In my opinion the enerigiseYou Nutrition Workshop is a must for any company wanting to improve employee wellbeing, energy and productivity. The energiseYou 2 hour Nutrition Workshop is well structured, fun, interactive and the trainer was great – very supportive and non-judgemental. My team and I all learnt lot's of practical information and tips to help improve the way we eat and drink, plus it uncovered a lot of myths about Nutrition. Additionally, we all got to set a personal health goal and identify action steps towards achieving this. I cannot recommend this workshop highly enough!
Cathy Busani - Managing Director Happy Ltd, Ranked in the Top UK 50 Best Workplaces as well as Best Company in the UK for Health & Wellbeing 2009 (Great Place to Work Institute Awards)
+for+web.gif){kind=logo}
Friday, 20 November 2009
Friday, 6 November 2009
Benefits of giving up smoking
The benefits begin straight away. You reduce your risk of getting serious disease no matter what age you give up. However, the sooner you stop, the greater the reduction in your risk. If you have smoked since being a teenager or young adult:
If you stop smoking before the age of about 35, your life expectancy is only slightly less than people who have never smoked.
If you stop smoking before the age of 50, you decrease the risk of dying from smoking-related diseases by 50%.
The benefits when you quit smoking, on your health, finances and confidence can motivate you to stop and stay stopped. Within just 20 minutes of quitting the healing process begins.
What's in it for you?
Family members, friends, colleagues and associates who don't smoke also benefit when you stop. Find out how...
If you stop smoking before the age of about 35, your life expectancy is only slightly less than people who have never smoked.
If you stop smoking before the age of 50, you decrease the risk of dying from smoking-related diseases by 50%.
The benefits when you quit smoking, on your health, finances and confidence can motivate you to stop and stay stopped. Within just 20 minutes of quitting the healing process begins.
What's in it for you?
Family members, friends, colleagues and associates who don't smoke also benefit when you stop. Find out how...
Benefits of Quitting Smoking
- Blood pressure and pulse return to normal.
- Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by half. Oxygen levels return to normal.
- Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body. Lungs start to clear out mucous and other smoking debris.
- There is no nicotine left in the body. Ability to taste and smell is greatly improved.
- Breathing becomes easier. Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase.
- Circulation improves.
- Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung functions are increased by up to 10%.
- Risk of heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.
- Risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker. Risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked.
More Benefits of Giving Up Smoking
Confidence
Stopping smoking is a challenge. Once you have quit, you will know you can succeed at difficult takes and take more control of your life. Quitting helps you believe in yourself.
Fitness
Smoking makes it harder to exercise and reduces the benefits to your body. Smokers have more coughs and colds than non-smokers and take longer to feel well again.
Money
In a way, giving up smoking is like getting a pay rise, as much as £1500 a year if you smoke 20 cigarettes a day.
Appearance
Skin starved of oxygen by smoking becomes dry and grey. Wrinkles around the eyes and mouth develop much earlier and the tar stains your teeth and fingers.
Fertility
Men who smoke may suffer impotence due to damage to the blood vessels in the penis. Sperm quality and density can also be affected by smoking. Smokers may produce less sperm and their sperm may have more abnormalities.
Women who smoke take longer to conceive and are more likely to have a miscarriage.
Childbirth
Babies born to mothers who smoked in pregnancy are more likely to be premature, stillborn or die shortly after birth. A baby exposed to tobacco smoke has a higher risk of dying from cot death.
Children
Children whose parents smoke are more likely to get pneumonia and bronchitis in their first year of life, to suffer from more frequent and more severe asthma attacks and to become regular smokers themselves.
By stopping smoking, you can improve your health and enjoy a longer, healthier life.
You will also save money: a 20-a-day smoker now spends over £2,000 a year on cigarettes.
As smoking also causes wrinkled, damaged skin, giving up is likely to make you look better too.
Friday, 30 October 2009
Top tips to stay healthy @ your Computer
By Oliver Gray www.energiseyou.com
Oliver is one of the UK's Leading Experts on Health & Wellbeing for the Workplace.
Most office workers are spending on average between 30-45 hours per week at their computers. Which is most unnatural. The human body was never designed to sit for such long periods in front of a screen.
So you and your colleagues need to take action to limit the damage.
Posture perfect?
Ensure you are sitting in the optimum position at your desk. Sit in a position which allows approximately 90o at your knees, hips and elbows with your forearms supported on your desk. Also ensure that your eyes are level with the top of your computer screen. This posture will help to prevent work related back and upper body injuries.
How hydrated are you?
Start each day with a 1½ or 2 litre bottle of water, and make sure you finish it by the end of the day. Water will help your concentration and focus as well has helping to keep your energy levels high.
Got a healthy snack to hand?
For health, energy and weight control, eating small healthy meals is best. With this in mind, make sure you have some healthy snacks at your desk to snack on. My preferred healthy snacks include, fruit, vegetables (cucumber or carrots), nuts, (almonds or cashews) oatcakes, or protein bars.
When did you last take a break?
Aim to get up and walk around for 5 minutes every hour. This movement will get the blood circulating and will help to prevent muscular tension build-up that occurs when you're sitting at your desk for prolonged periods.
Ever stretched at your desk?
We build up tension in the upper body from sitting in the same position for long periods. A great way to relieve it is to stand up and stretch a couple of times per day. Do a few stretches for the neck, back, shoulders and forearms. Hold each stretch for 15-20 seconds and remember to relax and breathe as you stretch.
Is your body balanced?
Alternate the phone and the mouse. So, one day use the mouse and phone with your left hand, another day switch to the right. This can take a couple of weeks to master but in the long run will help you keep balanced and help to avoid RSI and tension build up on one side of your body.
Do you know how long you spend sitting?
Prepare for a shock: if you're spending 40 hours per week sitting at a computer, around 56 hours in bed, around 10 hours sitting down to dinner, around 5 hours in front of the TV, around 10 hours sitting on a train, tube or in your car, then that's a grand total of 121 hours of your 168 available hours spent sitting. Aim to fill as much of the rest as possible with movement, this could be sport, the gym, walking, cycling, or yoga. More movement = more energy!
Detox at your desk!
Sitting at your computer for long periods can also affect your mental state of mind. Keeping your workstation tidy and clutter free will benefit your mental state too. I always say 'tidy desk, tidy mind'.
Overloaded?
Batching your tasks is a great way to achieve more each day, which in turns keeps you mentally positive and motivated. Simply give yourself a set period of time on a set task before moving onto another set task for another set period of time.
Oliver is one of the UK's Leading Experts on Health & Wellbeing for the Workplace.
Most office workers are spending on average between 30-45 hours per week at their computers. Which is most unnatural. The human body was never designed to sit for such long periods in front of a screen.
So you and your colleagues need to take action to limit the damage.
Posture perfect?
Ensure you are sitting in the optimum position at your desk. Sit in a position which allows approximately 90o at your knees, hips and elbows with your forearms supported on your desk. Also ensure that your eyes are level with the top of your computer screen. This posture will help to prevent work related back and upper body injuries.
How hydrated are you?
Start each day with a 1½ or 2 litre bottle of water, and make sure you finish it by the end of the day. Water will help your concentration and focus as well has helping to keep your energy levels high.
Got a healthy snack to hand?
For health, energy and weight control, eating small healthy meals is best. With this in mind, make sure you have some healthy snacks at your desk to snack on. My preferred healthy snacks include, fruit, vegetables (cucumber or carrots), nuts, (almonds or cashews) oatcakes, or protein bars.
When did you last take a break?
Aim to get up and walk around for 5 minutes every hour. This movement will get the blood circulating and will help to prevent muscular tension build-up that occurs when you're sitting at your desk for prolonged periods.
Ever stretched at your desk?
We build up tension in the upper body from sitting in the same position for long periods. A great way to relieve it is to stand up and stretch a couple of times per day. Do a few stretches for the neck, back, shoulders and forearms. Hold each stretch for 15-20 seconds and remember to relax and breathe as you stretch.
Is your body balanced?
Alternate the phone and the mouse. So, one day use the mouse and phone with your left hand, another day switch to the right. This can take a couple of weeks to master but in the long run will help you keep balanced and help to avoid RSI and tension build up on one side of your body.
Do you know how long you spend sitting?
Prepare for a shock: if you're spending 40 hours per week sitting at a computer, around 56 hours in bed, around 10 hours sitting down to dinner, around 5 hours in front of the TV, around 10 hours sitting on a train, tube or in your car, then that's a grand total of 121 hours of your 168 available hours spent sitting. Aim to fill as much of the rest as possible with movement, this could be sport, the gym, walking, cycling, or yoga. More movement = more energy!
Detox at your desk!
Sitting at your computer for long periods can also affect your mental state of mind. Keeping your workstation tidy and clutter free will benefit your mental state too. I always say 'tidy desk, tidy mind'.
Overloaded?
Batching your tasks is a great way to achieve more each day, which in turns keeps you mentally positive and motivated. Simply give yourself a set period of time on a set task before moving onto another set task for another set period of time.
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
10 Top Tips to Help Reduce Stress at Work
Improve your time management and organization skills.
Of the many things you can to in this area the best ones include getting a to do list that works, learning to say "no", asking for help when you need it, and stop setting unrealistic goals for yourself.
Relax and breathe deeply.
Whether you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount or work you have to do or if someone is "in your face", a good thing to do is to "breathe through your nose". You can't get as worked up if you force yourself to breathe through your nose. Your body simply can't maintain the same level of energy without that extra oxygen you get when breathing through your mouth.
Take more breaks from your work.
Even a five-minute break will help. Get away from your desk. Go for a walk - outside is better, but up two flights of stairs and back down is good too. Getting more exercise in general will help you reduce your overall stress levels and that will make it easier to reduce your stress level at work.
Lighten up.
Smile more. We all know laughter reduces stress. You will be amazed at how much more pleasant the people around you are when you make an effort to be pleasant yourself.
Learn to listen better.
Rather than getting upset when others disagree with you, listen actively and find the areas of agreement. Be assertive and stand up for yourself, but don't be rigid.
Fix your environment.
Make whatever adjustments you need to the lighting, temperature, noise level, and other controllable factors in your office.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
Realize that there are some things that just aren't worth worrying about and there are some things you just can't change. Don't waste time stressing over the things in either category.
Get more sleep.
This is another of the things you can do to reduce your overall stress that will have benefits at the office as well. In addition to reducing your stress, it will increase your energy level and your ability to concentrate.
Find a mentor
If not a mentor, a friend will do. Having someone to talk to can take a lot of stress off you.
Spend more time with optimistic people.
Negative people will pull you down to their level. Choose to work with people who have a positive attitude instead.
Of the many things you can to in this area the best ones include getting a to do list that works, learning to say "no", asking for help when you need it, and stop setting unrealistic goals for yourself.
Relax and breathe deeply.
Whether you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount or work you have to do or if someone is "in your face", a good thing to do is to "breathe through your nose". You can't get as worked up if you force yourself to breathe through your nose. Your body simply can't maintain the same level of energy without that extra oxygen you get when breathing through your mouth.
Take more breaks from your work.
Even a five-minute break will help. Get away from your desk. Go for a walk - outside is better, but up two flights of stairs and back down is good too. Getting more exercise in general will help you reduce your overall stress levels and that will make it easier to reduce your stress level at work.
Lighten up.
Smile more. We all know laughter reduces stress. You will be amazed at how much more pleasant the people around you are when you make an effort to be pleasant yourself.
Learn to listen better.
Rather than getting upset when others disagree with you, listen actively and find the areas of agreement. Be assertive and stand up for yourself, but don't be rigid.
Fix your environment.
Make whatever adjustments you need to the lighting, temperature, noise level, and other controllable factors in your office.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
Realize that there are some things that just aren't worth worrying about and there are some things you just can't change. Don't waste time stressing over the things in either category.
Get more sleep.
This is another of the things you can do to reduce your overall stress that will have benefits at the office as well. In addition to reducing your stress, it will increase your energy level and your ability to concentrate.
Find a mentor
If not a mentor, a friend will do. Having someone to talk to can take a lot of stress off you.
Spend more time with optimistic people.
Negative people will pull you down to their level. Choose to work with people who have a positive attitude instead.
Friday, 16 October 2009
Instant Offices
As a Top 100 Best Company to Work For and winners of the 2009 award for Wellbeing, Instant Offices understand how important it is to take care of our staff. By promoting a healthy lifestyle inside and outside of work, you are helping to create an energised, positive and active workforce. This creates an engaged environment for work and leads to better customer service and improved performance as a company.
We use energiseYou for team massages and the brilliant Nutrition Workshop run by Oliver Gray. Both have a terrific effect on our staff, with the Nutrition Workshop giving all of us tools to improve our diets and get more energy all day. We’re already seeing the benefits!
Patricia Bacon, Global Sales & HR Director Instant Offices, Best Company for in the UK for Wellbeing 2009 (Sunday Times top 100 Awards)
Friday, 9 October 2009
How to cut costs without harming your business
If your turnover has dropped, then you may need to cut costs until you are able to find new ways to increase your revenues. Oliver Gray is the managing director of www.energiseyou.com, a provider of employee wellbeing services to the UK’s most progressive companies. Here are Gray’s top tips to cut costs without harming your business.
Ask the staff for ideas
Involving your staff in the cost-cutting process lets them know that times are tough but that you are all in the same boat together. It also proves to your employees that you value their input. Plus, they may have some good ideas about cutting costs. By getting all of your stuff on board with cost-cutting, you could make a big difference to your overheads.
Stop the staff and client entertainment
If you communicate this well to the staff, they will understand. For clients, ensure you keep in regular contact and look for new ways to add value without adding costs to your business.
Cut your company pension contribution
If your company has a group personal pension scheme, you could look at reducing the company’s pension contribution. This is only a short term solution for cutting costs, however. Read the small print for any other defined contribution schemes and see if you can lower your payments.
Reduce absence
Look at introducing a pro-active employee wellbeing program. Healthy employees lead to healthy profits. They are more productive, off sick less, plus claim less on company PMI & EAP schemes, thereby reducing your premiums. Remember staff absence can be one of your biggest hidden costs.
Negotiate lower supplier costs
Ask suppliers for discounts or see if you can get a better price from a different supplier. In my experience, many suppliers will give a good discount in return for a client testimonial, a referral or early payment each month.
Staff travel costs
Just by putting a stop on staff claiming for cab fares can sometimes cut your travel expenses in half. Sorry cab drivers, but its true!
Stationary
Sometimes the best cost-cutting tips are the most obvious. Use both sides of plain paper in the office and introduce as many paperless systems as possible. Most businesses get through stacks of plain paper each month and this simple change will half your paper bill overnight. Plus it’s good for the environment.
Redundancies
This is an obvious one, if a final resort. You don't want to loose good staff that you will need when your business picks up. Before redundancies, see if any of your staff are open to reduced working hours/days in exchange for reduced salaries.
Ask the staff for ideas
Involving your staff in the cost-cutting process lets them know that times are tough but that you are all in the same boat together. It also proves to your employees that you value their input. Plus, they may have some good ideas about cutting costs. By getting all of your stuff on board with cost-cutting, you could make a big difference to your overheads.
Stop the staff and client entertainment
If you communicate this well to the staff, they will understand. For clients, ensure you keep in regular contact and look for new ways to add value without adding costs to your business.
Cut your company pension contribution
If your company has a group personal pension scheme, you could look at reducing the company’s pension contribution. This is only a short term solution for cutting costs, however. Read the small print for any other defined contribution schemes and see if you can lower your payments.
Reduce absence
Look at introducing a pro-active employee wellbeing program. Healthy employees lead to healthy profits. They are more productive, off sick less, plus claim less on company PMI & EAP schemes, thereby reducing your premiums. Remember staff absence can be one of your biggest hidden costs.
Negotiate lower supplier costs
Ask suppliers for discounts or see if you can get a better price from a different supplier. In my experience, many suppliers will give a good discount in return for a client testimonial, a referral or early payment each month.
Staff travel costs
Just by putting a stop on staff claiming for cab fares can sometimes cut your travel expenses in half. Sorry cab drivers, but its true!
Stationary
Sometimes the best cost-cutting tips are the most obvious. Use both sides of plain paper in the office and introduce as many paperless systems as possible. Most businesses get through stacks of plain paper each month and this simple change will half your paper bill overnight. Plus it’s good for the environment.
Redundancies
This is an obvious one, if a final resort. You don't want to loose good staff that you will need when your business picks up. Before redundancies, see if any of your staff are open to reduced working hours/days in exchange for reduced salaries.
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Health tips on Alcohol
Alcohol
Q. How many units of alcohol are recommended as the maximum
per week?
A. For men 21 Units (NHS)
A. For women 14 units (NHS)
5 Negatives of too much alcohol per week
1. Dehydrates the body
2. Increases body fat
3. Can effect sleep quality
4. Effects focus, concentration and performance
5. Increases the chance of disease
Q. How many units of alcohol are recommended as the maximum
per week?
A. For men 21 Units (NHS)
A. For women 14 units (NHS)
5 Negatives of too much alcohol per week
1. Dehydrates the body
2. Increases body fat
3. Can effect sleep quality
4. Effects focus, concentration and performance
5. Increases the chance of disease
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
+for+web.gif){kind=logo}
