Let’s get healthy at work

Americans spend 8.7 hours a day at work according to US Department of Labor and many more hours if you’re a startup founder. So how do you utilize some of this time to improve your health, especially when it’s difficult to squeeze it in anywhere else in your schedule? Here are a few ways that we improve our health while we work.

Our newest addition to the office (thanks, Steelcase!) is a great way to keep yourself moving while working. It takes some getting used to but is slow enough to mouse, type and read. The walking station also allows you to see how many calories you burned while catching up on email. Just think of how quickly you could burn the 3600 calories (1lb!) just by walking an hour or two a day.

Get rolling with an excercise ball
Among other things, our Creative Director Leslie’s mission in life is to convert everyone in the office to the way of the exercise ball. It is a way to strengthen your core, keep moving and just have a little bit more fun while you work. Especially if you have difficulty sitting still. Check out some more benefits of using the ball here.

Om
It is a well established truth that a startup can be stressful. And sometimes, it feels like you’re trapped without any type of release. It only takes a minute to regain a calm state. There are also countless benefits to your health. Just ask John Kabbit-Zinn who has done many studies on mindfulness and stress reduction therapy. Benefits of this program and ones like it range from stress reduction to increasing immune system activity to helping prevent disease. We provide a space to practice mindfulness and encourage you to as well.

Mobile Fitness
We techie geeks can’t go 3 feet from our smartphones without panicking. One of the teams at Rock Health, Skimble, generated a fitness app for iPhone and Android to help them keep up with their workouts even when they can’t make it to the gym. Not to mention the Skimblers like to present mini-challenges to the office during the day. Here is a 5 minute ab and arm workout that you can do with nothing but body weight. Feel the burn!

Community
We don’t just focus on the physical health. We also provide a heavy dose of social events to foster strong community. Everything from food truck lunchs on Mondays, happy hours, creating a welcoming positive environment and encouraging cross functional collaboration.

Any other suggestions to keep things moving at the office?