December is the month for gifts. Not all presents are necessarily physical.

Sometimes presents come in the form of presence. Being there for your family, friends, and colleagues.

No one can help being in an accident, or having a sudden health issue that comes out of nowhere. However, taking care of your own health reduces the chance of illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. 

When you take care of your health, you’re in a better position to take care of your spouse and children too!

Take care of your butt

Who knew the butt was so important? (If you’ve been reading our posts, you know it is!) Though in all honesty it’s not so much your butt itself. 

Rather, getting off it is the key to the gift of health. In other words, move it!

Is your office environment mostly sitting down? Find a way to move around. Try ball chairs or wobble stools to get your core into the act. 

Get yourself a sit-stand desk (you can even modify a folding table for this!) While you’re standing, you can do stretches. Or add in other movement, so you’re not just standing stock-still at your desk. 

Use your smartwatch prompts to get up and move when it tells you to. At work and at home. Get in a walk break when possible.

Take care of your back

Yes, this is a biggie. Getting up and moving is good for your back as well as your butt! (And heart, and legs, and lungs…)

At work, avoid crouching down. If you’re standing most of the day, get in some stretches. Your back doesn’t like to stay in one position for hours on end. When you are on your feet, stand up straight just like Mom said.

Need to lift things? Protect your back! Use your legs and not your back. If the item is heavy, don’t be a hero OR a shero. Get help, in the form of a tool or another person.

Take care of your family

Everyone needs to move! Kick the soccer ball around in the yard with the kids. Go for an easy walk after dinner to let the food digest.

Keeping yourself healthy means that you can take care of your family. If you’re sick or injured, the burden falls on everyone. Accidents happen, so don’t blame yourself if one does! But do your best to keep everyone, including you, in good health.

You can also encourage more movement at your kids’ schools. They can work at tables, standing up and moving around instead of sitting at desks all day. It’s great for their learning, and it’s also great for you when bedtime rolls around!

Take care of your workers

If you have responsibility for employees, you can help instill a safety culture at your workplace. 

When the jobs are physical, make sure they have tools to do the work safely. Lift up tables so they’re not spending the day crouching or hunching over. Position materials close to them, so they don’t spend time reaching. 

Make sure everyone’s clear on lockout/tagout systems. Got fork trucks? Mark off clear lanes for pedestrians – and make sure they’re not the long way around, tempting people to take shortcuts through the lanes!

Or, your workers might be in an office environment. Danger exists, though it comes in different forms compared to a warehouse.

Encourage ergonomic set-ups. Have standing meetings. They benefit everyone by making meetings shorter in the first place! You also might take walks with colleagues if you need to discuss something with them, rather than calling them or having a sit-down conversation.

Summary

Whatever your situation, the gift of health starts with YOU. We support healthy, safe people and workers!

How are you taking care of things this holiday season? Let us know in the comments!