Tips to Nudge Healthy Habits
@ Work
A healthy workforce is essential to running a successful business. Healthy employees = Increased productivity =Company success Getting employees to choose an apple instead of a piece of leftover birthday cake is no easy task. Behavior change is extremely difficult for anyone! In fact, it takes on average 66 days to create a new habit. An employer can help its employees make healthy choices by strategically placing healthy options first. This will not only boost the confidence of your employees in their personal wellness goals, but also help them remove barriers and temptations that may have been standing in their way. This guide provides simple, practical solutions to help your employees make the healthy choice.
Tips to Nudge Healthy Habits
@ Work
Tip #1 BRING HEALTHY OPTIONS CLOSER • Replace unhealthy snacks with healthy options such a fresh fruit or raw nuts. • Move candy dishes to hard to reach locations at least 6 feet away or stash in a locked drawer. • By simply moving a candy dish 6 feet away, a study reported that consumption decreased by 5 less candies per day, the equivalent of 12 pounds per year! • Remove unhealthy vending machines from the office. • Repurpose unused office space for a small exercise/stretch area or as a meditative space to encourage movement throughout the day.
Tips to Nudge Healthy Habits
@ Work
Tip #2 MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES MORE APPEALING • Place fresh fruit in a decorative bowl or basket. • Create a walking map that includes different routes and distances around the office. • Decorate stairwells with colorful paint, art, and motivational messages.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Download Choose Healthy Now posters, signs, and stickers http://www.healthyhawaii.com/choose-healthy-now/
Tips to Nudge Healthy Habits
@ Work
Tip #3 MAKE HEALTHY OPTIONS CONVENIENT • Hold weekly standing or walking meetings to add movement to the workday. Sitting for extended periods of time has been linked to a number of health concerns including
obesity, increased blood pressure, and high blood sugar.
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Movement throughout the day increases employee focus and memory by increasing
Offer purified water and water bottle filling stations. Offer a menu with healthy foods options when catering work meetings or events. Provide resistance bands and exercise mats for onsite wellness breaks.
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blood flow to the brain.
Offer onsite exercise classes or partner with a nearby gym for group rate membership fees.
Tips to Nudge Healthy Habits
@ Work
Tip #4 INSPIRE EMPLOYEES TO MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES • Post wellness signage in high traffic areas to encourage employees to get moving (take the stairs, take a stretch break every hour, etc). • Share success stories of people who made a positive change toward better health. • Wait zones (break room, bathroom, elevator hallway, copy machine, etc.) are ideal locations to showcase company role models. • Post this flyer in your office and encourage your employees to get moving. • Make wellness a regular agenda item at your company-wide meetings or events. • Give recognition and appreciation to employees who are making an effort to choose healthy habits to reinforce desired behaviors. • Hang mirrors in break rooms or cafeterias to remind employees of their goal – and help them resist temptations. Studies suggest mirrors encourage self-reflection and mindfulness when making choices, and play a role in decreasing the tastiness of unhealthy foods and reducing their consumption. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: The Movement Circuit - 6 Minute Work Break https://hhawa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/WEL-0069-012716-TheMovementCircuit_6min.pdf
Tips to Nudge Healthy Habits
@ Work
Sources •
Dr. Brian Wansink, Author Mindless Eating, Cornell Food & Brand Lab research
“Candy dish placement = Weight gain”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6oJF9Hwj2M
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NPR, One Step To Combat Obesity: Make Stairs More Attractive
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/08/04/337126235/ one-step-to-combat-obesity-make-stairs-more-attractive •
Ferris State University, Stair Poster to Promote Health Through Design
http://www.kcad.edu/news/stair-poster-to-promote-health-through-design/
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Mayo Clinic, What are the risks of sitting too much?
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005 •
American Academy of Family Physicians (AFFP), Prolonged Sitting Linked to Serious Health Risk, Death
http://www.aafp.org/news/health-of-the-public/20150127sitting.html
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Harvard Business Review, Regular Exercise is Part of Your Job
https://hbr.org/2014/10/regular-exercise-is-part-of-your-job/
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Ace Fitness, Exercise to Boost Your Job Performance
http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/fitness-fact-article/3119/exercise-to-boost-your-job/
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Cornell University Food and Brand Lab, Healthy Reflections: Mirrors Can Make Unhealthy Foods Less Tasty
http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/JACR/Healthy_Reflections
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Journal of Natural Sciences Research, The mirror, as a self-awareness enhancing tool,
which can modify food consump- tion behaviors
http://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JNSR/article/viewFile/22041/22117
