Employee Wellbeing Month: 7 Tips for Managing Your Physical Wellbeing at Work

This June, we're celebrating Employee Wellbeing Month to introduce healthier choices and activities into your workspace. You work hard, and it's important that you manage your work-life balance in a healthy way every day.

Finding work-life balance can be hard. Fitting exercise and physical wellness into your life can be even harder. Today, we're sharing 7 tips to help you achieve that balance.

Making good health and wellness decisions can lead to increased alertness at work, higher energy and the ability to influence others to make good decisions about health and wellness. You may even find that you feel more productive at work and have reduced stress as you transition to the workplace and take on job responsibilities.

If you're transitioning to an office workplace, how do you practice good physical fitness during business hours when you have to be at your desk all day and may be surrounded by vending machines, birthday celebrations and on-the-go eating? Here are some tips for maintaining your physical fitness and incorporating good habits into your everyday routine at work.

1. Take frequent breaks to stretch. While your time at work is precious and you have a lot to accomplish each day, take time to stretch, walk, and move around when possible.
2. Don't take the easy way around. If your mobility allows, take the stairs and park further away. Adding more opportunities to move throughout the day will help you stretch and feel more energized, even on days when your schedule doesn't allow you to take many breaks.
3. Take lunch. You may think that eating lunch at your desk may help you be more productive, but you need that time to focus on eating, taking a break and regrouping, and moving around. If you have a lunch break — whether it's 30 minutes or an hour —take the opportunity to step away for a little while.
4. Bring lunch from home. Skip ordering out and bring your lunch. This allows you to have more control over what you eat — just be sure to think about nutrition and pick lunch options that have protein, vegetables, fruit, fiber and other important nutrients to help you feel full and nourished throughout the afternoon.
5. Exercise at your desk. If possible, incorporate ankle and wrist exercises into your daily desk routine. You can also bring in resistance bands or hand grips to use at your desk.
6. Skip the celebration food. If your office is one that celebrates birthdays and other events with cake or other food, don't feel like you have to eat it. Eating too much sugar during the day may lead to a sugar crash — feeling tired and unfocused — later in the day.
7. Find a fitness pal. Having someone in the office who views fitness the same way you do is helpful. You can encourage each other to make healthy decisions, like going for a walk during your break.

After your workday is done, try to add a little more activity to your routine. Adult leagues are a great opportunity to meet people, maintain or increase your proficiency in a sport and have fun while exercising. Find out if your employer has a sports league you can get involved with, or you can research local sports leagues and join.

These tips are also helpful to people who are on the search for a job! If you begin practicing some of these activities today, you'll be even more ready to have a good work/life balance when you're employed.

What are some of your tips for staying healthy at work or on the job search? Share your stories, tips, recipes and ideas all month long using #EWM18 and @chooseworkSSA!

About Ticket to Work

Social Security's Ticket program supports career development for people ages 18 through 64 who receive Social Security disability benefits (SSI or SSDI) and want to work. The Ticket program is free and voluntary. It helps people with disabilities move toward financial independence and connects them with the services and support they need to succeed in the workforce.