Wellbeing Wednesday

A series of well-being tips for your personal and professional life, brought to you on Wednesdays via the Wizu blog.

Get active!

Physical activity is vital for keeping our wellbeing in check! According to mentalhealth.org.uk, even a 10 minute brisk walk increases mental alertness, energy and positive mood states.

This week we’re looking at easy ways to incorporate physical activity into the work week to stay sharp and energised, because when you feel good you work better.

Morning commute – walk, cycle or skate.

The morning commute is the ideal time to get some exercise in to start the day as you mean to go on – fresh and full of energy!

Both walking and cycling are relatively low impact activities that still lift your mood and get your heart pumping, even better if you are able to walk or cycle with others to make it a sociable affair, whether they’re colleagues or friends.

Walking alone doesn’t have to be lonely! You can spend this time however you choose, for example, you could use it to organise your thoughts for the day or listen to music, podcasts or an audiobook.

Take a look a Reader’s Digest article, How to Get Things Done While You Walk for more ideas of activities you can accomplish on your walk to work.

If you live too far away to walk all of the way into the office, you could even drive, or get the bus/train, part of the way and walk the rest! For those of you who work from city centre offices, this could also save you money on expensive inner-city parking fees as an added benefit.

Take the stairs!

Fight the temptation to take the lift everywhere and take the stairs instead – think of it as a free mini-workout that you have access to at any time throughout the day.

Taking the stairs is officially classed as a ‘vigorous’ form of exercise and does, in fact, burn more calories per minute than jogging! If that’s not motivation enough, just think of the money and time you could save on a monthly gym subscription by getting your physical activity in during the work day.

Need an extra bit of encouragement to make the effort? Turn taking the stairs into a competition, by either setting yourself personal targets or make it a group challenge for you and your colleagues.

The British Heart Foundation have a great Stair-Climb challenge guide for those who are up for the challenge either as an Individual or Team ‘Virtual Climb’.

Ditch the desk lunch!

As difficult as it may initially seem (and we too are guilty of this sometimes), it’s massively important for your wellbeing to peel yourself away from your desktop screen for at least part of the day.

Planning on hitting the gym? Pack your gym bag (can also include a healthy lunch and/or snacks) the night before so you have everything ready to go! Most gyms offer communal classes such as yoga, spin and pilates if you’re not one for a solo session, which could also be a nice way to get in some downtime with friends or colleagues.

If the gym is not your scene, there are still plenty of ways to sneak some exercise in to your break, you could try stretching in a quiet space, organising a kick-about in your local park or going for a quick jog for that endorphin rush.

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