subject: Make Good Use of Your Office Water Cooler and Other Tips for Workplace Wellness [print this page] Make Good Use of Your Office Water Cooler and Other Tips for Workplace Wellness
An office water cooler could help you, your colleagues, or your entire workforce healthier. Are you drinking enough water on a daily basis? A 30 year old 55kg woman who gets a moderate amount of exercise a day needs about 1.8 litres of water daily. That's about 63.36 ounces. A male of the same age at 80kg who doesn't exercise at all even needs about 10 glasses a day. Do you get enough? The workplace can be a great place for improving your healthy habits, including healthy hydration.
Office Water Cooler Benefits
It's proven that having a water cooler in the office does lead to people drinking more water. Quite a few companies that have adopted corporate wellness plans have decided to install several coolers throughout the office to promote adequate hydration and increased wellness. Some companies also provide refillable water bottles with their corporate logo to encourage use at workstations or in cubicles. (It's a great idea to have no spill bottles to protect electronics!) In fact, a corporate water bottle is a great corporate gift as well. Give them out to clients with their next big order or when visiting them for a corporate lunch and your logo will remind them of their relationship with you!
Here are some additional tips for workplace wellness:
Start a walking club. Get several workmates together for a lunch time stroll. Take the stairs when you're in an office building. Each step adds up in terms of daily calorie burn and increases energy. It's a great way to get rid of a mid-shift energy dip. Visit a co-worker's desk instead of emailing them for a quick question. The stretch will do you good! Stretching every hour or so is a great practise. Ditch the office vending machines for your 3 o'clock snack. Put a bowl of fresh fruit near the water cooler instead. You can have team mates pitch in fruit for the communal bowl on a rotating basis. Start a water-drinking campaign. Encourage people to find out how much they should be consuming daily and put a white board up near the water cooler to encourage people to note how much they've had each day. Accountability is good and so is making it fun so consider a contest with prizes for overall wellness in the workplace.
Drink More Water A Springboard to a Healthier Lifestyle
A few habit changes at work could translate to a big difference in waist line, in energy levels, and even in office morale. You can make the office water cooler a place to gather for positive habits instead of just some idle office gossip.
