Tips & tricks to bring to your 9-5 grind

It is difficult to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Days can be stressful, monotonous and long. With meetings, conference calls and plenty of time spent sitting at your desk, our minds and bodies are in need of a little extra love. We spend a good portion of our lives at work, so it is important to take care of ourselves while we are there. Here are some helpful tips to bring wellness into your workplace. GET UP At this point, we all know that sitting at a desk all day while hunched over looking at a screen is not good for our minds or bodies. Dr. James Levine from the Mayo Clinic conducted studies that revealed sitting in a chair all day (let alone staring at a computer screen leading to poor posture) is linked to a range of health problems and disease such as obesity, diabetes and cancer. Slouching and poor posture also deplete your core strength and lead to cellulite. Not ideal. Having a standing desk makes a huge difference, however, not all companies provide them. Here are few things you can do to make sure you are moving that beautiful body of yours throughout your work day. Sit on a stability ball instead of a chair. This will improve your stability and balance and keep your core engaged, which can alleviate lower back pain and you can bounce up and down on it all day. Why not?! Sit away from the water cooler and bathroom so you have to get in those extra steps. If you are on a phone call, use your cell phone and headphones and walk around while you chat away - either in your office or outside! For smaller, quicker meetings suggest going for a walk rather than meeting in the office. Take the stairs. Designate a “movement buddy” who sits away from you. Make a point to get up, walk to their desk and say hello a few times a day. Need more help? There are great apps available that remind you to stand up every so often.  “Stand Up” sets a timer for 30 min, 1 hour, 2 hour, etc increments to remind you to get up and get moving. 2. MAKE YOUR OWN LUNCH THE NIGHT BEFORE When we nourish our bodies with clean, whole foods, we feel amazing. We feel energized and in control. This can be difficult to achieve when eating out or when you’re crunched for time. Meal prep allows you to control your portions and the ingredients you’re consuming. Pack a nutrient dense meal the night before and you will avoid ordering that giant burrito with co-workers. This also saves you a little time during your work day, so you can use those extra 5-10 minutes to go for a post-lunch walk. If you let it, preparing and cooking meals can have quite a meditative quality. Make a giant kale salad, a pot of curry or quinoa and roasted veggies on Sunday night and you will have meals all week. Take time to prepare your food. Make your meal beautiful and delicious. 3. GET OUTSIDE Grab a “walk buddy” at work or take off on your own. Make a point to take 10 minutes each day to go outside. Lets your mind disconnect from your busy day and get a quick boost of Vitamin D. Walk mindfully and take deep breaths. Stand with your face in the sun. Go try the new juice bar down the street or grab a cup of tea! You will return to work more relaxed and refreshed. 4. SNACK WISELY Most offices aren’t necessarily known for their healthy snack options. I know when I was working a corporate job I had to make a mindful effort each day to not grab a bag of chips or stick my hand in the bowl of candy. Yikes! Good news is, by eating your already prepared, nutritious lunch you won’t feel as much of a desire to snack pre or post lunch. Keep almonds, fruit or a bar of dark chocolate at your desk as a clean alternative. Try not to snack mindlessly while staring at your computer. This is usually where emotional eating comes in and before you know it, you’ve finished an entire bag of something. Use snack time as an excuse to disconnect from your work for a moment. Take a few deep breaths and be present. You may discover that you’re not hungry at all and that this desire to snack stemmed from stress or anxiety and some water or tea will suffice. 5. HYDRATE Have a designated water cup or BPA free water bottle and get in the habit of filling it when it’s empty. This will guarantee that you are getting enough water every day and ridding your body of toxins. Add some fresh lemon slices for some added flavor and nutrients. This will also have you up and using the bathroom throughout the day.  As cravings arise, focus on drinking tea and water as they are mostly linked to stress or dehydration. Take a few moments, make a cup of green tea and that craving will pass—especially if you keep those pesky processed snacks out of sight! 6. BREATHE TOGETHER Set up a 5 minute “meeting” for your team. Have everyone sit down and close their eyes while you play a guided meditation. You may find that certain coworkers are hesitant at first, but it’s amazing how one of these sessions will catch their interest. This makes mindfulness practice accessible to people who work in stressful environments. Make it a group effort and find some headspace together. By putting in a little effort and taking control of your well-being you are already shifting into a more mindful space. It’s amazing what a little self-love will do for your spirit. Before you know it, your days are no longer as draining and you will have more energy. You will start to notice that your newly discovered mindfulness is contagious and is rubbing off on the people around you. This is even more motivation to take care of yourself and watch the wellness trend spread around the office!