Corporate Wellness

Fake It ’Til You Become It

We’ve all heard “fake it ‘til you make it,” but the key idea here is to fake it until you become it. Here are some ways you can instantly adjust your attitude and gain confidence.

Flash a smile

Saying “cheese” has the power to instantly boost your mood, as well as everyone’s around you. Smiles are not only contagious, but studies are showing that they’re more than just a physical facial expression. According to sources in this article, turning that frown upside down can relieve stress, boost your immunity and make you impervious to depression. (Bonus: swipe on an invigorating lip balm containing peppermint oil to increase the mood elevating effects of showing those pearly whites.)

Dress the part

We feel you; you just threw that on for a quick run to the grocery store. But, when you’ve been wearing your comfy pants and a “mom bun” for more than a couple of days in a row, the lack of effort to get ready could affect your state of mind. Think about how you feel after you take a shower, do your hair, put on some makeup and slip into something a little more, well, extra. It makes you feel extra! You’re not hiding under your college softball team hat and husband’s favorite football team sweatshirt from 1994, you’ve got on your warpaint and you’re ready to face the world. A study has even shown that “professional dress” makes you think more creatively. So get into costume and see how it can change your mind and helps you gain confidence!

Put on some tunes

Think about it. Have you ever been on the dancefloor cutting a rug and been sad, unhappy, grumpy, mad, or generally negative at the same time? Perhaps for a moment (if for some reason you were reluctant to let your inner JLo out), but once you allow the music to take over and freely move your body, it’s pretty hard not feel some sense of joy or mood elevation. For this one, trust us. Shut the door to your office or take a moment in your bedroom alone, put on your all-time favorite song and dance like noone is watching. Become your best Britney Spears and embrace the Footloose within. The happy dance is real people, you just have to do it!

Move it

Speaking of shaking it, if dancing isn’t your thing, then just move in some way, shape or form to elevate your heart rate. That’s right, we’re talking about intentionally increasing your pulse past sedentary and into the action zone. Exercise has been shown to increase your brain volume, which is a good thing for your emotional state! In particular, it improves the hippocampus’ resiliency, which in turn leads to better mental health in general. Exercise also stimulates all the feel good chemicals and receptors we naturally produce, leading to sensations of wellbeing beyond physical fitness. Doing something as simple as a minute or two of jumping jacks, bodyweight squats or push ups may be enough to give your mood a nudge in the right direction. Even better, commit to a scheduled exercise sesh to reap the benefits on a regular basis. If you can’t workout before or after work, don’t forget about corporate fitness classes conveniently offered at many businesses onsite during the workday.

Give and receive a hug

Sometimes, we just need a hug. So, if you’re not on the receiving end be the giver because the beauty of a hug is that the giver and receiver reap all the warm fuzzy feels a good embrace can provide. Click here for 10 reasons why we need at least eight hugs a day.

Do an act of kindness

When you’re singularly focused on yourself and your own misery, it can be tough to see beyond your own nose. A quick fix can be to perform a random act of kindness for someone else to shift the focus. Not only will this pull your attention away from whatever is ailing you, but you may not know how something small, like leaving positive feedback for a customer service agent or buying a co-worker a coffee could turn around whatever is not going right in their life. Kindness, like a hug, pays mutual dividends to both parties involved.

So don’t fake it, become it! And now that you’re back to your positive, energetic self, don’t forget to check out all the great corporate wellness offering Goomi Group can bring to your place of business. A yoga class, bootcamp or Lunch and Learn may be just what your employees need to gain confidence and stay merry and bright all year long. Learn more at GoomiGroup.com.

Read more: Be a Boss at Change In Life: 3 Steps to Success

We all want to work smarter, not harder. But, even technological advances haven’t conquered adding more hours into the day. One of the of the first things that seems to get sacrificed by increased demands in the workplace is our health. Less time for self-care, declining energy, more sick days and stress contribute to decreased productivity, increased absenteeism and a general morale problem. This all translates to more than just elevated healthcare costs for employers, it’s compromising our collective wellbeing.

Thankfully, workplace wellness programs have entered into play to help mitigate health challenges of workers, while being mutually beneficial for the companies. While some initiatives focus on individual challenges like smoking cessation, mental health care or weight loss, there’s a growing trend for keeping it simple by building community with group activities inserted right into the workday like on-site mind/body fitness classes, Lunch & Learns and healthy cooking demonstrations.

Feedback on these types programs is overwhelming positive because of the convenience of being able to participate during the workday. That means on-site classes like the one we offer here at Goomi may just be the alternative to bending time.

Here are 10 Reasons Workplace Wellness Works

1. It’s convenient and time-savvy. If it’s easy, employees will be more likely to participate. And if they participate, they’re more likely to adapt the new habits and behaviors they learn through wellness offerings. Providing classes that improve health during office hours makes it simple for staff to schedule it in their busy lives.
2. There’s a positive domino effect. Most health problems are caused by poor eating habits combined with a sedentary lifestyle. By bringing group exercise classes and nutrition education onsite, employers light the spark of inspiration for healthy habits and an organic chain reaction takes place.
3. Mob mentality works to the program’s advantage. Employees model each other’s behaviors. Even if participation isn’t mandatory, once non-compliant employees observe enthusiastic ones going to classes, bringing healthy snacks, and keeping water bottles on their desks – it’s inevitable that even the most resistant folks will give some element of the wellness program a try. Peer influence is real and it can be a major motivator!
4. It’s been studied and proven effective. The Rand Report Workplace Wellness Programs Study lead author, Soeren Mattke states, “We find that workplace wellness programs can help contain the current epidemic of lifestyle-related diseases, the main driver of premature morbidity and mortality as well as health care cost in the United States.” #BOOM
5. Wellness programs attract the best of the best and keep them. Perks mean a lot these days, and offering on-site wellness programming can be just the item that sets you apart from the competition. When a prospective new hire is considering their offer, imagine if on-site massages and lunchtime Pilates were a part of their deal. It could be what sways a star prospect to sign with you.
6. Workplace wellness creates company culture and loyalty. According to a report from The Economist Intelligence Unit,” employees who say their company has a wellness culture, regardless of size, report better outcomes across a broad range of concerns, from fitness and diet to overall well-being and engagement with the employer’s mission. Such a culture, the EIU research shows, is achievable for a broad range of companies and can provide an important competitive advantage.
7. It’s fun! How can employees not enjoy an all-day health fair that includes massages? Whether your team likes mellow meditation or boot camp, nutrition education or boardroom yoga, there’s wellness programming out there that will resonate with your people and bring more joy to their day. Happier employees mean less absenteeism, more productivity and decreased healthcare costs.
8. Employees have something to look forward to. A post-work kickboxing class or 10-minute massages once a month can be major motivation. A workforce that looks forward to coming to work is highly valuable. When staff get in early for a pre-shift Vinyasa yoga class or powers through their morning tasks just so they can make the lunchtime meditation group, the return on investment is immense.
9. It produces positive change. Stress-reduction, weight loss, improved sleep, mood elevation and increased mobility are some of the possible outcomes from engaging in wellness programs.
10. Workplace wellness improves the bottom line. Whether happier, healthier employees recoup the investment in programming via productivity, healthcare costs or camaraderie, wellness itself is priceless. Need numbers? A study found, “Employees who participated in a program and successfully improved their health care or lifestyle showed significant improvements in lost work time. These employees saved an average of $353 per person per year. This reflects about 10.3 hours in additional productive time annually, compared with similar, but non participating employees.”Ready to get your workplace wellness going? Chat with us at Goomi Group about customized programs for your unique company needs. We know that self-care is a universal challenge for everyone from the mailroom to the boardroom. In an age of power-meetings and drive-thru lunches, Goomi is a one-stop-shop for all of your health and wellness needs. Our expertise is bringing specialized programming to your office that fits your schedule. A balanced life is possible for everyone and we have the solutions to bring wellness right to you.