When you’re feeling the pressure of the busy season, it’s easy to justify breaking healthy habits to keep up with your added workload. Employees who deal with ongoing spikes in demand throughout the year, such as accountants entering tax season and retail workers around the holidays, have a particularly hard time maintaining wellness goals.
Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to maintain your productivity at work without sacrificing your physical or mental well-being.
Stay hydrated
Drinking adequate amounts of water keeps your mood stable and your brain operating at its best. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, proper hydration also improves your sleep quality. This is especially important considering two-thirds of respondents in a recent ezCater survey indicated that their sleep quality suffers during busy seasons at work.
Meditate
Meditation can improve numerous aspects of your personal and professional life. In a study on mindfulness meditation, researchers found meditation can improve mood, reduce stress, and boost creativity. It also helps working memory, enabling you to focus longer on the task at hand. You can reap the benefits of meditation in only a few minutes a day using guided meditation apps such as Headspace.
Go for a walk outside
Walking provides a wide array of benefits. It can improve your circulation and energy levels as well as lower stress and contribute to maintaining a healthy weight. When you do it outside, you also gain the benefits of increased vitamin D intake, such as strengthening your immune system and maintaining bone density.
The additional sunlight exposure also boosts serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in your mood, and aids melatonin production, which can lead to better-quality sleep.
Work out at the office
Not every workplace has an on-site fitness center, but don’t let that prevent you from staying in shape. You can perform push-ups, squats, and planks from the comfort of your desk. Popular in senior living communities, chair yoga is also an effective way to remain active at the office. A few minutes a day doing yoga stretches can help relieve neck and back pain in addition to reducing stress and increasing productivity.
Take more breaks to get more done
Take breaks to more effectively manage your time and mentally recharge. Using the Pomodoro technique, you work in 25-minute increments with five-minute breaks in between. After every four breaks, you’ll typically take a longer rest ranging from 15 to 30 minutes.
While you may not be able to take several half-hour breaks throughout your workday, simply stepping away from work for five minutes one or two times an hour can help you relax your mind amid mounting duties.
Eat an energizing lunch
Your food choices at lunch can fuel your productivity throughout the rest of the day or set you up for a mid-afternoon crash. During the busy season, many organizations provide catered lunches to reward employees for their hard work as well as help them make wise food choices.
An ezCater survey found 72% of retail workers and 66% of warehouse employees opt for fast food during their busiest times of the year. While convenient, fast food typically means overly processed meals with high levels of salt and fat.
Instead, look for more nutritious options like salads with leafy greens and lean proteins such as chicken and fish. If you’re craving sugar, reach for an apple or a banana, both of which contain enough sugar and carbohydrates to satisfy cravings and keep up energy levels without the crash.
Snack smart
Pass on the vending machine and seek out brain-healthy snacks that fuel your body and mind. Almonds are a great choice because they contain numerous healthy fats as well as high amounts of protein, which can help you feel fuller longer. Berries are another great choice; not only do they taste great, they’re low in calories and may help improve learning and memory.
Swap coffee for green tea
A cup of green tea generally contains about 25% of the caffeine in a cup of coffee; however, the former also has high levels of flavonoids, which can help lower cholesterol and improve heart health. Additionally, green tea has anti-inflammatory properties that can improve skin health and contains L-Theanine, a compound that helps reduce anxiety and improve focus.
Entering the busy season doesn’t have to mean more stress, less sleep, and breaking your healthy routines. Follow the tips above to stay on track with your healthy living goals throughout the busiest times of the year, and order your next catering meal on ezCater.com.