I’m back with more awesome tips to share on my ACTIVE OFFICE SERIES. These tips you can apply to your work place – yes – but also in your home or favorite creative area! As you learned many easy tips in my first Work Series Article #1 – How To Be More Active At Work, today I give more easy tips on How To Create A Healthy Work Environment.
How you keep and maintain your workspace has a lot to do with your mental happiness, clarity, and motivation. By keeping a clean and healthy workspace you will feel more space, stay more calm, and feel less stress. Sounds pretty good, right? Here are some very easy and simple tips that you may be already doing that will help you create a healthy work environment at your 9-5. Let’s get our rejuvenation on!
Invest in a good chair.
A decent chair is worth the investment as it will help you with your posture, your stress, and helps you to focus more on your work. Sitting with proper posture will benefit your standing posture and workouts so you can perform at your absolute best.
Make your space functional and inspiring.
Reorganize your office to clear clutter and create a layout that is functional. Rearrange the furniture in ways to create more room and space. Who knows, maybe this way you can sneak in a workout when no one is looking (think plank, push-ups or yoga). Make it your place and choose decor and color accents that inspire, energize and motivate you to create your healthy work environment.
Use a natural cleaner.
Your work environment is one of the dirtiest places of all which isn’t pretty considering you spend 8+ hours of your day here. It is important to keep your area clean while avoiding harsh chemical cleaners to do so. My favorite all natural cleaner recipe is below, which can be used to clean not only your office, but your home as well.
Monica’s homemade cleaner recipe
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons baking soda
- 1 liter (4 cups) of hot water
- 1/2 a lemon
- In a small bucket or 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup, combine vinegar, baking soda and hot water.
- Squeeze in the juice from half a lemon then drop the rind in as well to infuse the cleaner.
- Stir well to dissolve the baking soda and allow to cool. Remove the lemon rind.
- Transfer into a spray bottle or squeeze bottle and label clearly. Your homemade cleaner is ready to use.
Have fresh soy candles or essential oils nearby.
We can’t deny that scents affect our mood which is why some fresh smelling scents are vital for a healthy work environment. Some help to relax you on those stressful days and some energize you when you’re struggling through your afternoon. My favorite smells are lemon, vanilla, cinnamon, jasmine, lavender and peppermint which help to calm and stimulate focus and brainstorming – perfect for a productive workday.
Keep positive and uplifting mantras in eyesight.
Find inspiring, uplifting and motivational quotes and put them up! Another great idea is creating a bulletin board or vision board of all your goals. Bring in a photo or two of what means the most to you – maybe it’s of your family, friends, favorite place to visit or your pets. Work is important, but this reminds you that balance is key.
Add plants to your space.
There is just something incredibly soothing and powerful about nature. In addition to beautifying your space, plants increase positive feelings, lower blood pressure, and relieve stress. If you worry about your plant-care-taking skills, opt for succulents as they’re easier to maintain.
What are your favorite ways to achieving a healthy work environment? For more tips on Staying Healthy and Acitve at work visit here.
See you on your next workout!
Monica Nelson is a personal trainer, chef, accomplished athlete, model and much loved health and fitness expert based in LA. She inspires her clients to look and feel their best with her life motto: EAT WELL, STAY FIT, FEEL GREAT.
One of her greatest passions is cooking and the talented Moni loves to whip up healthy and decadent meals for her readers to enjoy. On any given day you can find her being creative in the kitchen, training her clients in the park, at the beach, out for a bike ride or catching big air on her snowboard.
Make friends with Moni (@monimealfitness) on Twitter and Instagram. Grab a recipe or two at www.monimeals.com before you head over for a quick workout at www.monicanelsonfitness.com.