We do not want to spend our time wasted recovering from minor illness.  Nor do we want to spending additional time struggling with minor cold and flu.  Therefore, it is essential for us to watch out for changes to our body conditions.  It is always wise to listen to our body, know our limits and get ample amount of rest when we start to feel our body “falling apart”.  Besides taking ourselves at work, we need to maintain a healthy body outside of work as well.  Our productive depends on our health!  Find out more with our additional tips to keep you healthy in and out of work!

1. Sleep well – Do not deprive yourself from the well-deserved sleep.  Sleep ample amount of time.  That is about 6 to 7 hours a day.  Sleep more when you feel that you are extra tired.  Sleep an average of 6 hours for your body to recover itself from a day’s work.  Chances that if you deprive yourself from sleep, you get tired the next day and your body will work harder than normal to keep you going.  And in this way, the more likely you will break down easily if you keep having such a sleep deprived lifestyle.  Every once in a week, let your body sleep more than it should if you have been sleep deprived for the week.  Let the body have a chance to fully recover through these additional hours of rest.
2. Clear the mind before you sleep – Most often, even when we lay ourselves on the bed, our mind will still be thinking of the day’s events, happenings and making plans for tomorrow or the week.  Through this you get insomnia by allowing yourself the thoughts running about in your head.  Clear those thoughts.  It’s time to let the mind rest.  Give your body the well deserved rest and forget about the work.  You need this for you to have a quality and undisturbed sleep.  This is very much needed for your body to recover to prepare itself for the following’s day challenges!
3. Keep caffeine intake low – Caffeine has no nutrition benefits except to keep you alert, awake and addicted.  Keep your caffeine low so that you won’t run into addiction of it.  Caffeine can be found in various forms such as your Espresso, coke, sweets, drugs, etc.  Caffeine overdoses can lead to nervousness, irritability, anxiety, tremulousness, muscle twitching, insomnia, headaches, respiratory alkalosis and heart palpitations.  Therefore, before you think of getting another Espresso over the coffee brewing machine, think again if you want to risk your health.
4. Drink lots of water – We mean plain water. No coffee.  No coke. No soda.  No sweetened drinks.  Water helps to detoxify your body and most of our body consist of water which essentially means, we need water to for our body to function properly.  When you consume less water than normal, you run the chance of getting ill as your body is not replenishing the required fluid for the body to function well.  Therefore, take time to have a glass of water.  Make a form of logical break which you can walk to the dispenser machine to have a drink.  You get additional reward for stretching and walking to the dispenser machine too!
5. Quit smoking – If you smoke, take the opportunity to quit now.  Other than the long-terms effect of smoking (wrinkles, yellow teeth, cancer), smoking increases the heartbeat and can create feelings of anxiety in teens and young adults.  Get a healthier body by quitting smoking now!  You do want to feel anxious all the time at work!

What you do not want to do is to be on medical leave for your most important meeting in the office for the week.  Often, we neglect the very basic need of our individual needs that is our personal health.  A healthy body allows us to think and work properly in the office.  It is required for personal productivity.  You won’t be able to do anything if you fall sick easily and therefore, it is essential that we take good care of our body to keep ourselves afloat of our busy lifestyle and schedules.

1. Listen to your body – Most often, we neglect tell-tale signs that our body is falling apart in the office.  We often push ourselves above our limits and tire the body.  If you get lethargic easily at work, it is time to take a more proactive observation of your body.  Your body might be signalling to you that it needs some rest.  Yes we got time line to meet.  But you will need the body to meet the timeline.  Before your body fully breaks down into colds, take a break and get yourself away from work for a few minutes.  When you are at home, pamper yourself and give yourself more sleep.  These necessary breaks will allow you to get back your energy and health so that you can continue your work the following day!
2. Learn your limits – Another problem with fast moving individuals these days, is not knowing their limits.   They push harder than what they can cope.  They rush to meet the datelines and ignore that they have broken their body limits.  Your body needs the rest and its working even harder when you are pushing over the limits.  The body will tell you signs that it is working too hard.  Take a moment to listen to your body and rest.  Record times that you feel stressful physically and mentally.  Learn that these are your limits.  Manage your work style in a way that does not push your limits overboard.  What you need is a healthy challenge, not one that will create health problems!
3. Stretch – The simplest form of relaxation that you can do while sitting on the chair.  Stretching is beneficial as it releases the tension on your muscles, improves blood circulation and gives you a logical break of whatever you are doing.  If you are reading this right now, take a moment to stretch real hard!  If you can, stand up and do a full body stretch!  You’ll feel refreshed and alert after the full body stretch and ready to continue what you have left off!
4. Take the stairs – You may have the luxury of time to exercise daily or even weekly.  Why leave the exercise routine to the gym and parks?  Why not turn the office building into a workout facility?  You can skip the lifts and take the stairs up to your office floor.  Taking the stairs is helpful in working out your leg muscles and also working out the heart.  Make it a daily habit and you’ll be glad that you started it.  You will reach office with a healthier mind and body and ready with the challenges for the day!
5. Enjoy the sun – Most of our time is locked up in the air-conditioned building.  You get exposed to the virus and bacteria that is transmitted through the central ventilation or air-conditioning system.  Get yourself out of the office and enjoy the sun.  The sun will brighten you up and give you a chance to break away from being exposed to the virus and bacteria.  Furthermore, the sunlight provides you Vitamin D that is helpful to your health!

1. Make your workplace look attractive and pleasant to you — The typical workplace corporate environment are cubes after cubes of employees.  Come to think of it, it looks like a chicken farm where the chickens are sitting inside the cube.  The professional looks that the executives have planned for are usually dull, grey and lifeless.  If this is affecting you, change the workplace and make it look attractive, that you are proud of it, that you will come in every morning with a lighter feeling.
2. Remove the clutter – You will feel more relaxed with nothing on your work desk.  A work desk with minimal items make you feel refresh, like a new beginning everyday.  However, we have to say that some of us would feel more relaxed with things hanging around on the desk!
3. Add green stuff – Add plants.  Add things that are green or resembles the green foliage.  Greenery releases tension in our mind.  It brings peace and calm to our mind.  Greenery also helps to ease the strained eye. Your eyes had been staring at the computer screen for the entire day; it needs its share of rest!
4. Make the place smell good – Bring a scent that you like.  You do not want to smell the cardboards, wires, or the smell from the computers?  Give some refreshing smell that you are comfortable with.  Of course, you will have to be sensitive to your neighbour’s nose as well.  Before you put on any smell, be sure to check with them if they are comfortable with the new smell. J
5. Play relaxing music – Play music that sooths your mind and soul.  A calm mind will allow you to work better.   For me it’s instrumental jazz and classical music.  I’ve the tendency to listen to the lyrics closely and will lose my attention and focus of my work.  However, that will still be dependent on each individual.  Some are even more comfortable to hip hop or heavy metal!

1. Drink more water – Plain water.  Not soda or caffeine.  Plain water is good and essential for your body to work properly.  From our biology classes, you should have known that most of our body mass is water and water is required to remove impurities from our body.  Therefore, it’s essential to consume appropriate amount of water throughout the day.
2. Visit the loo on time – Don’t hold your bladder just to sit through the meeting or to complete piece of work.  Let’s admit it, some of us do that.  You may have completed the work on time and on momentum, but this will eventually hurt your body in the long run.  Holding the bladder is unhealthy for the body.
3. Avoid staying in air-conditioned rooms for long hours – If you are living in a tropical country that has a weather that is totally unpredictable, where it can cold in the early afternoon, extremely warm in the mid afternoon and back to cold in the evening, you can run into the risk of virus infection.  Air-conditioned environments are usually dry and contain dust that can cause nasal allergy.   Also, with a central air-conditional system running in the building, it is vulnerable to the “sick building” symptom where viruses or illness can be spread easily with the central system.
4. Occasionally go for a light diet – Too much burgers and fries will build large amount of unnecessary carbohydrate in your body.  Maintain a light diet.  Take less meat.  Take more vegetables and fruits.  You need a balance diet that consists of balance nutrients in take.
5. Stretch frequently – If you are desk-bounded and do not go out often, up and stretch!  Stretching for 15 minute every hour is enough to compensate the lack of exercise at work.  Stretching not only boost blood flow in the body, but also prevents the joints from degenerating easily.

By doing all these simple activities at work, you can have a healthier body to keep up to your daily needs.  Keep your body healthy at all times.  Remember, no matter how much planning you made and efficient you are, you will still need a healthy body to deliver output.  Therefore, do not neglect your health and you be sure to get even more productive than you can imagine.

1. Walk – Yes walk more.  Try not taking your ride out for the week.  Experience walking.  Feel the environment around you that you may have missed out while driving.  Jog too.  Breathe in the fresh air in the park.  Don’t you find it boring to run on the treadmill (like some hamster)?
2. Smile – Always.  To everyone.  Smile silly to yourself sometimes.  This cheers you up and brightens your day.  Smile even if someone makes a mistake.  Smiling is contagious.
3. Drink Water – Yes more plain water.  Plain water is essential for a healthy body.  Your body needs it.  Not soda or the caffeinated beverages.  It’s unhealthy and waste of the money.  You can curb the urge to have these flavoured drinks.
4. Buy Used Items – Be thrifty.  It’s not necessary to get the latest stuff or getting branded goods.  Whatever works will do.  You can save tonnes on it.  Same philosophy, sell your used items.  Keep them in good condition and they can fetch you some money.
5. Under-organize – Sometimes it’s counter-productive to keep things complex.  Sometimes things are work better when they are simple and sweet.  There’s always this saying, “Keep It Simple Stupid!” and it does have its rights in its message.
6. Live Small – Don’t over spend.  Don’t spend beyond your capability.  Don’t get a personal loan.  You will always be indebted to the creditor (unless they collapsed).  Save or use the money for better purpose.  In the long run, you need not worry about your cash flow in the office and you’ll be happier.
7. Be Adaptable – You are always adaptable.  Stay nimble and flexible.  Always remember that you can be adaptable in all situations.   If things don’t go your way at a point of time, change yourself, change your mindset, adapt to the situation.  This will make you more accustomed to changes around you and keep you positive.
8. Don’t JUST follow the Lists of Rules – Don’t confine yourself with rules.  Yes, we do need rules to guide our directions.  But at times, break out of the rules.  Do what is necessary and productive accordingly.  Don’t blindly follow them.