10 Ways to Feel Better at Work
Lower your stress and increase your fitness - it's all in a day's work
1. Tune Out Travel Tension
Your risks of high blood pressure and weight gain rise if you take long trips to work. Combat the white knuckles of traffic and train delays by listening to audiobooks or music you find relaxing.
2. Skipped Breakfast?
Pair yogurt with fruit and enjoy while checking your e-mail. For a brain boost, add some walnuts - their antioxidants may enhance memory, and the protein-packed combo will quash hunger.
3. Breathe Deeply
The website calm.com provides a two-minute relaxation exercise - good for your mental well-being and your heart. Use it daily or just when you need it most.
Related: 7 Habits of Happy, Healthy Women
4. Crunch Through Lunch
In a Swedish study, twice-weekly exercise sessions boosted workers' efficiency enough for the rest of the week to compensate for any lost desk time.
5. Pause for a Real Meal
A nutritious lunch brightens your mood and helps you make better decisions, a Canadian study suggests.
6. Take a One-Hour Vacay…
…from your email. If your boss allows it, the mini break may help you concentrate and feel more relaxed, report UC Irvine researchers.
Related: 15 Easy Ways to De-Stress
7. Ward Off Posture Pain
Each hour, turn your head from side to side, then drop your chin and move your head back to stretch your neck; squeeze your shoulder blades together to open your chest. Reach up with one arm, then the other, then both. Walk around every hour or so, and stimulate your lower back by squeezing your butt muscles.
8 . Hoof It Through Snack Time
When the vending machine M&Ms start calling your name, take a walk. A British study found that a 15-minute stroll could halve the amount of chocolate that people ate at work.
9. Go to Your Office Happy Hour…
...and spend time bonding with colleagues. Positive work relationships have been linked to a longer life.
10. Put Your Blackberry (or Tablet) to Bed
Getting enough rest will help you be more efficient tomorrow. Need another reason? In one survey, 15% of respondents said tablet time interfered with sexier activities.
Related: 25 Tricks to Sleep Better Tonight
Is work especially crazy? Try quick fixes to get you through "one of those days."
Chill Out: Expert Tips to Find Instant Inner Calm
"Meditate for 10 minutes. Inhale deeply and hold, then slowly release, repeating a word or sound."
- Herbert Benson, M.D., Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine
"Laugh. Even the anticipation of a chuckle can be calming."
- Lee S. Berk, Dr. Ph., Loma Linda University
"Try acupressure. Rub the center of your palm with your thumb, then continue up your arm to your bicep."
- Bryn Clark, Licensed Acupuncturist
How do you reduce stress at work? Let me know in the comments!
-by Marnie Soman
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