick start the New Year and boost the personal performance of staff within any organisation.

Pick one of the daily tips and get started right away.  Encourage others to do the same.

Read more on this article...