What do you think of when you hear “self-care”? Promoting self-care at work comes in many forms and is often personal to everyone. Some people see self-care as a long warm bath away from the kids, some as going for a run, and some as having a glass of wine on the weekend. The clue is in the name, self-care is simply caring for oneself.
So how can we promote self-care at work? This blog aims to explore how we can promote self-care at work, specifically with a healthy balanced diet.
It is no secret that to achieve pivotal health, one must engage in frequent exercise, get enough sleep, and eat a healthy balanced diet. Good nutrition = good self-care. It is usually easier to maintain a healthy balanced diet at home, with frequent balanced meals, but how can we ensure we eat healthily at work?
We’re going to explore how to promote self-care at work and how to incorporate a healthy balanced diet into your work life.
Promoting Self-Care At Work
We must encourage self-care at work. Why? We spend most of our time there! It is a shared responsibility between employers and employees that the workplace adopts a culture of wellness and that colleagues are encouraged to practice self-care.
No, we’re not suggesting glasses of wine at your desk, but there are ways in which we can holistically promote self-care in the workplace. Starting with implementing a culture of nutritional health!
The Importance Of A Healthy Balanced Diet
A healthy balanced diet is important to us as human beings – we learn that at school! But what specific advantages does a healthy diet have on a workforce?
Implementing a healthy eating programme or encouraging healthy eating at work offers benefits such as:
- Reduced health risk of employees
- Elevated mood and energy
- Reduced stress
- Long term health benefits
So how can we promote self-care at work with a healthy balanced diet?
Promoting Self-Care At Work With A Healthy Balanced Diet
Sure, we know the benefits of self-care and we know the benefits of healthy eating, but how do these go hand in hand and get implemented into a workspace structure?
Offer Healthy Snacks
It’s easy when we’re on the go at work to snack throughout the day. Boredom grazing. Consider ways in which grazing can continue, but with healthier options.
If your workplace has a communal space, vending machines or a canteen, offer healthy snacks that employees can take back to their desks. Nutritional snacks give staff energy throughout the day and cure the need for grazing without reaching for the crisps!
Offer Alternative Drinks
Many employees rely on the caffeine boost to get them through the day – but we all know that too much caffeine isn’t good for us. Offer fresh juices, smoothies or alternative teas (decaffeinated or herbal) so that your staff can curb their caffeine cravings.
Kitchen Facilities
Kitchen facilities are important in a workplace. Sure, we don’t need a stove cooker and the best pots and pans in an office space, but allowing employees to prepare their meals and prepare at work is a great way of encouraging healthy eating.
Many workers turned to store-bought, pre-packaged foods, for ease and because there isn’t a place at work to store them. Home-cooked meals are usually far more nutritious.
Keep Employees Hydrated
A healthy balanced diet doesn’t just mean watching what they eat. Employees should be encouraged to stay hydrated throughout the day so allow easy access to a water fountain or dispenser.
Studies show that keeping hydrated can improve mood and cognition.
Encourage Breakfast
It’s no myth that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Start the day off right and offer breakfast snacks at work or encourage employees to eat breakfast at home.
Everything In Moderation
No employee wants to only eat apples all day. It’s nice to offer employees a treat every once in a while; if there’s a birthday, bring cake! If they’ve completed a difficult project, pizza on you!
There are several ways in which you can enjoy the occasional treat together which is a great way of promoting self-care. After all, it’s a balanced diet for a reason.
Eating Together
A huge element of workplace wellness is a community feel and the ability to be social whilst at work. Why not eat together? Encouraging team challenges using food is a great way of keeping staff engaged whilst promoting a healthy balanced diet.
Introducing challenges like; a vegetarian week or no caffeine day makes the notion of a ‘healthy diet at work’ fun and engaging.
Educate Employees
A healthy diet to many comes as a fad. Ditch the ‘diet culture’ and instead encourage a healthy lifestyle in the workplace. Giving employees access to nutritional advice, recipes and content is a brilliant way to encourage them to see healthy eating as self-care.
Get In Touch
There are several facilities at Wellspace that can aid in promoting self-care with a healthy balanced diet.
Why not book a demo with our application and portal and see what Wellspace has to offer, head over to our website!
Our team of friendly experts are happy to answer any enquiries in regards to self-care at work or a healthy balanced diet.
Give us a call today on 0808 178 0748
