​With the arrival of winter comes the arrival of cravings for nice, warm comfort food.

It can be hard to tempt yourself with a green salad or a sandwich for lunch when the weather is cold and you want to warm up, or you feel a bit miserable in general and everyone around you seem to be sick.

So, you reach for a nice, hot lunch instead. Plenty of carbs and fats to make you feel satisfied, warm and content. For a short period of time, anyway. Instant gratification and all that.
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So, can this warm comfort food affect your performance at work?
Let’s look into whether your diet can impact your productivity at work, and which are the right lunchtime foods to reach for to keep you alert all afternoon.
 
Can Your Diet Impact Your Productivity?
Healthy eating is often linked to general health and even weight loss, but it is not often considered in terms of productivity. 

Are you feeling pain as you sit at your desk right now?
Unless you just kicked your toe against the desk leg, chances are, you could be experiencing OOS.

Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS) is one of the most common occupational health problems in the world. Also known as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), the term covers a range of musculo-skeletal problems.
OOS can be debilitating, and treatment is often ongoing. Many people suffering from one will need to be off work for extended periods. This of course impacts both workplaces and employees.
I am going to bring something else into the mix as well, something we are calling the Repetitive Zoom syndrome (or RZS? It's a bit of a mouthful but I haven't had a lot of time to think this over. Maybe we call it REZ syndrome). This may not be an official medical term you will hear at the doctor's office, but hey, we know it is real! 
REZ syndrome is a relatively new phenomenon that has developed as a result of uncomfortable home and office working conditions. With fluctuating Alert Levels we couldn't meet our team or clients in person, so Zoom became the answer. Suddenly, we're are working from kitchen tables, with laptops on our knees on the couch, or on desks that has no ergonomic set up. Technically the 'REZ syndrome' is part of the same OOS definition of course, which is what we are focusing on below. 

There are however ways to help prevent and manage these conditions.
To help you work smartly and safely, let’s look at what causes OOS (and the newly minted REZ syndrome), how to diagnose and treat it, and most importantly, how to prevent it.

​What is OOS?
OOS can range greatly, but overall, they involve damage to muscles, ligaments or tendons throughout the body. Caused by repetitive movements or sustained awkward body positions, you will most often find the upper body is affected. That includes the forearms and elbows, wrists and hands, neck and shoulders - particularly in an office environment.
Examples of OOS include tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and tennis elbow, although there are many more.

​Is stress affecting you and the people you work with? You are not alone. The World Health Organization called job stress a World Wide Epidemic. 
Stress in the work place is one of the most common areas of stress in our lives. Even if we love our jobs, stress is an inevitable part of day-to-day performance and impacts both employers and employees alike. Everyone is susceptible because stress is an individual’s perception of the load they carry, no matter your role in your workplace. Stress is good like that, in that it doesn’t discriminate.

And the stress isn’t just physiological, it is physical as well. Hours spent in front of a computer screen starts playing havoc with your posture. Muscles starts to fatigue and causing pain, which is the nervous system reacting to the way you sit. Trigger points (taught band of muscle that can refer pain to various parts of the body) starts to form, headaches become more frequent and intense and pain starts to spread to different areas of the body. Let's face it, pain is exhausting and spreads into all areas of your life. Just because you leave work doesn't mean you leave the pain behind.

In New Zealand, OSH (Occupational Health and Safety) defines workplace stress as: The result of the interaction between a person and their work environment. According to research, one-third of workers report high levels of stress, and one quarter regards their job as the number one factor of stress in their lives.
Finances is a constant worry, office politics is another as is the actual workload along with constant deadlines.  According to a survey by Bill Wilkerson (CEO of the Global Business and Economics Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health) the Number One stressor in the workplace is: Lack of Control – having no control over the participation or the outcome of the work.

Stress in the workplace is costly too. High staff turnovers, more sick days, less productivity and lowered staff moral are all costly contributing factors for a company. For the staff there are medical bills, prescriptions, sick days used up and struggling to cope in general life, etc.

​For some people, Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of the year and they can’t wait to put up that Christmas tree in the office foyer and wear a Santa hat to the office. But for a large percentage of the population, the holiday season can also be a source of stress and pressure that can impact your health and productivity in a major way.
There has been lots of research completed over the last few decades that has highlighted the festive season can cause a spike in depression, anxiety and stress. This is as people struggle to juggle the responsibilities of family life and end of year work pressure.
It is no secret that you start to feel more work-related pressure during December. There are lots of things that cause it - how to balance holiday events and work obligations, an increased workload with the pressing end of year deadline, and fewer people on deck to help out.
So what can you do about it?

Build A Culture Of Kindness And Support
Just like any community you are involved with, life is a lot more pleasant if people treat each other with kindness, consideration and respect. While not everyone can (or should) share the same opinion or always agree, differences should be tolerated and disagreements resolved openly and honestly.
By cultivating a culture of kindness and openness from the top down and having a zero-tolerance bullying and harassment policy, you are creating a safe space where people are comfortable to be themselves and express their opinions in a healthy way.
 
Celebrate And Appreciate Success
Every employee wants to feel valued and appreciated for the role they play within your team. Maintain a positive vibe by celebrating success - both small wins and big milestones. If one person played an important role, ensure they are thanked and recognized, but also take the opportunity to appreciate the team as a whole.
Rewards can be as simple as writing a personalized thank you note or saying thanks in person, or as elaborate as shouting everyone a shared lunch or team dinner. Reward and recognition are huge motivators which can boost morale and encourage positive collaboration.

​Spring is in the air and the thoughts of cold weather are being pushed firmly to the back of your mind as the sun is starting to shine. For all but the most avid lover of winter, this means better moods, more motivation to get out of bed in the morning and an added spring in your step.
But how does the warmer weather impact life in the office?
What does it mean for office productivity?
Are office workers more productive and efficient during the summer months? Or, do you get more work done during winter, when there’s nothing but rain and grey skies awaiting outside?
Let’s explore when you are likely to be most productive.

Temptation and Distraction
Some studies have shown that warmer weather can lower employee productivity by as much as 20% and increase distraction by a whopping 45%.
This is understandable if you are sitting in an air-conditioned office with the blue sky shining in through the large windows. Especially if you can see people out enjoying the sunshine. It can be easy to daydream and lose focus if you are longing to head to the beach.
However, you can turn this temptation around to your business’ benefit. Other studies have proven that reducing employee work hours during summer provides a marked increase in productivity. Rather than finding “busywork” to pass the time until 5 o'clock rolls around, cutting the day short and offering the reward of an early knock off can encourage people to be efficient, getting more work done than they would have otherwise.

Increased Energy
Although rainy, winter weather doesn’t usually have your employees desperate to run out into the cold, it can reduce energy levels and decrease productivity. Everyone knows that rainy days are perfect for sleeping - the sound of rain on the roof is relaxing and signals nap time for many of us. Sleepiness is so helpful for being alert and on the ball.
On the flip side, sunshine provides us with energy. It wakes up the brain and gets those synapses firing. Even if you are in an office out of the sun, you are still exposed to the energy boost on the way to work and during breaks, so it is still effective.

​Finally, the dreary winter days are coming to an end. You only have to step outside to see the signs - the sun is shining a little bit more and daffodils are starting to poke out of the soil.
It’s time to snap out of the winter funk and come out of hibernation.
Spring is the perfect time of year to clear away the things that aren’t working for you and kick start some new work habits. As nice as it is to have a spring clean at home, it is your workplaces and work life that tend to pile on the stress. So, think of spring as your mid-year new beginning and pick up some fresh habits to make your work life more productive and less stressful.
Here’s how...

​When you have to sit at a desk all day it can be hard to keep active. Too much sitting is bad for your health, as is not enough exercise. But when you are doing office work for 8 hours a day it can be hard to fit in a work out, not to mention that going to the gym after work in the winter dark is often the last thing you feel like doing.
The good news is that you don't have to work in a gym to get exercise during office hours. Here are a few simple fitness tips to help you get active during work time. 

​7 Fitness Tips For Office Workers
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1: Start with The Commute
You can get creative when it comes to getting active on your commute. If you live close to work you could walk or cycle. If you live further away, then try walking to the bus or train station, then walking onto work from your stop.
 
2: Park Further Away
If you need to take a vehicle, then park at the far end of the car park so that you get a bit of exercise at the beginning and end of the day. This also applies for if you have to go out for a meeting, or if you pop out to grab lunch too. Just remember to factor in the extra time it takes to walk from further away so you aren’t late to work. 

Pain is exhausting. You may not have consciously realized it, but the pain that has nagged you all day has drained you almost as bad as the flu.
Pain drains you physically and mentally, and it kills your concentration.
When you're in pain, you will find it hard to perform as you normally would when you're not in pain. 
Why am I saying this? 
Because most of us who sit all day in front of a computer, feels some kind of ache in our muscles, especially neck and shoulders, but also in the back and in our legs. Sitting causes more pressure on the spine than standing (so please get up from the chair and take a break right now if you're reading this).

One of the main reasons I started Bodyworkz Corporate Massage was because I liked the idea of taking massage to the place where people spent most of their time, at work.
I personally also dislike being in pain, as it makes it harder to do almost everything in my life.
Since I worked in a massage clinic then, I made sure I was having massages weekly (to walk the talk kind of thing). 
Although I was very busy with regular people who was already looking after themselves with massage, I realized how many people simply could not afford to come, or could not afford the time to come to the clinic. 
This is why I wanted to bring massage to your workplace, to help not just release that aches but stop it from getting worse. Even a 15-min massage on a regular basis can make a huge difference when you have a trained massage therapist on the job. They know what they are doing, and have been trained to massage over the clothes, to get the circulation going, and release the tension.
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If you think this is something you might like to try for yourself, send us an email, or give us a call today!

​When it comes to work, there is always going to be an element of stress. Tight deadlines, a boss breathing down your neck, unexpected client requests and any number of other things can affect your stress levels.
But what if I told you that stress didn’t have to bring you down and halt your progress?

​What if there was a way to make stress work for you in high pressure times? Well, there are in fact 3 ways that you can make stress work for you. They are…