Wellbeing Week

Every now and then, you need a bit of a pick me up. Leaving the EU, the rubbish (sorry, couldn’t resist!) weather and the ridiculously high pollen count had all combined to a bit of a subdued office. So, the Green Team decided to host Wellbeing Week. (Ok, so we actually planned it 6 months ago but shhh!)

The idea came from one of our sales team, Rimar, who wanted to promote wellbeing in the office. So, the Green Team came together to come up with a wellbeing theme for each day.

Monday came around and we all found ourselves in higher spirits than perhaps is normal that particular day of the week, thanks to the announcement of a host of fun activities for Wellbeing Week. Meditation Monday involved a lunch time guided meditation that found at least one of our number so relaxed they dozed off. To combine with this, we had brain energising fruits, nut's and Omega 3 mix with Greek yoghurt. You can try the guided meditation for yourself on YouTube.

Smoothie Tuesday found our main kitchen area taken over by an abundance of fruit and vegetables (and 2 blenders). There was the usual kale, blueberries and apples you might expect to find, but these were combined with some more unusual options including beetroot and celery. There were a few recipes on hand to help those overwhelmed by the choice! Remember though, if you’re making smoothies, you shouldn’t have more than 150ml a day. The breakdown of the fruits and fibres changes the way your body digests the fruit and sugars. You can read more about getting your five a day on the NHS website.

Hump day brought with it “workout Wednesday”: we were all encouraged to go for a walk at lunch time to get some fresh air and enjoy some energy snacks that were full of protein to give us that vital 3pm boost. They were packed with natural protein, healthy fats and slow-releasing carbohydrates to keep you satisfied. On Wednesday after work we made ‘mocktails’ and a held a quiz to promote limiting alcohol intake (although there were some sneaky alcoholic additions to the mocktails!). The drinks menu included a virgin Mary, juicy julep, blueberry and maple mojito and a virgin Moscow mule. You can find out more about the effects of alcohol on your health on the Drink Aware website.

Thoughtful Thursday brought the beginnings of the BPR Book Club and the themed snack for the day was “Scone with the wind…” (yes it was a delicious as it sounds). Another bonus awaited us in the evening, following on from Workout Wednesday we had a personal trainer do a circuits fitness session.

After such a full on week, not only were we all feeling thoroughly rejuvenated, we were also pleased to see Friday come around (and slightly sad we won’t be getting this all again next week). Friday morning saw a group of us doing a yoga session in the park followed in the evening by some team bonding over some not-so-virgin drinks.
For our snack of the day, remember when your Mum told you to eat your greens so you can grow big and strong? Remember Popeye and his spinach? One of the key things you get from eating your greens is iron, essential in fighting off fatigue and keeping you alert. Green veg isn’t the only thing that contains iron, Guinness does too! So, in light of it being Friday, we had a chocolate Guinness cake. To find out more about how your body uses Iron, take a look at the NHS page here.

Overall, it was a fantastic week and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The Green Team’s aim was to promote personal wellbeing, but also to create a united and cheerful atmosphere throughout the office. Although not strictly to do with the environment (our usual remit), creating a cheerful environment in the office enables us to focus fully on improving the environment outside (even if the weather is rubbish, we’ve left the EU and the pollen count’s stupidly high!).