Thursday 30 May 2013

Inspiring Wellness Success Story 15

Next in our series of success stories from our wellness programmes, two examples of how easy it can be to achieve dramatic results with simple but consistent changes to a daily routine.

These two people each took a slightly different approach during their programme.  One of them was motivated to focus on their exercise routine, while the other prioritised changes to their food schedule.

The results speak for themselves:

'I have never felt or been fitter, and the results are much more energy, optimism and emotional resilience, which got me through a particularly tough time at work.'

'I feel much better during the day: with more energy.'

Here's a review of how they made wellness work

1) Exercise & resilience

  • The date of the programme you attended
November 2011
  • The lifestyle changes you made during programme
I attended one exercise class, or went swimming, virtually every day of the programme
  • The lifestyle changes you made following programme
Initially, just an attempt to exercise more, and more regularly
  • The lifestyle changes that have stuck with you to the present day
Now, I exercise in the morning, twice a week, and I go spinning at least one other morning a week
  • The secrets of your success with wellbeing
A regular commitment is vital
  • What advice that you received made the greatest impact on you?
You have time to keep yourself fit – but you have to work at finding that time
  • The biggest benefits of making your lifestyle changes?
I have never felt or been fitter, and the results are much more energy, optimism and emotional resilience, which got me through a particularly tough time at work. And I look better so I am more confident
  • When wellbeing is working for you, what are the key elements that make the difference?  
Regular exercise, taking a healthy breakfast, having several alcohol-free evenings a week

2) Eating for Energy
  • The date of the programme you attended
September 2011
  • The lifestyle changes you made during programme
Started eating every 3 hours and much more healthy food
  • The lifestyle changes that have stuck with you to the present day
Continued to eat every 3 hours and much more healthy food plus exercising regularly
  • The secrets of your success with wellbeing
Sleeping regularity plus healthier food, eating every 3 hours and exercising more frequently
  • What advice that you received made the greatest impact on you?
The healthy eating presentation.  It made a huge difference on me – I lost 12 kg since the beginning of the programme!
  • The biggest benefits of making your lifestyle changes?
I feel much better during the day: with more energy!

If you'd like to discuss wellness modules for your leadership, training and development programmes, email us on info@the-tonic.com


Image by Flickr:  Melly Kay Customs

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    Tuesday 28 May 2013

    Beat The Clock Part 4


    Too busy to exercise?  More quick fire tips from our series in Men's Running Magazine will keep both your body and your business happy. Including:

    • Fast food: A healthy quick snack
    • A short workout
    • Plan your way out of a busy day
    • Learn from elite athletes
    • A wellness lesson from the business world
    • Keep your head in the right place
    Click the page image below to read the tips.

    Read previous instalments of Beat The Clock 




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    Thursday 23 May 2013

    Quick and Effective Workout Ideas For a Holiday Weekend

    There's a holiday weekend coming up in the UK and the US.  These long weekends are a great opportunity to spend time with family, catch up with outstanding jobs around the house and, hey, maybe even relax a bit.

    But with all that in mind, there's the nagging thought that you don't want to return to work on Tuesday having gone three days without doing anything active.

    So, regardless of what else you've got planned, here are 3 options on how to keep things ticking over with your fitness while leaving you plenty of time to enjoy the weekend.

    1) A quick gym workout


    • The approach here is that you'll only spend 1-minute on each resistance exercise and 10-minutes on each cardio machine
    • Get warmed up and focus on short bursts of strength training with slow movements and good technique, mixed up with high intensity blasts of cardio on the bike, treadmill, X-trainer or rowing machine
    • Cool down, stretch and go home
    • One 60-minute session like this or 2 of 30-minutes will be enough to keep you in shape over the weekend

    2) A quick park workout
    • Walk for a few minutes to warm up, then run to the park with a skipping rope
    • At the park, skip for 5 minutes then alternate 1-minute of skipping with 1-minute of bodyweight strength training
    • Target exercises such as squats, lunges, hops, jumps, press ups, pull ups and dips to recruit lots of muscle groups in one go
    • Follow this routine for 20-30 minutes. Skip for 5 more minutes and then run home
    • Have a quick stretch and you're done

    3) Family activities
    There are many ideas for activities you can do with the family, either all together or in small groups, depending on people's preferences and their schedule.

    Choose from swimming, football, hockey, cycling, running, basketball, walking, climbing or whatever your family is interested in.  

    Kids also love circuit training because its fun. Adults should learn from this and do more of it.  

    You can adapt the circuit format to suit everyone taking part you'll still be sure to get a good workout.  Employing kit is a great idea for extra variety.  Fitballs, resistance bands and ropes give you plenty of options on exercises and will also keep you entertained. 

    Take a moment today to plan what activities you can fit in over the weekend and you'll return to work next week feeling both rested and energised.

    Image by Flickr: MR38

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    Tuesday 21 May 2013

    Beat Burnout: 7 Ways to Create an Extra Hour in the Day


    Someone said to me recently, ‘All I need is an extra hour each day and I’d get everything that I need to do done.’
    Unfortunately, we’re all stuck with 24-hours in the day and 168 hours in the week so an extra hour a day just isn’t possible. Or is it? While we can’t magically produce additional time on the clock, we can think about how we make the best use of the hours that are available to us.
    Time is not the enemy. We all have at least some control over how we allocate each 24-hour period and some people seem to be better at it than others. So what are the secrets to running a routine that means you leave work feeling calm and satisfied rather than dashing out the office feeling stressed and wondering where the day went? Here are some solutions that have been shown to help employees rethink their attitude to time and keep stress levels low.
    1) Value your time
    While we talk of spending time, it’s far better to think about investing it. This focuses the mind on the idea that there should be some return for the time we invest. If you look after the minutes, the hours will take care of themselves. Plan your day around creating value for minutes and don’t waste any of this precious resource. Think as carefully about letting others ‘borrow’ your time as you would about letting them borrow your money.
    2) Think quality of results, not quantity of input
    We run a selection of sleep workshops and regularly someone will ask, ‘what’s the minimum amount of sleep that I could get away with?’ The thinking behind this question is that if we can borrow time from sleep then we can allocate it to more work, fit in some socializing or catch up on family chores.
    What must be considered within this strategy is does more time awake enable you to get more done? And this question needs to be viewed in relation to short, medium and long-term results, the reason being that while skipping valuable sleep may give you more time for other things over the period of a few days, keep this up for too long and your ability to operate to your full potential gradually becomes eroded as lack of sleep and insufficient time to rest, recover and recharge the batteries soon catches up with you.
    A far more successful strategy is to plan each 24-hour period to include the sleep you need and then establish how you make the best use of the remaining waking hours. Chances are if you are rested and focused on each task you have to complete, you’ll get things done more quickly and to a higher standard than if you force yourself to take on jobs feeling bleary eyed and sluggish. This will save time in the long run.
    3) Get hydrated
    An excerpt from ‘Dehydration and its effects on performance’ by Asker Jeukendrup and Michael Gleeson says, "Exercise performance is impaired when an individual is dehydrated by as little as two percent of body weight. Losses in excess of five percent of body weight can decrease the capacity for work by about 30 percent" (Armstrong et al. 1985; Craig and Cummings 1966; Maughan 1991; Sawka and Pandolf 1990).
    There is a clear parallel between athletic performance and performance at work. Imagine whole offices at risk of a reduced work capacity of 30 percent simply from not drinking enough water. Then imagine how much more focused and effective staff would be and how much better able to get things done quickly and improve their time-efficiency they would be if they simply prioritized drinking more water.
    It might not be an obvious link for many but drinking water saves you time.
    4) Monitor and manage your energy levels
    Ask most people if being healthy or looking after themselves is important and chances are they’ll say yes. Ask them about their regular contribution to getting the most out of their health and wellbeing and you may not get such a positive response. Wellbeing is one of those areas where there is often a gap between the desire and the action, the knowing and the doing. The problem is that if you don’t optimize your health it can be hard to optimize your time. If you don’t feel great, you’re unlikely to be able to work to the best of your abilities.
    The most simple way to overcome this is to stop viewing healthy living as just another thing on your to do list and begin regarding it as the single most important thing on your list that will underpin your success in everything else that you do.
    Thinking about creating energy rather than managing health seems to be more motivating for most when it comes to making regular and consistent choices that contribute towards improved wellbeing. Then consider the day-to-day choices you make that will help you experience higher, more consistent energy levels so you can improve your efficiency and get things done faster.
    If you think about all your daily lifestyle choices, including what you eat and drink, how you choose to get active (or not) and what work you take on, in relation to the question, ‘is what I’m about to do going to give me energy or rob me of energy?’ then you’ll soon find yourself making different choices and creating a virtuous circle where more energy means more efficient use of time and more time gives you the chance to think about how best to use your improved energy levels.
    5) Choose how you spend your time and make life interesting
    You’ll have heard the phrase, ‘If you want something done, give it to a busy person.’ Why is it that those who are busy often seem to be more effective? Usually it’s because busy people fill their schedule with many things they want to do as well as all the things they know they have to do.
    There’s no bigger way to waste time than to have a long to do list with nothing on it that’s particularly inspiring but the truth is, this does happen from time to time. We all have elements of our jobs that are more ‘maintenance’ than ‘progressive’ but they do need to be done. Don’t let these jobs eat your time.
    Rather than procrastinating and meandering through these tasks think instead of what else you really want to do today and that you could have time for if you get the boring jobs done quickly and efficiently. The process of doing less interesting tasks may never become motivating but the idea of completing them and moving on to something much more exciting can definitely spur you into action.
    A note of caution with this approach. It's important to give a little thought to what the things you really want to do each day might be. This sounds obvious but I have come across a surprising number of people who struggle to think about exciting ways to spend their time with the result that when they do find themselves with some elusive ‘spare’ time, they’re not sure what to do with it and quickly return to checking emails and tinkering around the edges of boring jobs that really don’t need doing right then.
    Be clear on your plans. Make a statement like, ‘If I had an extra hour in the day I’d use 45-minutes to exercise and 15-minutes for planning’. Schedule these slots in your diary and then work efficiently to make them happen.
    6) Reset your work clock
    Not literally as this could be confusing for others in the office but think about how you manage time through the day. Too often people plan to go for lunch at 1pm only to find themselves tying up loose ends until 2pm before they get something to eat. Similarly the quest to leave the office at 5.30pm usually ends in a scramble to get to a point where they can run out the door by 6pm or even later.
    Set your parameters of the day very clearly and create a little scarcity with your hours. Avoid any days where you keep devoting more and more minutes and hours to work time that may not be high quality and think instead of how you could achieve maximum results with the hours you are comfortable committing to work.
    If you want to have lunch at 1pm, set an alarm for 12.45pm to remind you to spend 15-minutes wrapping up progress from the morning. If you need to leave at 5.30pm, set your alarm and aim to have the day's tasks complete by 5pm.
    This provides you with a margin of error each day but, more importantly, will also help you think differently about how you organize yourself, particularly in relation to how you prioritise what you do, the systems you use to work efficiently and, where appropriate, the ways in which you delegate.
    Think priority management, not time management. The truth is that if something really is a priority, you will make time for it. If you feel that you have many priorities but time is short, you’ll be motivated to find new ways of allocating resources to ensure results in all areas without you having to overcommit your hours. Spend time on strategy and management and you’ll save time on operational matters.
    7) The ultimate priority management question
    Although we all feel pressed for time, there’s still the underlying belief that tomorrow provides a safety net or we’ll find a slot next week to finish up those things we don’t get around to today. But what if you couldn’t rely on tomorrow or next week? If you suddenly had to be out of the office for a month after today, in what ways would this change how you spend your next few hours?
    Ask yourself this question every day and you’ll soon find that you develop an efficiency that in a relatively short time can help you carve out an additional 60-minutes each day. You can then enjoy thinking about how you’d like to invest this extra time.
    From an organizational perspective, effective priority management requires an element of trust and an open mindedness to do things differently but it’s worth the effort. A culture that encourages reflection and planning time combined with managers that are keen to be approached with suggestions of new strategies and systems, and who are then able to implement positive solutions where appropriate, is an inspiring place to work. Staff are invested in working effectively and feel empowered to make suggestions if they sense their efficiency is being compromised.
    The result is a business that gets maximum engagement from its workforce and maximum value from every working hour.
    Article published on www.hrzone.co.uk
    Image by Flickr: publicenergy

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    Monday 20 May 2013

    6 Top Tips for Preventing Employee Burnout


    There's a lot in the press at the moment about staff burning out, feeling overwhelmed or suffering from lack of engagement. It's not surprising, with budget cuts, staff cuts, restructuring and a general sense of uncertainty in many sectors, there's pressure for employees to know more, do more and achieve more than ever before.
    Many workers often feel they have so much to do that they need more hours in the day. If you're one of them, don't worry, you're not alone. According to a one study, a vast number of people are using modern technology and multi-tasking to cram 31 hours of activity into 24-hours. 

Doesn't sound wise does it?
    All these gadgets and labour saving devices that were designed to save us time and enrich our lives have actually created a personal disaster area for many people as they've become so wrapped up in checking emails, calling friends and family, updating social networking sites and checking in with work on their 'smartphone' (surely it's how we use it that makes us smart, not the phone?) at the weekends. Is this you? 


    I'm all for progress but not when it's not managed properly and ultimately it's our responsibility to be vigilant with how we let technology rule our lives. Especially when the biggest excuse for not staying fit, eating well and taking good care of ourselves is lack of time. Do we really not have time or are we allowing all these other distractions to hijack the valuable time we do have?


    Why not try a new approach?
    Rather than seeing how much you can pack into each 24-hour period, think about how efficiently you can get things done. Ask yourself, do you need your email switched on all the time, pinging away with new messages distracting you from whatever task you're trying to complete? Do you need to check your phone every 5 minutes to see if you've missed a call or SMS? Do you need to be involved in every work meeting going or social event - online or offline - that's taking place?


    Technology is brilliant for managing your schedule but if we're not careful it can eat time. This is often time that we would have spent being active or taking exercise, planning, shopping and preparing great meals, taking some time to relax and unwind or to spend quality time with the people close to us.
    Multitasking and continually trying to pack more in can actually be counter-productive as the quality of what we're doing suffers. Constantly multitasking can also lead in the short term to frustration that nothing is getting done to the best of your abilities and, in the long run, to burnout either mentally or physically.


    So here are some tips on how to show your technology who's boss. By following these rules, you'll be able to achieve what you need to AS WELL as have time for the richer things in life like looking after yourself. 


    1. Check your email a limited number of times each day. 
    If you're brave go for once in the morning and once in the afternoon. To begin with you may need to check every 90 or 120-minutes. Set aside a chunk of time to deal with the messages and then turn it off again. I find that dealing with emails at 9.30-10.15am, 2.00-2.30pm and 4.00-4.45pm works well.


    2. Decide in advance how long tasks will take and allocate them only this time
    If you approach a job with the attitude that it'll take as long as it takes, you could be there for hours and you'll get easily distracted along the way. If you decide in advance how long something will take then focus on it without distraction, you'll complete it quickly and efficiently, often well within the time limit and you can move on to the next thing on your list.
    3. Pay attention to the rhythms of your day. 
    Each day block out 90-120 minutes at the time you know you'll be at your best to perform the most important tasks of the day. If you're a morning person this will likely be between 0800 and 1100. If you prefer the second half of the day it will be some time between 1600 and 2000. Everyone is different but we all have slots throughout the day when we're sharper than at other times. Plan to make the best use of these slots and leave less important tasks for the times in-between.
    4. Schedule regular moments through the day to check your To Do list. 
    Many people set out their tasks first thing on Monday morning and review how they got on last thing on Friday afternoon. A lot can happen in a week and, left unchallenged, minor interruptions can become major distractions. Check your progress regularly throughout each day so that you can stay on track at all times. You'll also be quicker at prioritising tasks and delegating where necessary, the more often you check your progress against where you need to be for each working day.

    5. Manage your phone time by using your voicemail. 
    It's amazing how many people call others when they're a bit bored or have some time to kill but not much to say. I particularly remember one afternoon a few years ago when I received calls from someone who was stuck on a train (bored), someone who was delayed at an airport (bored) and someone out for a walk on their day off and not sure of the best choice to make for their lunchtime sandwich (bored). I love a chat when the time is right but if you're busy and you answer all of these calls you could lose hours in a day.
    Let some of these calls go to voicemail and 9 times out of 10 the caller won't even leave a message but will leave you alone and call someone else to kill time instead. If something is urgent they'll leave a message and you can get back to them right away. If it's really urgent, they'll keep calling until you pick up.
    A final thought as I'm writing. It occurs to me, following some recent research we've done with executives we've worked with over the last few years, there's one further tip that holds all the others together.
    6. Establish some seriously good reasons to make sure you always work efficiently and effectively. 
    My geography teacher used to tell us of 'Fitzgerald's law of traffic' (he being Mr Fitzgerald) which is that traffic will always expand to block up additional road space provided for it. This law can be adapted widely I feel (I've seen it's relevance with bookshelves, household storage, office space to name a few working examples) and is never more relevant when we think about work.
    Those that work effectively do so because they want to get results and get on with the next challenge, whether the next challenge be another work project, spending time with their family, training for the London Marathon, mastering the electric guitar or writing the latest fiction blockbuster. Incidentally, these are all projects currently being tackled by individuals that we've worked with recently.
    So the last thing to consider is maybe not what can you remove from your schedule, but what can you include, that's fun, rewarding and life-affirming, that limits the time and space that work can creep into, and will make you more efficient in everything else you do. In short, beat burnout with balance.


    Give these tips a try and you never know, you might just get a bit of your life back.
    Article first published on www.hrzone.co.uk

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    Thursday 16 May 2013

    How to Ensure a Great Night's Sleep While Travelling on Business

    Travelling on business can play havoc with your sleep routine.  Jet lag is one thing but even with minor shifts in time zone, trying to sleep well in hotels can sometimes feel like a struggle.

    In the latest instalment of our healthy business traveler series, we offer some simple tips that will help.

    1) When you travel, your regular routine will be disrupted.  Even those who sleep brilliantly at home can sometimes struggle when on the road.  The solution is to maintain as many elements of consistency between your home routine and your travel routine as you can.  Aim to observe your usual bed time and follow your regular pre-sleep routine.

    There may be nights when meetings run late or a business dinner rolls on for hours but keep an eye on the clock and make a judgement on when the event stops being the best investment of your time and may begin to jeapordise how well you'll perform the next day.  Even if you can't follow your home routine exactly, aim to get close to what works in your usual environment.  Just because you're away from home, don't turn your regular habits that work for you completely on their head.

    2) Pay attention to your sleeping environment.  At home you have space to organise your life and your surroundings as you would like them.  In hotels, although the rooms are clear and inviting when you first arrive, it doesn't take long for you to make your presence felt so check regularly that you're keeping the space tidy.  Less clutter helps create a relaxing environment for restful sleep.

    3) Take time to get the temperature of the room right and establish some clear boundaries for where you work in the room and at what times you work.  The right amount of work, at a desk, will help you stay organised then you can pack your computer away with a clear head for the night.  Beware working on the bed until you feel drowsy and then fall asleep.  This will not lead to a quality sleep.

    4) Make sure you have a book, magazine or relaxing music with you in case you wake during the night.  Embrace the fact that you're awake and then distract yourself knowing that you'll fall asleep again soon.  Without some relaxing distractions your mind will whirr with work thoughts and this is likely to keep you awake for longer.

    Click here to read Healthy Hotel Eating: A new perspective

    Image by Flickr: gisleh

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    Tuesday 14 May 2013

    How to Have Your Most Productive Day at Work AND Fit in Some Exercise


    We've had a lot of questions this week about how to keep an exercise routine in place when things get really busy at work.

    Here's a quick strategy that will help:

    If you have a day coming up when you’re back to back with meetings and you know there won’t be a moment to spare, you can still fit in some training and use it to make sure you get the best out of the day.  Here's how.
    • Set your alarm for 15 minutes early, get up, get your kit on and run around the block.  
    • During your run, visualise exactly how you want the day to go.  What do you want to achieve, what will you negotiate, how do you need to behave, what are your best methods of communication? Return home, get ready as usual and off you go to work.  
    • At the end of the day, no matter how late, get your kit on and run round the block again, this time reviewing how things went.  Consider, what did you learn and what do you need to action tomorrow to get the most out of today’s meetings?  Then clear your head as you approach home and relax

    Obviously you can modify the type of exercise that you do - walking instead of running, indoor instead of outdoor if you have access to a treadmill or rowing machine - but focus on using your exercise time to optimise the efficiency and effectiveness of the rest of the day rather than thinking that your exercise has to get in the way of your daily productivity.

    A burst of exercise at the beginning of the day will flood your brain with oxygen, boosting creativity and setting you up for the day.  Getting active at the end of the day will clear your head and reduce stress levels ready for a good night's sleep.

    This tip is taken from our Beat The Clock series in Men's Running Magazine

    Image by Flickr: RunningShoeGetWet

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    Make Your Workouts More Effective: When to eat protein

    A participant on one of our leadership programmes last week asked me about protein consumption in relation to the timing of exercise, so...

    It's long been believed that the best way to maximise the effects of strength training and promote effective muscle recovery and growth is to consume extra protein, either in solid form or in the form of protein drinks or shakes, shortly after your exercise session.

    In fact, what's more effective, and what has been concisely explained in this month's REPs Journal*, is that rather than focusing too much on the post-workout period, you can maximise the effectiveness of your strength / resistance training with a regular intake of protein and carbohydrates on a day-to-day basis, and particularly in the time leading up to a workout.  Precisely when before a workout will depend on individual ability to eat before exercise but a meal around 2.5 hours before a workout or a snack 90-minutes prior to exercise seems to work for most.

    This is good news for busy professionals as it means no extra planning.  All you need to do is follow the routines of balancing protein and carbs for all your meals and snacks and establish the best schedule for your pre-exercise fuelling.

    How to incorporate this knowledge for maximum effect:

    1. Plan your resistance training schedule for the week.  This will be 2-3 workouts depending on your commitments.
    2. Plan your pre-wokout meal for each exercise day depending on your work diary.  Fish and rice with vegetables, pasta and chicken with salad are easy choices.
    3. Plan your pre-workout snack for each exercise day. Hummus and chopped vegetables, Nuts and fruit are simple selections

    A simple strategy, but very effective.

    *The REPs (Register of Exercise Professionals) Journal 2013;27(May)

    Image by Flickr: Márton Divényi


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    Monday 13 May 2013

    Six top lifestyle changes for reducing stress in the workplace


    On any given day, in any office around the country, you’ll hear staff complain about how stressed they are. It’s a phrase that trips off the tongue and has become a catch all term for all manner of frustrations at work and beyond. But what do people really mean when they utter these fateful words?
    A medical dictionary definition of stress says that it is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilise.
    The key phrase here is when a person perceives that demand is excessive beyond resources. This is important because no matter how fleeting this perception may be, the number of times one person or a number of people in a team say they’re stressed, the more likely this will be to dictate the tone of that office.
    It’s worth remembering that the stress response is a natural one - a physiological reaction designed to protect us, most commonly referred to as fight or flight. And while a degree of stress or pressure can lead us to stretch ourselves, grow and achieve results that may surprise even ourselves, in many working environments people tend to over-ride the stress response repeatedly which leads to a disruption of the physical and mental status quo. The consequences of this are all too familiar and can include exhaustion, frequent headaches, discomfort in the neck and shoulders, apathy, depression, insomnia, self-medication often in the form of alcohol, or increased absenteeism.
    On a more positive note, just as everyone is familiar with what it feels like to be stressed, most employees also know what it’s like to have a great day in the office. A day when energy is flowing, focus is clear, much is being achieved and everything feels positive – the territory that sports people refer to as being in the zone. Unfortunately people are far less likely to acknowledge these moments consciously to themselves or share these positive experiences by broadcasting them openly in the same way as they do when feeling under pressure.
    So what makes the difference between being in the zone and feeling as though you’re at breaking point?
    Sure, a lot of it is influenced by external factors – often in the form of other people – but in all circumstances, busy or calm, there can be inconsistencies in individuals’ ability to cope, think rationally and get things done. In other words, the perception of the resources available can swing quite dramatically depending on the mood of the moment.
    So it’s important that employees do what they can to take charge of their ‘mood of the moment’ and this means businesses fostering a new emphasis on people taking responsibility for the stress they are, or say they are, experiencing.
    Here’s what staff need to know to keep stress levels at bay and inhabit their ‘zone’ of peak performance consistently.
    1. Eat regularly, eat well

    Paying attention to what you eat and when you eat it can be the difference between a calm day feeling challenging, or a challenging day feeling effortless.
    Supply your body with too many stimulants – sweet snacks, processed food or high sugar meals – or skip too many meals or snacks, and your ability to perform will be massively reduced. Establish a routine of healthy eating through the day and you’ll be able to cope with anything that’s thrown at you.
    Encourage staff to start the day right by eating breakfast, plan meals and snacks in advance, stay hydrated and eat something healthy every three hours. You can make the job of wading through the mass of nutrition information available easier by setting up a company healthy eating plan that provides specific solutions for your audience, their challenges and the environments in which they operate.
    2. Get active
    Because the stress response is designed to help us fight or flee, the simplest way to manage it, stabilise hormone levels and remain calm is with physical activity.
    Encourage staff to get up and move around regularly. Meetings on the go are a great idea and for lasting impact you can organise walking clubs, running clubs or regular fitness sessions. For a fun element, a pedometer challenge with monthly champions always gets people moving.
    Give staff access to resources that will help them find an exercise routine that works for each individual. When it comes to effective exercise there are two key areas to consider.
    Firstly, provide information and ideas on what people can do. This will include resources suggesting flexible exercise plans and programmes that appeal to a variety of different work and life circumstances.
    Secondly, and more crucially, staff need encouragement and motivation on why they should get more active. This advice should go beyond general health information to encompass bespoke solutions for all staff. Most office staff think they should be more active but what really makes the difference is establishing some personal motivation to change. Help staff achieve clarity here and the results can be phenomenal. All it takes for most individuals is a short consultation with a lifestyle expert to establish their priorities, get motivated to work around any barriers and put together a simple action plan.
    3. Monitor caffeine intake
    We all tolerate caffeine differently but even those who can cope well with its effects should be wary. One or two coffees a day can be beneficial and enjoyable but you’ve got to know when you’ve crossed the line from focused, effective thinking into being distracted, jittery and wired.
    Too much caffeine can make people irritable, particularly if caffeine fixes replace drinking water and result in dehydration. Be aware also that lattes and cappuccinos have a sugar content in the milk and this sugar, combined with the caffeine, can create a real rollercoaster for blood sugar, energy levels, concentration and mood swings.
    4. Take breaks
    While many people feel they don’t have time to take breaks through the day, it can be counter productive to push on through. There is a perception for many employees that they begin each day with good energy and the challenge is simply to see how long they can make this energy last.
    In reality, there’s plenty that can be done to top up energy levels throughout the day and taking short breaks is one of the simplest but most effective ways to achieve this. It goes a long way to ensuring you’re taking on the right tasks at the right time and guaranteeing that you end each day with a sense of achievement.
    Throughout each day we are all subject to periods of being more and less effective. This is due to a natural cycle of high and low energy, the cycle lasting around 90-100 minutes. It’s vital that we all make the best use of the times when we feel fired up and engaged, and also allocate appropriate tasks to periods when we’re feeling less resourceful.
    Encourage staff to get into the habit of dividing every 90-minute period into a few minutes planning, 60-minutes performing key tasks and the remainder reviewing progress, attending to admin that keeps the day under control and taking a short break.
    One note here, it’s important to provide strong role models in this area or it can be more difficult to persuade people to adopt new habits. Lead by example, encourage senior staff to do the same and others will quickly follow.
    5. Sleep, rest and recover
    This is one of the most fundamental areas where people can make small changes and reap massive rewards. On the face of it, grabbing time from sleep here and there may not seem like a big deal but do it too often and for too long and people can find themselves seriously sleep deprived. Mentally, tiredness can cause irritability and compromised performance. Physically, when we’re tired we’re more likely to rely on comfort food and drinks with the result that there may be energy surges but there will also be some dramatic crashes.
    Encourage staff to begin actively managing their sleep routine. We all benefit from a regular bedtime and wake time and we need consistency. Staff also need to start viewing some of the choices they make during the day within the context of a successful sleep routine.
    Regular healthy meals and snacks, good hydration, regular activity, well managed energy levels through the day and a conscious plan for the evening schedule leading to a good night’s rest will translate into quality sleep. Ignoring these guidelines and allowing what may seem like minor indiscretions through the day to add up to a pronounced cumulative effect can lead to difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or achieving the desired quantity or quality of sleep.
    6. Communicate
    All the advice so far is all very well you may say, but what about working in an environment where none of this is possible? Where there just isn’t time and the pressure from above to get results takes priority over everything else?
    It’s a fair response. We focus on the lifestyle choices that individuals make to put them at the best advantage for dealing with whatever the day may bring. This won’t eradicate every potentially stressful situation, but it does make an enormous difference to how resilient staff become and how well teams are able to interact.
    The final thing to consider is that there has to be open communication. A lot of stress in the office is caused by second guessing colleagues, speculating on motives or requirements and making assumptions based on previous experience. All of these may save time in the short-term but often lead to more work being required in the medium-term, and while tackling communication issues at a deeper level may seem daunting for many, those who take the best care of themselves and their energy levels put themselves in a powerful position for creative thinking, clear decision making, effective communication and developing genuine win-win solutions.
    Simple stress management strategies
    This all may seem like a lot to consider within an already busy schedule so before you anticipate the outcry of ‘oh my goodness, this healthy living thing is making me even more stressed,’ there’s a clear pattern of behaviour that makes managing stress much easier than many people realise.
    Fundamentally, all staff need to do is follow the four-stage process:
    1. Take regular breaks during the day
    2. Use these breaks to take physical activity or consume a healthy meal, snack or drink
    3. Review progress regularly
    4. Establish priorities for themselves, and priorities to communicate to others
    Do this and they’ll feel calm as the day progresses and in control as it comes to an end. This will ensure they can enjoy their evening, relax and unwind in time to guarantee a night of quality and restorative sleep.
    So, the key to managing stress levels in any workplace is actually quite simple and can be summed up in three easy steps that every business can take:
    1. Raise awareness of successful lifestyle choices
    2. Remind people regularly of the key themes and practical actions that make a difference
    3. Give them the opportunity to understand and make the choices that work for them
    All of this can be quickly achieved with targeted workshops covering resilience, healthy eating, personal performance, effective exercise and sleep, backed up with relevant resources so employees have all they need to make changes, when the time is right. Add in an element of challenge, accountability or teamwork to make it fun and you’ll be amazed at how the atmosphere of an office and the culture of a business can change.
    Article published on www.hrzone.co.uk
    Image by Flickr: shoebappa

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