Wellness Wednesday provides a perfect reminder to work toward a healthy lifestyle. Business owners often need an excuse to take breaks and focus on wellness. And sharing wellness tips with employees can make your entire workplace healthier. Here are some Wellness Wednesday ideas to pass along.

1. Practice Meditation

Meditation provides numerous proven advantages. It can help alleviate stress, enhance concentration, and boost creativity. Consider dedicating time daily to breath work or guided relaxation; even just a few minutes can be incredibly beneficial.

2. Plan a Workout Routine

Fitness isn’t just a way to lose weight. A solid exercise program can also lead to more energy, higher self-esteem, and improved moods. Encourage team members to find a method that they enjoy and work it into their daily routine.

3. Reduce Your Caffeine Intake

Excessive caffeine can increase anxiety. And enjoying a caffeine boost in the afternoon can potentially disrupt sleep. Switching to decaf, herbal tea, or water may support mental health and sleep function.

4. Exercise on Your Lunch Break

Physical activity doesn’t need to be time-consuming. Build healthy habits into the small pockets of time throughout your day. For example, take a walk or do a quick yoga session on your lunch break.

5. Eat Fresh Fruit and Veg

Small changes can significantly enhance your diet over time. Rather than eliminating foods, focus on incorporating more fresh produce into each meal. These nutrient-rich foods help you feel fuller, leaving less space for unhealthy options later on.

6. Practice Sleep Hygiene

Working to improve sleep can lower stress levels and improve brain function. Create a nightly routine, shut off screens, and keep your room dark and quiet at night.

7. Try Yoga

Yoga is a low-impact option that can build strength and improve mental health. Try a class or find a video workout online.

8. Cut Your Sugar Intake

Sugar is a huge part of most people’s diets. Cut back on sweets and sugary drinks to improve energy levels naturally instead.

9. Perfect Your Work-Life Balance

Spending time with family, friends, and community is important for mental health. No matter how focused you are on work, create times when you shut off devices and enjoy yourself or slow down and rest.

10. Unplug from Your Devices

Being constantly connected to social media and email can increase stress and overstimulation. To alleviate this, consider taking breaks over the weekend or during dinner and family time. You can do this by leaving your phone in another room or turning it off completely. Don’t forget to check out our wellness tips on Wednesday for more ways to manage your digital life!

11. Count Your Steps

A dedicated workout isn’t the only way to maintain a healthy weight and improve cardiovascular fitness. Movement in your daily life, like the short walk into your office, can also contribute to your wellness goals. Use a fitness tracker to count how many steps you take each day so you’re motivated to work in more movement.

12. Improve Dental Hygiene

Dental health plays a significant role in heart health and can decrease the risk of several conditions, including diabetes. To maintain good dental health, brush and floss daily and schedule appointments with your dentist twice a year. This routine will help minimize the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.

13. Practice Gratitude

Feeling grateful for what you have can improve your mood and lead to a happier world. Write down three things you’re grateful for each morning or evening to build this into your routine.

14. Track Your Water Intake

Do you drink enough water each day? Most people aren’t sure, so keep track on a note by your desk or on your smartphone. Then, increase hydration as needed.

15. Enjoy a Green Smoothie

Green smoothies can include tons of nutrition. Add fruits, veggies, seeds, nut butter, and protein for a well-balanced snack each day.

16. Stretch Throughout the Day

Sitting at a desk all day is bad for your spine and joints. Send employees reminders to get up and stretch or walk about once every hour.

17. Learn a New Skill

Just like with physical fitness, your brain needs exercise to improve strength and resilience. There are tons of ways to do this — learn an instrument, practice a new language, or complete challenging puzzles.

18. Build Breaks into Your Schedule

Don’t wait until the weekend or a long vacation to rest. Block off parts of your calendar to sit and eat quietly, enjoy nature, or just lounge around the house.

19. Start a New Hobby

Engage in enjoyable activities to boost your happiness and reduce stress. Consider trying painting, joining a club, or exploring secondhand stores for unique collectibles.

20. Try Therapy

Talking through stress can improve your mood, relationships, and lifestyle. Some people are resistant to therapy. But there are plenty of options, including in-person, phone, video, and text sessions.

21. Meal Prep for the Week

Eating healthy can be challenging when you’re constantly on the go. Rather than relying on fast food restaurants or vending machines, consider planning your meals ahead of time. Dedicate some time each Sunday to prepare your food, ensuring you’re well-equipped for the week. This proactive approach can help you stay on track with your wellness Wednesday tips.

22. Spend Time in Nature

Spending time outdoors can improve your mood and increase your vitamin D. Try working outside for an afternoon, reading on your patio, or switching out the treadmill for an actual walk.

23. Take Deep Breaths

Breathing facilitates the delivery of more oxygen to your organs and tissues. While your body naturally performs this function, there are times when you need to pause, slow down, and truly rejuvenate both your body and mind.

How to Use These Wellness Tips to Promote Healthy Habits to Employees

The Wellness Wednesday tips above can help both you and your employees make healthier choices. To share them, think about how you normally communicate with your team and create a habit of sharing health related content there regularly.

Wellness Wednesday Tip of the Week

Sometimes, it helps to have a weekly habit of sharing tips. Turn it into a tradition that employees look forward to each Wednesday.

Share Tips at the End of Meetings

One approach is to incorporate wellness tips into your weekly staff meetings. You can either share a thought at the beginning or end of the meeting or encourage team members to share their own experiences and insights, allowing everyone to learn from one another.

Create a Thread in Your Team’s Communication App

If you have a remote team or usually communicate virtually, start a thread for tips and other articles related to well being so everyone can share together.

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This article, “23 Wellness Wednesday Tips to Share with Employees” was first published on Small Business Trends