25 Oct 2012

Healthy Food made Easy!



Hi folks,

Great news yesterday – the government are standardising the nutrition information on across all foods! Currently those of us that try to keep an eye on our health are made to scrutinise the packet of each different food manufacturer to decipher if 20g of sugar is per 100g or per serving (which could be any amount) & whether that’s high or low. Some don’t even distinguish between the good fats & bad fats or starchy carbs & sugar carbs. Although the original introduction of food labelling was a positive step, it really needs making less confusing for the shopper.

Adopting this new food labelling system is voluntary for manufactures, to make it compulsory all European countries would have to agree & that would take forever. However today talks are going on & the government has faith that our food industry will take responsibility & use this proposed system. Due to commence in the summer of 2013, it will be a lot easier to be healthy. One type of nutrition label across all foods will make it easier to quantify actually what we eat, how much we eat, & to compare between brands.

The new labelling will look like this….



It uses the traffic-light colour system for those who just want a quick glance, & also shows the finer details for those of us who want a more in-depth approach.


Bringing this concept in to an occupational setting, could our companies benefit themselves & their workforce by clearly displaying similar information?  What about green, orange & red sections to the canteen or even green, orange & red coloured vending machines dotted around so that people are clear on what they’re buying?

Hopefully this will kick-start a healthy 2013!

James

18 Oct 2012

Hot Debate on Workplace Posture!



Hi Folks,

Just having a really interesting debate on LinkedIn at the moment that you will probably be really interested in (as you read my blogs). It's on the age-old topic of the best posture to adopt in whilst in the workplace. With experts from many different organisations it's really interesting & is sparking new ways of thinking. Have your say & many of your questions answered - join the debate here 

see you on LinkedIn!

James

11 Oct 2012

Blast of Berries Boosts Workforce



Hi folks,

If you read my blogs regularly you'll know that I'm always preaching about the effects of food on our bodies, couple this with my passion for improving workforce health & this brings us to this weeks topic. Channel 4's Food Hospital epsode last night revealed the valuable affects of a blueberry smoothy on a company's workforce over a 2 week period.

In the first week the workforce drank a bannna smoothie each day & then later completed a series of specific mental tests (similar to brain training exercises). In the second week the banana was replaced with blueberry smoothie proceeded by the same tests. The results signifacantly increased after taking the blueberry drink & the company CEO said that communication between the workers doubled!

With this easily accessible low-cost measure showing such massive results, i'snt this exciting news for any business? As with beetroot in the previous week, it really just highlights the potential power of nutrition & how they can benefit foward-thinking companies.

Thanks

James

5 Oct 2012

Useful info on How to Combat Fatigue


Hi Folks,


Would you say you suffer from workplace fatigue? Probably all of us would say we have at some point right. So what exactly is is? Here's a definition from a research paper that Ive been studying ('Definition of Human Fatigue' by Martin Moore-Ede published in Circadian): ...A loss of physiological and psychological function as a result of extended wakefulness, heavy work, excessive stimulation, illness or stress...

My further research reveals that There are two major factors on how likely you are to become fatigued,
A) How much your 24hr routine differs from your circadian rhythms (body clock) &
B) How resilient you as a person are to the stresses this my cause.


Regardless of the type of person you are or your job, anyone can suffer from fatigue which can obviously have a huge negative affect on your company & personal well-being. To Combat this Occupational Fitness has put together a fatigue-busting course of workshops that are educational as well as practical, they address elements in the very definition of fatigue:

1) Sleep Quality Management
2) Reducing Postural Tension
3) Reducing Repetitive Strain Injuries
4) Nutrition advice - helping you fight everything from the sniffles to cancers!
5) Stress Management Techniques


If you have any questions about fatigue, information to share, or if you're interested in my course workshops the please contact me via Occupational Fitness Ltd.

Thanks

James