Month: April 2018

Have you ever stopped to think that our body works non-stop, day in and day out…late nights, parties, early morning preps, midnight binges, training for a sport, studying for an exam, preparing a presentation – our body just does whatever we demand of it….no rests….no stops…no complaints.

At times, there are hiccups and loud alarm bells – and that’s the time we slow down only to pace it up once we feel well again…

But is that the way to live?

Our body is like a temple which houses our soul. It’s the only thing that will remain constant with us throughout our life – how are we nurturing it?

Fitness, diets, meditation, yoga, laughter workshops, walks are probably some of the answers which I get – but doing only one is not enough…overall body care and wellness comes from taking care of your body from different dimensions.

WHO defines as “Wellness is more than being free from illness, it is a dynamic process of change and growth. A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Wellness as an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life.

Just as various parts of your body come together to perform one task, similarly these 7 various types of nurturing will help your body,mind and soul stay fit, happy and healthy.

Here we’re going to delve into the 7 dimensions of wellness and how one can measure oneself on the wellness scale.

These dimensions integrate social, emotional, spiritual, environmental, occupational, intellectual and physical wellness to improve our quality of life.

 

• Social Wellness:measures how we relate to and connect with other people in our world. Our ability to maintain positive relationships with family, friends and colleagues contributes to our Social Wellness.

 

• Emotional Wellness:is all about how we cope with life’s challenges. The ability to acknowledge and share feelings of anger, fear, sadness or stress; hope, love, joy and happiness in a productive manner contributes to our Emotional Wellness.
• Spiritual Wellness:is the ability to establish peace and harmony in our lives. Whether it is the peace and order our religion brings or the values we live with and the actions we take in our day to day  lives. Basically our ability to discover meaning and  purpose to life.

• Environmental Wellness:is the ability to recognize our own responsibility for the quality of the air, the water and the land that surrounds us. The ability to value and improve on the quality of our environment, be it our homes, our communities or our planet contributes to our Environmental Wellness.

• Occupational Wellness:is the ability to get personal fulfilment from our jobs and work-life balance. Our desire to make a positive impact on the organizations we work in leads to Occupational Wellness.

• Intellectual Wellness:is the ability to open our minds to new ideas and experiences that can lead to our own betterment and continued growth. The desire to learn new concepts, improve skills and seek challenges in pursuit of lifelong learning contributes to our wellness.

• Physical Wellness:is the ability to maintain a healthy quality of life that allows us to get through our daily activities without undue fatigue or physical stress. The ability to recognize that our behaviors have a significant impact on our wellness and adopting healthful habits (routine check-ups, a balanced diet, exercise, etc.) while avoiding destructive habits (tobacco, drugs, alcohol, etc.) will lead to optimal Physical Wellness.Taking  charge of our health by making conscious decisions to be healthy.

 

Creating a culture of wellness

You can’t change and sustain your entire lifestyle overnight! What you need to do is take a deep breath, analyse your daily routine, habits, eating pattern and factors which stress you out.

Prioritize tasks in order of importance, plan ahead in terms of work preparations, meal preparations and activities that you want to do.

Make small do-able changes that make you feel happy, energised and positive about yourself.

Do remember, wellness is not about deprivation and achieving infinite tasks in one day! Go slow, listen to what your body wants and be in tune with your deeper needs.

My quick tips would be:

• Eat right
• Move more
• Breathe easy
• Stress less
• Work smart
• Live well

Recently I found this extremely good resource  from North West Wellness Services, Missouri and I’d really like to share it with you.

Print the attached wheel or draw it out and answer the questions that follow. There’s no answering to anyone, no right or wrong and it just gives a wonderful perspective on where you individually stand today.

All you need to do is fill in the corresponding pie-shaped section of the wheel to the degree you are achieving this.

For example, question #1 is: “I eat a balanced nutritional diet”

If you feel you are doing this 100% of the time, colour in all of section 1. If you do this 60% of the time, colour 60% of the section.

Complete this for all 36 sections of the wheel.

 

1. I eat a balanced nutritional diet.
2. I exercise at least 3 times per week.
3. I practice safe sex.
4. I do not use alcohol or use in moderation, am a non-smoker and avoid street drugs.
5. I am generally free from illness.
6. I am a reasonable weight for my height.
7. I have a solid balance between saving for the future and spending for the present.
8. My beliefs/values surrounding money are harmonious with my behaviour.
9. What I am doing with work has purpose.
10. I use money positively, e.g. no gambling or excessive massing of goods.
11. I have a balance between work and the other areas of my life.
12. I have financial plans for the future.
13. I have specific intellectual goals, e.g., learning a new skill.
14. I pursue mentally stimulating interests or hobbies.
15. I am generally satisfied with my education plan/vocation.
16. I have positive thoughts (a low degree of negativity and cynicism).
17. I would describe myself as a life long learner.
18. I commit time and energy to professional and self-development.
19. I have a sense of fun and laughter.
20. I am able to feel and label my feelings.
21. I express my feelings appropriately.
22. I have a sense of control in my life and I am able to adapt to change.
23. I am able to comfort or console myself when I am troubled.
24. Others would describe me as emotionally stable.
25. I am able to resolve conflicts in all areas of my life.
26. I am aware of the feelings of others and can respond appropriately.
27. I have at least three people with whom I have a close trusting relationship.
28. I am aware of and able to set and respect my own and others boundaries.
29. I have satisfying social interaction with others.
30. I have a sense of belonging/not being isolated.
31. I practice meditation, pray or engage in some purpose in my life.
32. I have a general sense of Serenity.
33. I have faith in a higher power.
34. I have a sense of meaning and purpose in my life.
35. I trust others and am able to forgive others and myself and let go.
36. Principles/ethics/morals provide guides for my life

Your response will vary depending on your age and stage of life. Consider the wheel you have created as a source of feedback.

REFLECTION

Which section of your wheel has the most colour? Which section of your wheel has the least colour?

GOAL SETTING

As a result of doing this assessment, how can you improve your life balance?

What will be your first step? How will you achieve your goal?

Also do set a timeline for your progress!

Wishing you a healthy happy life!

 

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In today ‘s working environment an increasing number of executives in corporate world are ending up as victims of lifestyle diseases such as obesity,hypertension,diabetes,cancer etc. Tight deadlines,work pressure,targets travel or slouching on chairs for long hours have forced the current  workforce to lead an erratic lifestyle where health has become the last priority.In such a scenario the employer needs to give their employees a complete well being so as to enhance their performance productivity thereby making Corporate Nutrition & Health Program essential.

Have you ever thought of cultivating a culture of wellness in your organisation?

A study shows that the impact of diet on productivity can be as high as 66%.People are often surprised by the difference nutrition can make in physical as well as mental health. And all it takes is a few adjustments to make a big difference.

Most of us today spend more time in our workplace than our homes or otherwise. So nutrition and wellness at work holds key to employee productivity, health and overall engagement.

Good Health is the best gift you can give your employees!!

Late nights, hectic travel schedules, constant eating out and errant lunches and dinners lead to rising health issues and healthcare costs. Changing how people eat is the single behaviour that can have the biggest impact on their health. It can  help lose weight,reverse chronic disease, strengthen immune system and, ultimately, lower healthcare costs for companies.

We specialise in helping busy professionals integrate healthy habits for the long term, step by step, in a way that fits working life.

The result? More productive, engaged and motivated employees.

The Challenges of Healthy Eating

Today’s so-called fast food is calorie dense, additive and full of salt, sugar and fat. Thus, people are challenged to make smart food choices every day at cafeterias, restaurants and while buying impulse food at the supermarket.Have worked with numerous professionals and each one has a different set of challenges.Helping and educating them  making smaller changes in their day to day routine has led to significant improvement on how they feel at work.You will be surprised by the difference nutrition can make to your employee’s physical as well as mental health. And all it takes is a few small tweaks to make a big difference.

Core Benefits of Nutriguide iPlan

Everyone can benefit from a nutrition tune-up.  The foods we choose to eat are linked to the energy. We have to be productive in our careers, present with our families, and enjoy the activities that make us who we are.  Learning to choose the right foods, in the right amounts, at the right time is the key to feeling and performing the best you can in whatever you choose to do.  Our nutrition program focuses on food as the fuel for our lives and provides simple strategies to get the most out of every time we eat.

With Nutriguide iPlan we aim for sustainable, long-term gradual change by customising food plans for each employee and pointing individuals to the healthy options all around them — at home, at the grocery store, at their office cafe,  in local restaurants or eateries anywhere across the world.

Nutrition is not a one size fits all package. Hence, we specially focus on various job profiles like Night Shift workers, Desk Lovers, Frequent Travellers etc.

Monitoring without Meeting

Most corporate nutrition programs address nutrition as a whole only through workshops and talks. But in today’s fast paced world it’s difficult to make time for ourselves and our well-being. Regular visits and face to face meetings are not possible always. Thus, the iPlan model is designed as a flexible,digital,holistic and personalised nutrition counselling program that can be done from the comfort of home,office or anywhere in the world irrespective of location. Nutrition consultancy takes place over the phone or chat or e-mail or video call at the convenience of the employee and the Nutrition Plan is fine tuned each time based on the progress made.

We work 1-on-1 with each employee to analyse their specific needs and equip them with knowledge, insights and meal plans to help them make better choices and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Tools which help monitoring include online food journal option on  the portal,  live chat  support and  monitored  food plans which helps us to stay connected with your employee always.

When implemented effectively, employees enjoy improved productivity, enhanced morale and lesser absenteeism. The health outcomes are many, including weight loss ,reversal of lifestyle disorders such as diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol,uric acid and also stress resilience.

The impact can be seen in just 21 days.

Apart from increasing the overall productivity, the organisation also gets benefited by lowering the cost of health care, reduced absenteeism, Lower company health insurance premiums ,Increased Staff Retention  and overall healthier and happier workforce.

To Get Your Organisation Started On Its Wellbeing Journey, log onto  www.umanarula.com or contact us at 9967635556/+32 468297949

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