04/03/24 Unveiling the Silent Epidemic: The Critical Link Between Low Vitamin D and Health Issues
In an age where health is at the forefront of everyone’s minds, there’s one silent epidemic that often goes unnoticed: low Vitamin D levels. Beyond its role in bone health, emerging studies have shed light on the profound impact Vitamin D deficiency can have on overall well-being, unveiling the link between inadequate Vitamin D levels and a spectrum of health issues.
As researchers continue to examine the role of Vitamin D, alarming connections between its deficiency and various illnesses have come to light. Here’s a closer look at some of the most compelling findings:
Immune System Vulnerability: Numerous studies have linked low Vitamin D levels with compromised immune function. This vulnerability not only heightens the risk of common infections but also increases susceptibility to more severe illnesses, including respiratory infections and autoimmune diseases.
Mental Health Disorders: The relationship between Vitamin D and mental health is garnering increasing attention. Research suggests that insufficient Vitamin D levels may contribute to the development of mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. Furthermore, low Vitamin D has been associated with cognitive decline and an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Cardiovascular Health: Evidence indicates that Vitamin D plays a crucial role in cardiovascular health. Low levels of Vitamin D have been linked to hypertension, heart disease, and increased risk of stroke. Addressing Vitamin D deficiency may prove to be a pivotal step in mitigating these cardiovascular risks.
Bone Health and Beyond: While the association between Vitamin D deficiency and bone-related issues like osteoporosis is well-established, recent studies have illuminated its broader implications. Inadequate Vitamin D levels have been correlated with muscle weakness, chronic pain conditions, and even certain types of cancer.
Despite the mounting evidence highlighting the significance of Vitamin D in maintaining overall health, deficiency remains prevalent worldwide. Factors such as limited sun exposure, lifestyle choices, and dietary habits contribute to this widespread issue.
Download our Vitamin D factsheet for free today.
12/06/23 5 reasons to start corporate massage today!
Corporate chair massage can provide several benefits to your company. We have been offering it to the workplace since 1998 and are one of the first companies to offer to multi location corporations. Our therapists are expert in their field and deliver wonderful treatments – take a look at our google reviews and if you need further help deciding about implementing read on…..Our top 5 reasons to implement an on-site massage service for your employees:
- Stress reduction: Chair massage helps alleviate stress and tension. By reducing stress levels, employees may experience improved focus, increased productivity, and better overall well-being.
- Improved morale and job satisfaction: Offering on-site chair massage demonstrates that the company values its employees’ well-being and is invested in creating a positive work environment. This gesture can boost employee morale and job satisfaction, leading to higher employee retention rates.
- Increased productivity: By providing chair massage, employees can experience relaxation, reduced muscle tension, and improved blood circulation. This can result in increased energy levels, better concentration, and enhanced productivity during and after the massage sessions.
- Preventing and managing musculoskeletal issues: Prolonged sitting, poor posture, and repetitive tasks can contribute to musculoskeletal issues such as neck pain, back pain, and repetitive strain injuries. Regular chair massage sessions can help prevent and manage these problems by relieving muscle tension, improving flexibility, and promoting better posture; and one for this week – Loneliness Prevention Week:-
- Team building and employee engagement: Chair massage sessions can foster a sense of camaraderie among employees. It provides an opportunity for team members to connect, relax together, and engage in conversations outside their usual work tasks. This can improve communication, collaboration, and team spirit.
- Attracting and retaining talent: Offering on-site chair massage can be an attractive perk for potential employees, especially in competitive job markets. It can set the company apart from others and contribute to attracting and retaining top talent.
Speak to us about visiting your place of work and arranging for first therapy day.
12/06/23 Loneliness prevention week 12th – 18th June
Loneliness prevention week is an important opportunity to address and support employees who may be experiencing loneliness. Here at Workplace Healthcare we think this is really important and have written some strategies and initiatives that can help in supporting employees and fostering a sense of connection and belonging, try one of these this week:
Promote social connections: Organise some team-building activities, both in-person and virtually, to encourage employees to connect with one another. This could include team lunches, coffee breaks, virtual happy hours, or group activities such as game nights or wellness challenges. Book a yoga class with us! Or get employees to bring their favourite board game in and set them up in the canteen.
Encourage social interactions: Create opportunities for social interactions throughout the workday. For example, consider implementing a buddy system where employees are paired up to provide support and engage in regular check-ins. Encourage collaboration on projects to foster teamwork and relationships.
Establish employee resource groups or affinity groups within your organisation to bring together employees with shared interests or backgrounds. These groups can provide a platform for employees to connect, share experiences, and support one another.
Offer resources and support for mental health and well-being, such as access to counseling services, your EAP, or book a wellbeing workshop with us. Promote the availability of these resources and destigmatise seeking help.
Regularly recognise and appreciate employees’ contributions and achievements. Provide constructive feedback and opportunities for growth to help employees feel valued and connected to their work. Roll our manager training to ensure they are kitted out with skills for recognition and reward.
Utilise internal communication channels, such as team chat platforms or intranet, to facilitate communication and collaboration. Encourage employees to share updates, ideas, and engage in discussions to foster a sense of community.
Offer training programmes on topics such as emotional intelligence, effective communication, and building relationships. These programs can provide employees with valuable skills to navigate interpersonal dynamics and support their colleagues. Laughter yoga may seem like a silly thing to bring into your workplace, however it fosters a wonderful sense of safety and connection with a team.
Lead by example: Leaders and managers play a crucial role in setting the tone and promoting a supportive work environment. Encourage leaders to prioritise employee well-being, model positive behaviors, and actively engage in creating a sense of community within the organisation.
Remember, it is essential to tailor these approaches to the specific needs and culture of your organisation. Regularly assess and evaluate the effectiveness of these initiatives and be open to feedback from employees to continuously improve your efforts in combating loneliness and fostering a sense of belonging.
06/07/22 5 tips for great workplace wellbeing days
Thinking of running a staff wellbeing day? Want to have an impact, not just tick a box?
Wellbeing days can be a great way of letting staff know you are there for them, you care. There is a buzz around, toxic workplaces are going to be a thing of the past, companies are raising the game when it comes to employee care – here are my top 5 tips for your wellbeing day:1. target your audience – what does wellbeing mean for different areas of your business? It could be comfy shoes for traffic wardens not on-site massage (which is one of our most popular office choices. Ask your employees what they feel they need – but be sure to let them know you can’t deliver everyone’s dream list!
2. planning with ease – after all, it is a wellbeing day. You don’t want the planning to give you a big fat headache! You can enlist a wellbeing company (us) to do this for you – or if you have a small budget you will be able to find professionals to deliver your services online or by recommendation. Start planning early so that you ensure you have your space booked and your services checked in nice and early.
3. advertise – start this early – use posters, social media, let people know what you are doing. Builders to your event can drip messages of wellbeing to your staff in advance and the more they see healthy messages the more they will become familiar with the idea and more likely to implement change.
4. mix the message with fun! puppies learn new tricks best when there is fun involved! From my experience we are similar…if you have a stand or area dedicated to cancer, male and female health, health screening, be aware these topics can bring up some delicate issues for some employees. Having some support in the way of counselling and some services that let staff engage in fun activities can help create a holistic feel to your event.
5. evaluate and reward – what worked? What will you book next time? What did people enjoy the most? always get feedback on the day if possible and then reinforce the wellbeing message a few weeks later – this will help employees make more lasting changes.
Most importantly – book something for yourself! 98% of times when we are visiting the company to run the days the organisers don’t book something for themselves! We often send our on-site massage team in the following week for big events just to reward the planners! What a treat!
Want us to plan your day? Get in touch! victoria@workplacehealthcare.co.uk
29/06/22 Top 5 Benefits of on-site chair massage – 85% reduction in stress and anxiety
Many companies are enlisting our help with employee return to work programmes. We are noticing high levels of anxiety and stress – mainly around energy management, time management and social anxiety. We have some great training packages specifically designed to target theses areas, combined with an in-house corporate massage service we can make a win win for employees and employers. Nivati in the US has carried out research into the most popular 20 minute chair massage with some amazing results:
1. Stress Reduction
Stress levels were measured before and after each treatment and they found a huge 85% reduction in stress.
2. Lowered levels of anxiety and depression
Excellent news here – the office massage was seen to reduce anxiety by 26%, and depression scores also improved by 28%.
3. Reduction in Muscle pain and tension
Amazingly, regular corporate chair massages seemed to almost half back pain and tension with a 48% decrease.
4. Improved sleep and sleep quality
Over multiple studies, the average improvement in sleep quality was 28%. That includes increased duration as well as fewer sleep disturbances.
5. Energy – clarity and focus
After on-site chair massages, employees showed increased alertness, speed, and accuracy in maths tests – this is no surprise as massage helps to connect us to our breath, helping us to be in a more coherent state.
These numbers are from 15-20 minute sessions in the workplace, not full body in spa treatments – which makes this service and the benefits of it, available to almost everyone. Low cost – high reward. Get in touch to see when we can visit you – UK wide.
14/06/22 On-site massage therapists needed
We are looking for great therapists to join our team. We offer on-site massage and corporate therapies across the UK. Great for helping employees back into the workplace – come and help us make people feel good! If you have good experience, your own chair and would like further details please get in touch – victoria@workplacehealthcare.co.uk
04/06/19 Employee Wellbeing Day snaps
Oh we love running wellbeing days. We take all the work out of it for you. Our experience shows that a good balance of fun and information is a winner, so leave your day in our capable hands.
19/05/16 Mental Health Awareness Week – our top tips 19th May
Paula our massage therapist would like to share with you her top tips for relaxation and wellbeing as it is day 4 of Mental Health Awareness Week.
The main things I do to relieve stress is have a glass of red wine and go shopping ! Here is my list of top tips:
– Have a massage 🙂
– Hot bubble bath with sea/epsom salts
– Heated wheat bag around my neck and shoulders
– Lemon green tea with a slice of lemon
– Listening to birds chirping
– Beach holiday
– Mini trips outside the city
– Listening to music
– Walk in a park
– Dance classes (specifically ballet)
– Spending time in a bath house – especially in the steam or sauna
We hope you enjoy trying some of our ideas. Victoria
16/05/16 Mental Health Awareness Week – our top tips Monday 16th May
Feeling strung out? Unable to cope? Mental Health Awareness Week is upon us (16th – 22nd May) and you will find lots of help and advice on the facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/mentalhealthawarenessweek/ and the web site: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week
Join us on-line for top stress reducing tips from our trainers and therapists each day, including special offers for your workplace.
Gillian Burn, our trainer, is author of the Energy & Well-Being Pocket book (buy here). She has these great tips for you for reducing stress and anxiety:
Stand up, go walkabout in the office or outside, even if it is only for 5 minutes
Take a break – for a 60 second eye relaxation which is in my Energy and Well-being pocketbook
– Close your eyes, take several deep breaths
– Move your eyes to 3pm in an imaginary clock face thinking about your favourite holiday destination
– Move your eyes to 6pm to think of a relaxing water scene
– Move your eyes to 9pm to think of your favourite animal
– Move your eyes to 12pm, to think of the countryside, your garden, out in the fresh air
Enjoy the sense of relaxation
Book our yoga, mindfulness and fit mind workshops for your employees!
We hope you enjoy this exercise, join us tomorrow for another top tip. Victoria
26/09/12 An education in wellbeing days………….
In July we had the pleasure of working with City University on their 2012 version of the Universities wellbeing day. Branded under the ‘Well – campaign for campus wellbeing’ motto the event focused on Universities employees.
The event this year took a giant stride forward with a potentially daunting move into the Great Hall. As the name suggests this hall is big! There was only one approach…think BIG!
In liaison with the City organisers we hatched a plan that would cover as many angles – from the fun to the serious, as was possible within the budget constraints.
Undoubted fun was the Smoothie Bike and Batak Pro (flashy light reaction game) and City chose heart health, alcohol and smoking, resilience and cancer as the exhibition stand subjects to highlight this year. The stands were manned to provide expert help and advice.
Employees also had the chance to book a mini-health screen with a nurse. A 15min slot for a cholesterol/glucose test and time to discuss any health worries/issues employees may have. This service was complimented by Saddlers (City’s gym provider) who provided BMI and blood pressure checks.
Nutrition/Diet consultations were available throughout the day at the Nutrition stand, our dietician providing advice on healthy eating, balanced diets, food allergies/intolerances and more.
Always a favourite, and no different this year, was the therapist tent. Four therapists providing on-site massage and hand massage, a perfect wind-down from all the other activities.
In addition City brought in other attractions such as a sushi making tutorial, fruit juicing, uni’s first aid team, and also ran a programme of demos on the stage of the Great Hall, the zumba and martial art classes definitely caught everyone’s attention.
All in all a very wide mix. This is a good approach, it helps to engage people, get staff talking and most importantly get numbers through the door. It’s guaranteed that there is something for everyone but hopefully while in the hall, individuals make use above and beyond just the things that initially caught their eye. As mentioned at earlier in the article, there are some serious subjects covered during the day and with expert advice available, potentially life changing. If that happens for just one person, it can be seen as a success.