Happy Sunday Everyone! I am super excited to have a guest on my blog today! As much as I love sharing with you, it is nice to have a network of awesome people to introduce you to as well. Alyssa, take it away!

Hi Discover You Community! My name is Alyssa. I’m an accountant living and working in Toronto with a passion for health and wellness. I’m currently working a full-time job in the financial district and taking my first 200-hour yoga teacher training on the side! I met Rachel through attending her class at Barreworks, then we became friends as I started attending Discover You classes and workshops.

In 2018 I was struggling with the feeling that I was leading two lives; I went to work all day as a professional accountant working in a corporate office, then in the evening and on the weekends all I wanted to do was listen to podcasts about health and wellness, take fitness classes, and attend workshops. I was learning so much that I wanted to share with everyone in my life, including my coworkers, but I didn’t know how. In the summer, I decided to start a Wellness Committee for my department of around 400 people. It was a big undertaking but I was so excited to finally be able to share my passion with my colleagues!

I know from experience that it can be challenging to keep up your wellness routine while working a full-time desk job. That’s what led me into learning about this stuff in the first place! As soon as I started working full-time, I knew I needed to take better care of myself (working out and eating well) in order to compensate for sitting all day. It’s been an ongoing experiment for me over the past 3.5 years, so today I thought I would share some of the things that have had the biggest impact on my workplace wellness!

Stay Hydrated – have a reusable water bottle (I love Swell bottles!) on you at all times and just keep sipping!

Take Breaks – make a point of getting up from your desk every so often. Go to the washroom, fill up your water bottle, or just go for a walk to get your body moving! It will help you come back to your desk feeling refreshed and ready to continue working. I think it’s especially important to take a lunch break. I don’t always do this, but it’s something I’ve been working on lately. No matter how busy I am, I try my best to step away from my desk to eat. Not only does it give your brain a break, it is also better for digestion if you can avoid distractions while you eat.

Bring Your Lunch – cooking at home and bringing your lunch is the best way to ensure that you have something healthy to eat.

Start the Conversation – sometimes it can be tough to start a conversation about workplace wellness, depending on the culture of your workplace. I’m pretty fortunate that my office is open to the idea of workplace wellness, but I know that not everyone’s is. The best thing you can do is to start the conversation. If someone asks you why you bring your lunch everyday, you can politely tell them that it’s because you love eating healthy homecooked food! No shame in that. You can also let people know that you prioritize your health and will be stepping away from your desk at lunch time. Make the commitment to yourself and honour it! People will start to understand and may even start following your lead!

I hope I have inspired you to add some new healthy habits to your workday! If you enjoyed this post and would like to hear more from me, you can check out my blog or connect with me on Instagram.

Be well,

- Alyssa.

Want to be featured in a future blog post? Let Rachel know! We would love to have you share with our community!

How to Bring Wellness Into the Workplace