Do Your Daily Spot Check

Daily Spot Check

Continued from our Retreat & Renew Daily Tip.

By Jolene Hart

Stop. What are you doing right now, at this very instant? More importantly, how are you doing it? Have bad habits like slouching, squinting and sitting with your legs crossed slowly crept into your daily routine?

Stay protected. If you’re lucky enough to have a window office, be sure to apply your SPF every day. Age-advancing UVA rays penetrate glass, so you’re not safe from sun damage just because you’re indoors.
Limit coffee. It may keep you going at breakneck speed, but the caffeine and dehydration combination of coffee will surely catch up to your skin. Limit yourself to one cup, and keep these healthy sips at close reach instead.
Uncross those legs. Varicose veins happen when vein walls become weak and blood pools in the legs, sometimes from standing or sitting with your legs crossed for a long period of time. Keep leg-crossing to a minimum, and take frequent stretch breaks to get your circulation going. If your leg veins have already appeared, check out these tips for keeping their appearance to a minimum.
Hands at home. Don’t sit with your palm pressed into your face. You’ll increase your chances of a breakout tomorrow and facial creases over time.
Relax facial muscles. Squinting, straining, frowning, furrowing: they may signal to your boss that you’re hard at work, but they also have the potential to form permanent lines on your face. Relax your visage with a few moments of meditation, which can actually boost your concentration in the long run.
Sit up straight. Besides causing neck and back pain, slouching doesn’t flatter anyone! The more you lean your head forward and hunch your shoulders at your desk, the more pressure you put on your spine. Headaches, jaw pain and spine alignment issues are just a few of the problems you can avoid by sitting up straight and taking stretch breaks to relax you shoulders, neck and arms.

Of course, not all of our office habits are bad. Here’s one no-no that may actually be good for your health in the long run

Fidgeting: you do it when you’re bored, nervous and energized, and for most of us it happens at our desk. It turns out that those small movements add up to major calorie burn over time! According to Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, just a little increase in exercise daily can benefit our overall fitness level. And a few more calories burned each day can mean a loss of 10 pounds or more in a year.