The successful executive’s schedule leaves no time for illness. Time is money, and illness costs. One strategy for reducing costs across your organization is to put in place a culture of wellness that encourages all employees, from the top down, to protect their health and well-being and reduce their risk of serious illness.
What is wellness? Think of wellness as a pyramid with three major pillars. The pillars of wellness include the following:
• Eating patterns.
• Activity patterns.
• Rest and relaxation.
Each has a significant effect on the other two. That’s why you tend to eat more junk if you are sleep-deprived, and it’s why the last thing you might feel like doing after dinner on Thanksgiving is to get off the couch for a game of football with the kids.
But it works the other way, too, which is why you tend to sleep better after a strenuous hike, or a day spent kayaking out on the lake, or a light dinner.
Pillars work together
The pillars of wellness work together in a synergistic fashion; a small improvement on all sides can sometimes feel like a million bucks. Add these small changes to your daily agenda:
• Walking meetings.
• A piece of fruit every day at 3 p.m.
• Two minutes of quiet time every day after lunch.
Working these into your schedule helps you to make healthy choices part of your daily routine. These small changes may not seem like much, but you might be pleasantly surprised. I know I was.
You can also use this knowledge about health and wellness to actively reduce, for example, your risk of developing obesity or Type 2 diabetes. Everyone knows that food choices play a central role in controlling blood sugars and fat storage, but not everyone realizes that exercise and rest also play significant roles.
It’s valuable to know that the more active you are, and the better rested and less overwhelmed by stress, the more likely your blood sugars and waistline measurements are to be in the normal range.
Stress reduction
Stress is something we all suffer from — especially in the workplace. It can be reduced with rest and exercise, but how do you go about dealing with it at work?
• Breathe deeply.
• Liven up your workspace.
• Focus on one task at a time.
The bottom line? Lunchtime yoga classes, mini-meditation breaks, after-hours hiking clubs and early bedtimes are good medicine for both your physical and financial health.
