Work-life Balance
“I like my job, but I feel stretched to the limit. I never seem to have enough hours in the day to get my work done and still have time for family let alone friends or the things I want to do like keeping fit!”
Working more than a 40 hour week is difficult. It requires sacrifice, mostly of personal time. The quality of our lives, health and work can suffer as a result. Even if job satisfaction is high, balancing work and home life is hard and often an ongoing process.
Below are some helpful hints on ways of balancing your work/life situation so that it is a ‘best fit’ for you!
· Keep a log: Track everything you do for one week. Include work and non-work related activities.
· Examine your priorities and set boundaries. Look at your patterns, and decide where to make adjustments. Be firm in what you can and cannot do. Only YOU can restore equilibrium to your lifestyle.
· Set goals: Make a specific plan of what you want to achieve. Set a time line of when you want to achieve your goals by. Remember to keep both the goal and time to achieve your goals realistic.
· Plan ahead and manage your time: You may need to start multitasking to achieve a good lifestyle balance.
· Schedule time in your diary for you. Find time for the activities you enjoy like reading, hiking, listening to music, going for a drive or even having a nap! Making time for activities you enjoy will help rejuvenate you.
Exercise
One of the first activities to be excluded in a busy lifestyle is exercise. Not having enough energy and time at the end of the day is a very common complaint for many workers. Fitting regular exercise patterns into your lifestyle balance has multiple effects including improved sleep, mood, maintained healthy body image, decreased musculoskeletal problems, decreased psychological problems and increased energy levels! The challenge is to find creative ways to squeeze exercise into the busy lifestyle.
Below are some simple exercise tips to help:
- A 20-minute workout before work such as a brisk walk, jogging, or swimming. This will keep the heart healthy and increase alertness with the job.
- Take short breaks during work to walk around the building or stretch.
- Increase your incidental exercise by using the stairs instead of the lift. Do the gardening around the home.
- Use active transport to get to work, ride a bike, walk to and from the train station or park your car further away in the parking lot and walk the extra distance.
- Find a buddy to do exercise with and participate in social exercise events. Incorporate your family….
- Choose fitness facilities close to work. This may make it easier to get away in a lunch break or to go immediately before or after work.
- Start off with a little activity on a daily basis. The more physical activity you do, the easier it becomes to do even more!
Additional tips for the corporate traveller:
- Walk to meetings and/or events.
- Use the hotel’s facilities - normally there is a gym or pool that can be used. So don’t forget to pack your exercise clothes.
- Do wake-up stretches in the morning for a few minutes. Increase by adding in push ups and sit ups. These activities can be done in any hotel room!
Below are some simple exercise tips to help:
· Start off with a little activity on a daily basis. The more activity you do, the easier it becomes to do even more!
· Increase your incidental exercise by using the stairs instead of the lift. Do the gardening around the home. Take short breaks during work to walk around the building or stretch.
· Use active transport to get to work, ride a bike, walk to and from the train station or park your car further away in the parking lot and walk the extra distance.
· Try a 20-minute workout before work such as a brisk walk, jog, or swim. This will keep the heart healthy and increase alertness on the job.
· Choose fitness facilities close to work. This can make it easier to get to in a lunch break, before or after work.
· Find a buddy to exercise with and participate in social exercise events. Get a social touch or volleyball game going on Sundays with your mates.
· Incorporate your family. You can spend quality time with family members while exercising.
Tips for the corporate traveller
- Try wake-up stretches in the morning for a few minutes. Progress by adding push-ups and sit-ups. These activities can be done in any hotel room!
- Walk to meetings and/or events.
- Use the hotel’s facilities such as the gym or pool.
- Pack exercise gear that always travels with you.
- Book time to exercise into your diary. Treat it with the same importance as a meeting.
Social Life
Juggling a family and social network with heavy work commitments is tough. To help maintain a family and social life follow these few simple tips:
· Set aside time for family and friends. Family and friends are your support systems and are very important.
· Plan get togethers and quality time with family and friends on days off.
· Incorporate your family and friends in your exercise and recreation activities. This will also help increase adherence.
· Keep in touch using the phone to call or SMS friends and family.
Nutrition
Eating healthily can be a challenge when lunch breaks are short or nonexistent. Quite often the food chosen is quick and easy. These “fast” foods are generally high in sugars, fats, preservatives and often low in fibre and nutrients. Some helpful nutritional tips include:
· Never skip a meal. Missing meals usually results in unhealthy snacking later. Make sure you are eating your three main meals and having two healthy snacks throughout the day.
· Plan your meals. Preparing your meals helps you to choose healthy options. For lunch try taking last nights’ left-overs or making a sandwich the night before.
· Chose from more low GI foods, for example, wholegrain sandwich, low fat fruit smoothie, spaghetti bolognaise with green salad. These will help to sustain energy and help you feel fuller for longer.
· Avoid sweets. When you are tired, your body can crave sugar or carbohydrates because these are quick sources of energy. Instead, try taking nutritional snacks to work including: yoghurt, fruit bread, dried/fresh/tinned fruit, crackers, and carrot/celery sticks, all of which are great sources of fibre.
· Keep fluid intake high. You should be drinking 2L of water per day.
· Watch caffeine intake from coffee and cola drinks. Caffeine can affect sleeping patterns, increase blood pressure, and cause gastrointestinal upset.
Sleep
There is nothing as stressful and potentially dangerous as working when you are sleep deprived. Insomnia, mental and physical fatigue, indigestion, and an overall feeling of ill health are common when you are not getting enough sleep. Some important tips to improving sleep include:
· Create an ideal environment for sleeping. Use darkened window shades or wear a sleeping mask to make a dark room. Drown out any outside noises with earplugs or a fan. Turn off any phones and answering machines.
· Develop pre-bedtime rituals and sleeping schedules. Use relaxation tools to unwind from work (e.g. read a book, listen to music, take a warm bath, watch TV). Stick to the same sleeping rituals even on days off.
· Avoid sleeping pills. Sleeping pills only provide a short term fix. Eating right and maintaining regular exercise are healthier ways to get a good night’s rest.
· Avoid caffeine and alcohol. These substances are stimulants that disrupt your chances of a normal sleeping pattern.
· Exercise. This can clear any built up tension and energy therefore helping you sleep better!!!
References
www.uihealthcare.com
For more information
Wesley Corporate Health
Level 2 / 46 Edward Street
Brisbane Qld 4000
Phone: 07 3234 2600
Email: info@weshealth.com.au
Disclaimer
This Fact Sheet is provided for your information only and does not replace qualified medical advice. The information provided may not apply to every person or all situations. A medical practitioner should be consulted for all treatment and medication.
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