Don’t Let Your Office Make You Sick

admin — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 17:56:10 +0000

Cold and flu season is upon us, and the office is one of the worst places for germs to spread. Since no one likes to be under the weather, and no one likes that person who comes to work sick as a dog, here are some tips on how to avoid getting the cold or flu this year.

Personal Hygiene

Wash your hands for at least 15-20 seconds, or sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice. Use soap and water, and use a paper towel to turn off the faucet and open the bathroom door when you leave.

Between hand washing, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Sneeze and cough into a tissue, throw the tissue away, and then wash your hands. If you don’t have a tissue, sneeze or cough into your elbow instead of your hands. Also, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Get Rid of Office Germs

There are lots of surfaces in offices that get touched and handled repeatedly. It’s always a good idea to regularly disinfect these items and surfaces. You can use disinfecting wipes or clean paper towels and a disinfecting/multi-purpose cleaning spray.

Here are some of the places and items in offices that should be cleaned regularly:

Doorknobs or handles, including refrigerators and microwaves.
Coffee pot handle
Copier machine buttons
Countertops
Phones, keyboards, and mouse.

Take Care of Yourself

To avoid getting sick, you must take care of yourself, first and foremost. Drinking plenty of fluids, preferably water, helps you stay hydrated, which aids in digestion, absorption and transportation of nutrients, circulation, and maintenance of body temperature.

Exercise regularly and frequently, and avoid or reduce alcohol consumption. Eat healthy foods such as lean protein, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables, and try to reduce stress levels. Increased stress or anxiety can decrease immunity.

If you do get the flu, come by Neighbors Emergency Center, and we can get you on the road to recovery more quickly. We provide 24 hour emergency care in Houston and Austin, so you don’t have to worry about missing work, school, or other important events this time of year.

The post Don’t Let Your Office Make You Sick appeared first on .

Stay Fit Even in the Work Place!

admin — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 10:30:24 +0000

Everyone struggles with staying fit and healthy these days, but 8 hour work days in offices or cubicles can make that struggle ten times worse. You can also avoid long term physical and health issues just by doing these few simple things for a little bit everyday at work. Neighbors has some suggestions that will help you stay fit.

Firstly, snacking at work is almost everyone’s biggest pitfall. From candy to chips to stopping at the vending machine periodically, that all day snacking can add up to weight gain very quickly. Instead of snacking on that Snickers bar or bag of Doritos, keep fruit in the office fridge or a pack of trail mix or mixed nuts nearby.

These are great snacks that will also provide energy when you need it most. They can even help you eliminate coffee from your daily routine as there is more usable energy in an apple than in a cup of coffee.

The worst part of office work for your body is sitting in a chair all day. This can lead to low back problems and TMS or worse. Ways to mitigate these issues include getting a lumbar support for your chair or even replacing it with a yoga exercise ball.

This will also help you strengthen your abs in addition to your back muscles! In this same realm of thought, you can keep free weights beneath your desk and do reps while on the phone or any time your hands are free. If you don’t have free weights, you can use water bottles!

Simple exercises to do at work include calf raises. Any time your legs start to feel restless, stand up and do some calf raises. You can even do them while waiting in line or in a meeting if you happen to be standing. This goes along with the importance of stretching throughout the work day.

From spinal rotations in your chair to standing up and stretching as tall as you can, just 5 – 10 minutes of stretching per hour can reduce the risk of blood clots and muscle deterioration.

These simple tips will help any office work day go by more quickly, but also keep you engaged, energetic, and healthy. You can even do in chair exercises like leg lifts and isometric strength training if you really want to to do so!

The post Stay Fit Even in the Work Place! appeared first on .