As much as we all want to flop onto our couches at the end of the day, leading a sedentary lifestyle can have a really negative effect on our health. Spending 8 hours a day stuck behind a desk certainly doesn’t help, but there are ways you can help.

That’s why we’ve put together a list of a few different ways you can create a healthier work environment whilst increasing your employee’s productivity and focus.

Fast, healthy, food

It’s far too tempting to reach for a packet of crisps, or mountain of chocolate, when you’re stuck at a desk all day. Even if you’re lucky enough to have a fully stocked cafeteria, the call of the chip counter can be very enticing. Although we can’t force Barry from accounting to eat an apple on his lunch break, we can do our best to make healthy food options quicker and more accessible. You can try restocking vending machines with healthy snacks like nuts or granola bars and replacing high calorie beverages with fruit juice/water. If that isn’t an option for your office, why not set out a nice fruit basket once a week as a treat?

Flexible breaks

With many offices right now rethinking their working hours, now could be a great time to consider offering flexible breaks and lunches. This’d allow your employees more time to exercise during the day and could leads to benefits such as increased energy, focus and productivity.

Benefits

Instead of offering the usual perks like 10% off at the cinema or in online stores, why not take a health focused approach when choosing your company benefits? Offering incentives such as private healthcare or life insurance can help to foster a health-conscious culture at work. You could also offer discounts for local gyms or signup for Bike2Work Scheme and encourage your employees to keep on riding to work!

Exercise sessions

Why not get some healthy competition going with a company football league? According to the NHS, a regular game of five aside can help to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Getting involved in regular sports could also have a really positive impact on your employee’s mental health by improving symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress.

• Kick bad habits

Help your employees to beat their bad habits, like smoking or a sedentary lifestyle, with advice or free nicotine patches. Help technophobic team members with setting up apps like Apple Health or MyFitnessPal so they can track their activity, or you could even go the extra mile by offering incentives like wearable technology.

How are you encouraging your employees to stay healthy?

Now, we want to hear from you!

What are your thoughts?

Have you made any changes in the office recently?

If you have any other recommendations or tips, let us know in the comments below!

Visit our FAQ for more information on the Bike 2 Work scheme and how your business can take advantage of the government's tax-free cycle scheme.