In-School Productivity Campaign | Fostering productivity through healthy eating and exercise

I'm sure that by now you've heard it at least a 1,000 times - eating healthy and exercising help to improve your productivity. Well, that's because it's true. Whether at home, work, school or play, eating balanced meals and exercising regularly is key to maintaining good health and productivity.

Not sure what a balanced meal is? Simple. It is a meal consisting of at least three food groups, usually staples for carbohydrates, legumes or food from animals for protein, and fruits or vegetables for vitamins and minerals. These foods are a good foundation for providing you with the energy you need to carry out your daily tasks and for maintaining good health.

Exercise. That word is dreaded by many, but if you look at it as physical activity rather than exercise, you will see it as fun and be more inclined to do it. Exercise doesn't have to mean joining a gym. You can walk or jog around your house or community. You can use water bottles as weights and a jump rope to skip. And who doesn't like dancing? These are all forms of physical activity that are also fun. Try them out. You will see benefits in weight loss or maintenance, you'll get stronger and leaner, your skin will look healthier, your heart will thank you and you'll sleep better. With all these great benefits, aren't you excited to exercise now?

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

Many times we look at nutrition and health from an individual standpoint, focusing on our own needs or from the stance of a parent wanting to ensure your child is adequately nourished. But what about loved ones and co-workers? Did you ever think that encouraging good habits at work will also boost productivity? Let's look at a few scenarios.

1 What if we encouraged our co-workers to order fruits and sandwiches with wheat bread instead of white bread for snacks during long meetings? Making these healthier choices will have a variety of health benefits, leading to full stomachs, healthier people and greater productivity.

2 What if we have water breaks similar to coffee breaks? Think about how hydrated and alert we would be in meetings and when carrying out long tasks.

3 What if we had 'Fruit Fridays' and everyone got the fruit of the week as their mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack? Can you imagine that boost of energy you would get to help you push through the day?

4 What if we had 'Wellness Wednesdays' and there was a different theme each week? Salad this week, fish the next week and smoothies the following week, for example. Can you imagine the fun and excitement of 'Smoothie Days?'

These are just a few ideas to help your creative juices to flow. Get together with your team or department and brainstorm for ideas on how to implement these and other initiatives. The first step doesn't have to be hard, and it doesn't have to be one taken by management. Any member of staff can take the first step to a healthier workplace. Also, taking that first step will show management that you are serious, making it easier for you to plead your case for funds when you want to expand the programme or to fund other related activities.

Productivity is key to the success of any business and it is not only driven by machines and technology. Productivity can be as simple as the foods we eat and the beverages we consume. What we put into our bodies is the fuel for us to work, and without the right foods we won't have the energy to be productive. Remember, a healthy workforce is a productive workforce.

So set aside the excuse that to eat healthily is too expensive. It may take more planning to eat healthily, but it does not have to be more expensive. In fact, it might even be less expensive in the long run.

- Krishta-Gay Lewis-Harewood is a brand manager at LASCO Distributors Limited.