Do you ever feel like you have a constant fuzzy head?
Lack of concentration in meetings?
Feel less productive but don’t know why?
Nearly all of us are dehydrated and this is exacerbated more from being in the Office Environment.
Coffee Breaks: Meetings: Catch up with Colleagues all generally lead to use picking up a mug of the hot java lava or breakfast tea.
However, these habits could be the cause of your fuzzy head and general lack of productivity.
80% of people reading this article will be de-hydrated. That is a lot when you start to research how even being a little bit dehydrated can start to affect your overall performance.
- Losing as little as 1 or 2% of body weight in fluid can result in dehydration.
- Losing as little as 3 to 5% can negatively impact concentration, judgment, and reaction time.
- Losing 9 — 15% results in severe, life-threatening dehydration.
5 Ways to Keep Your Office Hydrated!
- Water Cooler: All offices should provide you with a water cooler and if they are not you need to approach your Managers.
Providing basic filtered water is a must in all work environments. A glass of cool water can re-invigorate you and boost those energy levels. Make it more exciting by providing slices of lemon which can flavour your water if you fancy something different - Fresh Fruit and Vegetables: Fruit and Vegetables are loaded with water that can easily be absorbed in the digestion process. Snack on cucumber, nibble on apples and get your 5-a-day in to support your hydration levels. Tasty and hydrating they can also reduce cravings for sugary snacks.
- Reduce your Caffeine intake: Now I LOVE a good coffee but try and limit the number you have to 1-2 a day.
Preferably in the morning. Make sure the coffee you have is good quality too maximising the anti-oxidant properties from coffee. I use Cru Kafe capsules in my coffee machine to get high quality coffee straight to my espresso cups. - Offer Alternatives: And I don’t mean the sugar loaded tooth rotting alternatives – I mean variations on just plain old tap water. Why not try offering alternatives such as Ugly Drinks – sparkling water infused with natural fruits. They come in delicious flavours such as: lemon and lime and grapefruit and pineapple – a perfect alternative.
Fruit teas such as Pukka teas which come in a variety of different flavours to suit all palettes. A boost of flavour and natural herbs for a holistic drink. - Water Bottles: Encourage your Employer to provide company wide environmentally friendly water bottles. Speak to your marketing team they may already provide these to your customers.
Some people may be asking themselves why is this important to your Employer?
1) Hydration increases productivity: Studies have shown that people who are hydrated perform 14x better in IQ tests than their less hydrated counterparts.
2) Hydration reduces stress: “Studies have shown that being just half a litre dehydrated can increase your cortisol levels,” says Amanda Carlson, RD, Director of Performance Nutrition at Athletes’ Performance, a trainer of world-class athletes. “Cortisol is one of those stress hormones. Staying in a good hydrated status can keep your stress levels down.”
3) Hydration keeps you healthy: Being dehydrated swells your brain leading to lack of concentration, feeling sick, memory loss, headaches, poor sleep, feeling tired and reduces your energy levels.
A poorly hydrated workforce can lead to higher sick leave, reduction in productivity and a general low energy and un-happy environment.
Hydration is one of the most important pillars of Workplace Wellbeing.
Employers and Employers should be working together to make sure you have the facilities available in order that you can keep yourself hydrated helping towards better skin, weightloss, better concentration and all round wellbeing to provide your Employer with better productivity, concentration and overall output.
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