American Heart Month: Keeping Your Workplace Heart Healthy
Hearts are very special this time of year. Between Valentine’s Day and American Heart Month awareness, February is all about making hearts feel good! However, workplaces can often be a bad place for heart health due to high stress levels and working conditions. Celebrate American Heart Month in the office by making some heart-healthy changes in the workplace.
Photo credit: Mara ~earth light~ / Foter / CC BY
Offer Heart Superfoods Heart disease is the number one killer in America, according to the CDC. One contributing factor to rampant heart disease is cholesterol levels. The good news is it is never too late to start eating healthy! Even changing dietary habits later in life can do a world of good in lowering your risk of heart disease. Health has a list of superfoods that have been proven to lower the risk of heart problems, such as:
Try offering more of these healthy options in a workplace cafeteria or for meetings and events where the company provides good. This will help encourage a healthy heart. Encourage More Physical Activity The second reason why heart disease is such an American predator is high blood pressure. More physical activity in the workplace can help lower blood pressure, promote overall physical health and reduce stress. Office workers tend to get in a rut of sitting at a desk for most of their eight hour day. There have been many innovations in the workplace to encourage more physical activity. Mayo Clinic encourages:
- Create meeting rooms that only allow standing or start walking brainstorming meetings.
- Stand while talking on the phone.
- Encourage using stairs instead of an elevator.
- Use fitness balls instead of chairs.
- Create a light-weight workout room that allows for stretching during the day.
- Implement standing desks or treadmill desks.
Loving the heart of employees means taking care of their health. Implementing superfood and activity standards in the workplace is a great way to celebrate American Heart Month in February.
