Gold for Springday at this year’s HRD Awards

Gold for Springday at this year’s HRD Awards

Gold for Springday at this year’s HRD Awards

Wellbeing Gateway powered by Springday has been awarded Gold in the Corporate Health and Wellbeing category, at the prestigious Human Resources Director (HRD) Best HR Service Providers in Australia and New Zealand Service Provider Awards 2024.

Wellbeing Gateway provides confidential wellbeing support for employees and their families – including 24/7 access to speak with an experienced health professional.

It took the top award after HRD Australia’s four-month study to find and showcase the industry’s top performer.

Wellbeing Gateway is a platform and app, operated by leading health and wellbeing organisations including Assure Programs and Springday, both of which are part of the APM Group.

Currently Wellbeing Gateway supports employees – and their family members – at more than 600 organisations across Australia and New Zealand.

One of the key features of the platform is to enable organisations to have their own bespoke version tailored to their workforce.

Workplace wellbeing is key to successful businesses

“Wellbeing Gateway gives provides the tools to improve your wellbeing in whichever direction is important to you. Whether you want to exercise more, make healthier meal choices, work on relaxation, sleep, relationships or even your finances, we have resources to support you where you’re at.”
Mallory Allsop
General Manager, Product at APM

Organisations can customise Wellbeing Gateway to suit the individual needs of their people.

It’s a complete service and support tool for employees and their families, with a range of innovative features, including a validated wellbeing assessment tool, detailed learning programs and behaviour change programs.

“Wellbeing Gateway is designed to help organisations support their people's mental health and wellbeing, both at work and home. And it’s getting fantastic results.”
Chris Fox
General Manager at Springday

A practical and immersive support tool

The platform is designed to be fun and engaging, with articles, videos, masterclasses, and rich content — including topics on mental health, relationships, recipes, exercise videos, meditations and more.

For personal, tailored support, the platform offers 24/7 access to chat with a qualified clinician.

Wellbeing Gateway also gives organisations rich insights and recommendations based on their staff engagement.

Plus, it seamlessly connects with other APM services, including EAP, Consulting, and Workers’ Compensation.

“Wellbeing Gateway brings together a great depth and breadth of clinically valid content, combined with the ability to speak with an experienced mental health professional 24/7/365. It delivers measurable improvements in health and wellbeing and provides innovative and effective support for individuals as and when they need it.”
Michele Grow
CEO Mental Health & Wellness at APM

For organisations, employees, and their families, Wellbeing Gateway has trusted tools and resources in the one platform, enabling their health and wellbeing to thrive.

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Talk to us about getting Wellbeing Gateway for your organisation today.

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3 min read

Health benefits of mastering movement

Health benefits of mastering movement

Health benefits of mastering movement

As the weather begins to warm, it’s even more incentive to get moving.

But why do it alone? You can strengthen the bonds you have in your teams by doing it together.

Teamwork is a skill we use in many areas of our life.

How we contribute to a shared outcome can change the way we play – both on and off the field.

Work is a form of a group activity in our lives with social and professional elements.

Strengthening our connections with those around us improves our mental wellbeing.

You don’t have to be a professional athlete to enjoy the benefits of it, either.

Group exercise in any form is fantastic bonding time, collectively giving you a much-needed break from the daily grind.

On and off-field benefits

Trey Allison, CEO of Kronologic, describes his team as being like a professional sports team.

Whether on the field or in the office, high performing teams thrive on sincerity and comradeship.

Being a part of a sports team builds trust and connection, allowing us to communicate our needs and maintain different relationships.

If you’re doing something you enjoy, you’re happy at work and your team/colleagues are happier, which can increase productivity by 12% a study from the University of Warwick has found.

Getting a group together for team sports with your colleagues can benefit your professional performance in some important ways, including:

  • Social connection – creates a support system outside of the office, connecting on a deeper level with your colleagues, enhancing communication and trust between people of different backgrounds or roles.
  • Cohesiveness – working towards a common goal is at the core of every workplace. On the field, learning to master a set play or aiming for a game win can enhance your confidence.
  • Decision-making – sport is great practice for making decisions under time pressure. It’s also an environment where we can become more accepting of failure as part of life and build resilience.
  • Increased motivation – team sport gives us an extra incentive to be at our best. With less of an individual focus, we attend training and seek to improve our skills for the benefit of our team and the people in it.
  • More confidence – over time, you can see your skills blossom and develop. This can be incredibly empowering across many areas of your life. Through discipline and feedback, you are getting to experience the rewards of your efforts.

Not just good for your health

The physical and mental health benefits of exercise are wide-reaching.

Exercise plays a crucial role in preventing and managing chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

It improves bone and muscle strength, enhances balance and flexibility, and contributes to maintaining a healthy weight.

Getting 30 to 45 minutes of exercise or movement in a day is enough to reduce your risk of heart disease, among many others, according to the Australian Government and Heart Foundation.

The Black Dog Institute points out that exercise has positive effects on mental wellbeing by reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, improving mood, and boosting overall cognitive function.

However, there are even more benefits to exercising as part of a team or group.

Exercise with a team or group nurturing connection outside of family and work, helping us to find emotional support and a sense of belonging.

The effect of this socialisation can almost immediately lift your mood and squash stress, simply by having something else to focus on.

Engineer and educator Jaspal Singh highlights some of the other deep-reaching benefits:

  • Learning to trust and depend on others
  • To accept help, to give help
  • To work together towards a common goal
  • Commitment to a team
  • Doing something fun can also make it easier to establish a regular habit of exercise
  • Building your growth mindset
  • Improving your resilience through defeat

It’s not just about winning, either.

Winning gives your self-esteem and confidence getting a big boost, particularly working towards, and achieving goals and improvement through training.

“The experience of coming to terms with defeat can build the resilience and self-awareness necessary to manage academic, social, and physical hurdles” Singh said.

Tips to get started

  • Look at group sports close to your workplace, which you could attend after work.
  • When it comes to picking a sport to try, make the decision together.
  • Open the invitation to include people you may not have worked closely with before.
  • Be open to not winning all the time, embracing defeat is part of building resilience.
  • Building skills takes patience, persistence and practice – with yourself and others.

Help your employees change their habits for the better with Springday programs, find better work-life balance, and boost their overall wellbeing with a comprehensive digital wellbeing platform by Springday.

Learn more about our solutions or chat to us about how we can help you.

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4 min read

Empower your workplace with resilience

Empower your workplace with resilience

Empower your workplace with resilience

Resilience, defined as the ability to recover and thrive in the face of adversity, is a critical trait for both individuals and organisations.

In the workplace, it empowers employees to adapt positively to stressors and perform well in a range of environments.

Leaders recognise the importance of investing in strategies that reinforce resilience, especially considering the significant impact of stress on the workforce.

Psychological states and traits, supportive relationships, and effective communication are identified as key factors in fostering resilience at work.

Additionally, learning and development interventions play a vital role in enhancing employee resilience.

By creating a safe workplace and prioritising mental well-being, organisations can cultivate a resilient workforce capable of overcoming challenges and achieving sustained success in today’s dynamic work landscape.

What is resilience?

Resilience is an individual’s ability to recover from or stay well in the face of adversity, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

At work this means employees can thrive in high stress environments, and not simply exist in survival mode.

Resilience helps employees adapt, cope, and respond positively to stressors in the workplace.

This thinking can also be applied at an organisational level.

By understanding what causes or motivates our stress levels, leaders can make decisive investments in making their teams more resilient.

The reality of stress

One of the enemies of a resilient workforce is stress.

Almost half the Australian workforce (46%) say their work is suffering as a result of poor mental health, according to the ADP Research Institute’s People at Work 2022: A Global Workforce View report.

Even with this in mind, leaders are able to reap the benefits of investing in strategies to protect or reinforce resilience at work.

Reinforcing resilience

According to research from CIPD, some of the strong indicators of resilience in a work environment include:

  • A person’s psychological states and traits, including self-efficacy or confidence, positive affect or emotions, and our sense of coherence.
  • Our relationships, including supportive co-workers or managers and high-quality communication.

In addition, learning and development interventions can also enhance employee resilience, if they are designed and delivered in the right way.

Creating a safe workplace

Safety at work means all staff feel physically and mentally safe in their work environment, wherever that is.

Regardless of how your workforce operates (remotely, in-person or a hybrid) you can implement measures which reinforce resilience such as:

  • Providing access to employee assistance programs – having and promoting the use of professional services such as counselling invests in the mental wellbeing of your employees. This is essential in building individual resilience in changing circumstances.
  • Opening channels for feedback and communication – it could be as simple as an anonymous ‘suggestion box’ accessible through an intranet page, or it could be booking a twice-a-week less formal catch-up with your employee(s) who work remotely, outside of your regular meetings.
  • Dedicating time for team building – just 15-30 minutes a week can make the difference to keep the wider team or teams connected by engaging with each other through a medium outside of email and phone call.

Empower your people to be their best with tailored content and programs delivered by Springday.

Learn more about our solutions or chat to us about how we can help you.

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3 min read

Caring for those who care

Caring for those who care

Caring for those who care

Self-care is a universal necessity, particularly following a demanding workday.

This holds true not only for individuals in formal caring professions but also for those who engage in informal caregiving.

A substantial portion of Australians, around one in 10, generously provide informal care to their loved ones without being paid.

Consequently, there are approximately two and a half million Australians who constantly balance nearly round-the-clock care responsibilities, often experiencing overwhelming burnout.

This accumulated stress manifests as carer’s fatigue or burnout, underscoring the utmost importance of self-care for their wellbeing.

Can carers burnout?

Yes. Carer’s burnout is when a person enters a state of complete physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion.

It can affect anyone who is a caregiver, any member of our support networks, who helps an individual with the activities of daily living.

While caring for someone else can be rewarding, it is also stressful and challenging.

If all your focus is on another person, it can be easy to forget to look after yourself.

While carer’s burnout is commonly associated with people in caring professions, or who care for older loved ones, it can also affect:

  • New parents
  • Foster parents
  • People caring for a loved one with a disability
  • Grandparents looking after a grandchild
  • Looking after a loved one after being discharged from medical care
  • People juggling caring, work, and other commitments
  • People working in caring professions such as nursing, counselling, aged and disability care

Signs to look out for

ConnectAbility Australia highlights some signs of carer’s burnout to look out for in others or yourself:

  • Lower energy levels
  • Sleep deprivation
  • Reduced immunity
  • Feeling helpless and hopeless
  • Becoming more impatient and irritable
  • Difficulty relaxing, even when help is available
  • Increased exhaustion, even after sleeping or taking a break
  • Caring, along with the things you usually do, gives you little satisfaction

Why caring for yourself is essential too

Recognising and acknowledging how we are feeling is the first step to progressing out of feelings of burnout.

It is possible to navigate feelings, even if they’re overwhelming, even when fatigued or burnt out.

This allows us to understand the reason behind our emotions, helping us feel more in control.

Negative emotions can lead to negative thoughts, unchecked, these can have a wide-reaching effect on our work, relationships, and the person/people we care for.

When we recognise our emotions and thoughts, it makes it easier to know what we need help with, and how to ask for it.

How to care for those who care

Looking after ourselves empowers us to be a better carer, loved one and friend.

Dementia Australia recommends a number of ways we can better support the carers in our lives:

  • Keeping in touch
  • Encourage them to take a break
  • Help, or find ways to share some of the responsibilities
  • Invite them to an outing or an event together
  • Encourage them to seek support if they need it
  • Help them look after their physical health
  • Support them to maintain good mental health

Self-care tips for carers

Putting your needs first can feel conflicting, but it is worthwhile to do.

Taking full charge of your wellness sets a good example for the people around you.

There are ways you can balance your needs and take some time for yourself using some of these self-care strategies:

  • Learn stress management techniques
  • Don’t be afraid to talk to a professional, or people who understand
  • Do your best to eat well and get enough exercise
  • See your friends
  • Work on getting enough sleep

More support is available with tailored content and programs designed for you – delivered by Springday.

Learn more about our solutions or chat to us about how we can help you.

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3 min read

Getting back to your best at work

Getting back to your best at work

Getting back to your best at work

Some of us aren’t bouncing back like we used to.

And you’re not the only one.

The active years of the pandemic have left their mark on workplaces around the world.

The impacts have been physical, economic, emotional, and psychological.

As a result, many employees and leaders are struggling with depleted energy, efficiency, innovation and overall performance.

And tough-ing it out is no longer an effective approach.

After the ‘great resignation’, we are now amidst the ‘great burnout’.

The great burnout

Approximately 5% of adults live with depression globally, which is 394.4 million people, The World Health Organisation has found.

While stress is part of our body’s survival mechanism, the prolonged experience of stress can be harmful.

Serious medical events, unexpected death of a loved one, seeing death or a person who has passed away, witnessing violence and unrest and natural disasters are all incredibly stressful events.

These are just a few examples of traumatic events listed by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

On their list of 12 traumatic events, more than half are likely to have experienced during the pandemic.

It should come as no surprise that so many of us are struggling with emotional regulation (e.g. depression, anxiety, PTSD etc.) and motivation.

The abrupt changes to our personal and working lives, our routines, becoming isolated, and even our sleep patterns were profound and jarring.

Much of what we see affecting others or ourselves reflects some of the hallmark symptoms of depression and severe burnout.

According to the 2023 State of the Future of Work report:

  • One in two workers (aged 18-54) are exhausted at work, 40% are feeling less motivated than they were before 2020.
  • 33% struggle to concentrate due to external responsibilities – e.g. caring for children or elderly parents.

Fostering recovery

We can get back to our best.

It is possible to thrive at work in a post-pandemic world by mitigating illness, preventing harm and promoting thriving.

Chronic stress can trigger inflammation throughout our body, even in our brains.

This can affect memory, motivation and mental agility, which could lead to further health problems.

Increased cortisol and reduced serotonin production can cause sleep problems and affect our ability to emotionally regulate.

Making the need to deal with stress clear and present for all involved.

McKee and Seppälä dispel the need to work harder and faster in order to succeed at work, affirming it is not a sustainable, ongoing way to live.

Over-extending ourselves across all areas of our life, particularly work, is accepted despite the well-known negative impact this has.

Connection gives us strength

A strong connection within your workplace can help you or your team through tough patches, rather than stress induced self-isolation.

Another way to work smarter is to review your work processes and find what or where the most strain is for employees and managers.

During the pandemic, we adjusted our processes when they weren’t suitable for our circumstances – and you don’t have to experience a pandemic again to affirm the need for change.

Getting comfortable with discomfort will help us truly improve our workplaces.

Consider:

  • Is a number of reviews and approvals required?
  • Is there enough detail in the initial brief?
  • Are there issues with resourcing and turnaround time?
  • What steps do your employees feel comfortable taking when a piece of work is falling behind?
  • Are there enough opportunities for communication and feedback?

Taking the time can make an immediate difference for you.

This can reduce the time taken to complete work, as well as avoiding fatigue and maintaining motivation levels.

Long-term, this can prevent employee absenteeism, presenteeism and the frequency of staff burnout and turnover.

Steps to recovery

Forbes recommends seven strategies to help recover and reinvigorate after burnout:

  • Get lots of rest
  • Practice self-care
  • Take micro-breaks
  • Set work-life boundaries
  • Have a place to vent
  • Get professional support

Empower your people to be their best with tailored content and programs delivered by Springday.

Learn more about our solutions or chat to us about how we can help you.

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4 min read

Improving our winter wellness

Improving our winter wellness

Improving our winter wellness

Anything which has to be on 24 hours a day, needs a good quality, reliable power source.

Our brains are no exception.

What we eat directly affects the structure and function of our brain and, ultimately, our mood Harvard University has found.

Our brains are responsible for all our bodily functions, from our moods, to healing and digestion.
It comes as little surprise that our brains make up 20% of our daily energy intake.

Which is directly influenced by how well we sleep, hydrate, and look after our mental health.

With the right nutrients, we have the energy to do the things we want, instead of battling inflammation.

Discover how you can improve your wellness this winter…

Understanding healthy balance

It’s essential to eat to keep warm in winter. However, what we eat has different impacts on our digestive system.

The delicate balance of bacteria in your gut aids digestion, absorbs nutrients and bolsters your immune system.

What we eat can also prompt inflammation, which is how our bodies respond to injury or infection.

Some of the side effects of poor nutrition include, but aren’t limited to:

  • Tiredness and poor concentration
  • Reduced immune system function
  • Iron deficiency
  • Nutrient deficiencies – e.g., folate, zinc, magnesium, and vitamins
  • Heart disease
  • High cholesterol
  • Weight gain
  • Diabetes
  • Osteoporosis
  • Some cancers

Multiple studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function — and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression, according to Harvard.

Our psychological relationship with food

Furthermore, an intense diet culture, a difficult relationship or a perception of food can also lead to body image issues and disordered eating behaviours such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating.

Sometimes people can exhibit extreme behaviours when it comes to eating healthy that are more subtle, such as orthorexia.

Eating Disorders Victoria describes orthorexia as a mental illness and eating disorder.

It can manifest as strong anxiety about food choices (positive and negative), with a person’s self-esteem closely linked to how healthily they eat.

Nourishing our mood

If we’re not eating well, it’s likely we’re not feeling well mentally or physically.

This can impact all areas of our lives, particularly mood regulation.

Along with making healthy choices where we can, good sleep hygiene, regular exercise and not smoking can alleviate chronic inflammation throughout our bodies.

To give your gut health a boost, particularly after a round of antibiotics, probiotic and prebiotic foods can replenish your gut with good bacteria.

Trifecta Nutrition recommends naturally fermented products such as yoghurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut along with wholegrain breads and cereals, fruit, vegetables, legumes, lentils, nuts and seeds.

A delicious boost

Eating healthy supercharges our ability to deal with stress, makes us more resilient and can assist with improving our sleep.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare  recommends we consume:

  • Plenty of vegetables – eat as many coloured varieties as you can, including different types and colours and legumes/beans.
  • Fruit – eating a variety of fruit will give you a greater variety of immune boosting antioxidants.
  • Grains – wholegrain or high fibre variations of breads, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, polenta, couscous, oats, quinoa and barley.
  • Lean meats and protein alternatives – including poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts, seeds and legumes/beans.
  • Dairy – such as milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or their alternatives, mostly reduced fat (except for children under two years of age).
  • Drink plenty of water.

A healthy diet is known to improve your mental and physical health.

Help boost your employee’s wellbeing with tailored content and programs delivered by Springday.

Learn more about our solutions or chat to us about how we can help you.

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4 min read

Better relationships with healthy conflict resolution

Better relationships with healthy conflict resolution

Better relationships with healthy conflict resolution

Empower you and your loved ones in healthy ways

Navigating conflict can feel daunting, especially with loved ones, but it doesn’t have to be.

Communicating your needs and listening with empathy are skills which can be learned with practice.

Even basic conflict resolution skills will help you navigate disagreements, to de-escalating meltdowns and other tense situations.

These skills are applicable for interacting with people of all ages and professional backgrounds.

There are ways you can manage boundaries and communicate while maintaining healthy relationships.

What is conflict?

Disagreements are a natural feature of any relationship – friends, family, romantic or work colleagues to name a few.

Conflict can range from disagreements that you can’t sort out to strong verbal arguments to physical fights.

Conflict can also be uncomfortable silence, anger, and hostility, according to Raising Children.

Australia Counselling observes conflict as stemming from our own wants, desires, needs and fears.

The stronger our need for something, the bigger the conflict will be when we encounter a situation where we feel that those needs are threatened.

Many people experience the feeling of wanting to avoid any and all conflict.

If we store up too much frustration and don’t communicate our true feelings, conflict avoidance can negatively impact our mental health.

Knowing how to approach and de-escalate tense situations also improves our wellbeing and our relationships.

Causes of conflict

Any kind of conflict can be stressful, and some of these experiences can help us develop and improve our communication strategies.

There are instances when conflict can become unhealthy or make us question our safety.

It is important to remember any kind of disagreement or conflict we experience is normal when it is respectful.

Kids Helpline highlights a few main causes of conflict:

  • Friends and relationships.
  • Privacy and boundaries.
  • Important choices/decisions.
  • Freedoms and responsibilities – e.g., relationships, work.

Kinds of conflict

According to Harvard Business Review the kinds of conflict we can encounter can include (but are not limited to) are:

  • Task conflict – relates to tasks, commonly found in the workplace. It can relate to differences of opinion on how to do something, managing expectations, interpretation of facts and dividing up resources.
  • Relationship conflict – can originate from differences in personality, style, matters of taste even conflict styles.
  • Value conflict – this kind of conflict can arise from distinct or slight differences in identity, values and beliefs. This can relate to politics, religion, ethics, norms and other beliefs.

Navigating conflict with loved ones

Our brains can react significantly during any conflict.

It comes down to our biology, when we sense a threat, we are engineered to protect ourselves.

We are flooded with stress hormones designed to motivate us into ‘fight or flight’ reactions.

We may not be able to immediately halt this physiological reaction in the moment, but it can be de-escalated, resulting in more constructive and less reactive communication.

This helps especially when we have conflict with any of our loved ones and want to maintain a healthy relationship with them.

If conflict with a loved one is occurring on a regular basis, it can cause stress and negatively impact your relationship.

One of the most important things to remember in any conflict situation is it’s okay to excuse yourself for a few minutes to calm down before you respond.

Taking a break can help you re-focus, take some deep breaths to calm your brain down and consider your perspective.

To help you consider your approach, Headspace recommends:

  • Acknowledge and summarise what the other person has said – This shows you’re interested and listening to the other person.
  • Use ‘I’ statements to communicate – Using ‘I’ statement helps us to own what we are saying rather than giving a sense of blame that can happen with ‘you’ statements.
  • Think about your non-verbal communication like facial expressions, nodding and body language – Non-verbal communication is as important, if not more important than what we are saying.
  • Be prepared to negotiate – It is important to go into conversations prepared to listen to the other person’s perspective and see if we can find an agreement that works for everyone.

Further tips for de-escalation

A meltdown or highly emotional reaction can often be due to sensory overwhelm or sensory overload.

While these are common causes for emotional dysregulation for children, they can also affect adults too.

To de-escalate a situation, it’s important to remember to stay calm, it’s not possible to problem solve with someone who is agitated or highly emotional.

Furthermore, anger may be a sign that the person is in distress, experiencing fear or frustration, according to the NSW Department of Health.

NSW Health suggests taking the LOWLINE approach to de-escalate a situation:

  • Listen to what the issue is and the person’s concerns.
  • Offer reflective comments to show you have heard what their concerns are.
  • Wait until the person has released their frustration and explained how they are feeling.
  • Look into and maintain appropriate eye contact with the person.
  • Incline your head slightly, to show you are listening and give you a non-threatening posture.
  • Nod to confirm that you are listening and have understood.
  • Express empathy to show you have understood.

If you are experiencing conflict where you feel genuinely unsafe, you may be in an abusive situation.

If you are in an emergency or your life is in danger, call triple-zero (000).

You can reach out for support for yourself or a loved one by contacting 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Empower your people to build healthy relationships with tailored content and programs designed for you – delivered by Springday. Learn more about our solutions or chat to us about how we can help you.

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5 min read

Five delicious ways to give yourself a boost this winter

Five delicious ways to give yourself a boost this winter

Five delicious ways to give yourself a boost this winter

Delight your senses as the temperature drops

There’s a silver lining to the cool change autumn and winter bring.

While many of us retreat indoors, it can be easy to reach for some of the same foods, or take away orders(!).

The cooler months give an abundance of fresh produce – with no shortage of tasty ways to use it.

In season fruits include apples, bananas, berries, grapes, kiwifruit, citrus fruit, mangoes, melon, nectarines, oranges, papaya, passionfruit, peaches, pears, plums, pomegranate, rhubarb, and tamarillos.

In season vegetables include Asian greens, avocado, beans, capsicum, celery, chilli, cucumber, eggplant, leek, lettuce, onions, peas, potato, pumpkin, spinach, sweet corn, sweet potato, tomato and zucchini.

We’ve put together of list of five ways you can give yourself a boost this autumn and winter:

1. Boost your core temperature

The weather affects our metabolism, especially in cooler months.

During this time our bodies need more energy to keep warm, requiring more nutrients to keep up with our metabolism.

We’re also more likely to crave spicy foods and sweet treats during this time, which can see us regularly indulge in our ‘comfort foods’.

If you’re one to really feel the cold, it’s a good idea to increase the nutrient dense foods, along with movement, to help keep your core temperature up.

There are ways to pack more nutrient-rich foods in your cooking, even your comfort foods.

According to food.ndtv.com, they include:

  • Green vegetables – the health benefits of green vegetables can give us a boost all year round, especially in managing our weight, blood pressure and gut health.
  • Roots and tubers – plants grown and harvested from underground are rich in healthy vitamins and minerals, so pop a few more in your cart when you’re planning roasted vegetables.
  • Wholegrains – to give your gut, heart and digestive health a boost reach for more fibre rich foods such as wholegrains.
  • Nuts and seeds – these are an easy, nutrition-dense way to give your salads, stir fry, stew or curry a boost. They are high in healthy fats, antioxidants and are naturally cholesterol free.
  • Spices – cinnamon and turmeric have a range of properties which makes them ideal to include in your cooking, such as lowering cholesterol and reducing inflammation.

2. Improve your immunity

The amount of time we spend indoors can affect our immunity, there are ways we can fortify against seasonal sickness.

Whether it’s your work lunches, something sweet, or your next round of bulk cooking for the week, there are foods you can easily prepare which can warm you and fill you up.

Look up some tasty recipes for or including some of the following foods, recommended by Everyday Health: soup, citrus fruit, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and salmon.

Kidney beans, barley, walnuts, dark chocolate, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are also ideal for giving your body a boost of antioxidants.

3. Lift your mood

Cooler weather doesn’t just cause a spike in our metabolism – fewer daylight hours can have noticeable effects on our demeanour.

According to Nutrition Australia, over 30% of Australians struggle with low mood during cooler months.

Some people experience an annual low point in their mood each autumn and winter, known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Beyond Blue describe SAD as manifesting depression-like symptoms – feeling hopeless, lacking energy, changes in sleep or eating patterns, less desire to be social or intimate, or loss of pleasure from things you enjoy.

Being more mindful of the food we consume can help support our mood.

  • Try switching up your breakfast food to include more wholegrains, nuts, oats, muesli, and fruit.
  • Get more Vitamin D when there is less sun – reach for more eggs, fatty fish, mushrooms, and fortified milks (cow and plant-based milks).
  • Craving high fat or high sugar comfort foods? You’re not alone. For long-lasting energy and less chance of overeating, add oily fish (salmon, mackerel, and sardines), nuts (walnuts), seeds (chia seeds) and olives to your meals.

4. Save money when you eat seasonally

Eating a varied, healthy diet doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

If you’re environmentally conscious, living on a budget or just looking to shake up your cooking, there’s some great benefits to eating seasonally.

Buying produce which is in-season means you’re buying more cost-effective, fresh, flavourful, and nutritious produce.

An additional benefit is that your season purchases support local growers and can reduce food wastage.

A few tips to get you started:

5. Try gardening

Keen to flex your green thumb? Want to grow your own?

There’s plenty of produce you can sow and harvest in cooler months.

Gardening is a recommended activity as it can encourage the use of many motor skills, improve endurance and strength and keep you moving, according to Healthier. Happier.

It is an activity which can suit all movement levels and most living spaces.

Even in low light months, even indoors, you can make use of tools such as grow lights to support your seedlings.

To give you the best chance of success, do your research or consult with your local gardening shop to see what set up is right for you.

A healthy diet is known to improve your mental and physical health. Help boost your employee’s wellbeing with tailored content and programs delivered by Springday. Learn more about our solutions or chat to us about how we can help you.

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5 min read

Getting the right balance for you

Getting the right balance for you

Getting the balance right for you

Reclaiming our time

Australia’s laid-back culture isn’t influencing our work-life balance.

For working Australians, the reality is our situations are closer to detrimental than beneficial.

We work longer hours than we should, which is stealing hours away from our leisure and rest time.

But it doesn’t have to be like that.

We are equipped to improve our balance of work and leisure in our lives.

What does work-life balance mean (really)?

Work-life balance is commonly thought of as when we work vs the time we aren’t working.

However, because we’re not working doesn’t mean we’re resting.

Furthermore, it doesn’t automatically equal an ideal balance between work and leisure.

But perhaps imbalance is not the enemy.

Leisure, quality of rest, salary, weekly hours worked, commute times, and quality of life are just a handful of the factors which influence our work-life balance.

What industry you work in, where you live, and your age can make a significant difference to this balance.

For example, if you are recovering from an injury or illness you’ll need more rest than you usually get.

Perhaps a significant project at work or training for a fun run may require more of your time than usual.

How we spend our time is different, our individual needs are different – meaning our work-life balance is likely not going to be the same as our colleagues or friends.

The SEEK Learning Defining Work-Life Balance Report found that a person’s priorities play the biggest role in achieving the right balance for an individual

At different times in our lives, we might well need an imbalance to have the right balance for us as individuals, to have our best quality of life.

When our balance is not working for us, it can result in burnout.

Seeing the bigger picture

When thinking about work-life balance it feels easy to simply blame ourselves, and not consider the bigger picture.

The statistics show we’re not alone in struggling to balance our life priorities.
According to the OECD’s Better Life Index:

  • About 13% of Australian employees work very long hours in paid work, above the OECD average of 10%.
  • Full-time workers in Australia devote 60% of their day on average (14.4 hours), to personal care and leisure – less than the OECD average of 15 hours.

Furthermore, Professor Gordon Parker AO, founder of the Black Dog Institute, highlights people who experience demanding home situations as highly susceptible to burnout.

One example he cites are the ‘sandwich generation’ – people who are caring for children or dependents while simultaneously caring for elderly parents.

Avoiding burnout

In their research article in The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Gordon Parker and Gabriella Tavella generally define burnout as “a triad of emotional exhaustion, lack of empathy, and reduced professional accomplishment constructs.”

Our mental exhaustion, ability to empathise and our motivation to keep learning, setting goals and achieving them at work and in life, are some of the warning signs to be aware of.

Forbes recommends the following tips to prevent burnout:

  • Take regular breaks – No matter how much you have to get done, it is vital to take breaks. When you feel stressed or under pressure, pushing through without a break can make you less productive.
  • Organise your time – Try organising your time according to your energy, not what you need to get done. When they feel motivated, they work. When they can’t focus, they step away.
  • Create a dedicated workspace – Where you work can make a difference. Create a clear, comfortable space with little touches of things you like, or motivational quotes to help keep you in a focused frame of mind.
  • Analyse your priorities – We can struggle to not waste our time on the tasks that are not the most important. You can re-evaluate your priorities, set boundaries and spend your time wisely.

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4 min read

Well slept makes a well body

Well slept makes a well body

Well slept makes a well body

Positive sleep strategies

Getting the right quality and quantity of sleep is vital to achieving optimal health and wellbeing.

Yet, sleep is often the thing we readily sacrifice to ‘get it all done’.

And we know it doesn’t benefit us.

Sleep is an essential function that enables our body and mind to rest and recharge, ensuring we’re refreshed and alert when we wake up.

Benefits of better sleep

Sleep plays a key role in keeping us both physically and mentally healthy.

However, work schedules, day-to-day stressors, travel, medical conditions or shift work can present challenges to getting enough sleep.

Healthy adults need between seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

More than 30% of adults have poor sleep patterns that lead to fatigue and irritability.

Those who regularly sleep less than five hours each night is at greater risk of longer-term mental health issues.

If sleep deprivation becomes consistent, or a habit – then the consequences can begin to show.

A healthy diet, regular exercise and positive lifestyle habits all contribute to better sleep.

The health benefits of better sleep include:

1. Reduced risk of weight gain and poor eating decisions
2. Stronger immune system
3. Improved memory and decision making
4. More energy to enjoy life
5. Improved concentration, alertness, and response time
6. Reduced risk of heart disease and stroke
7. Improved social and emotional intelligence
8. Greater creativity

Sleep and work

When we get enough sleep, we’re better at whatever we do.

Fatigue has real impacts on our focus, decision-making and general mood.

Fatigue can result in performance issues like:

  • Poor hand-eye co-ordination
  • Slow reaction times
  • Inattention and difficulty focusing
  • Difficulty communicating
  • Lower mood and/or mood swings
  • Reduced mental processing and problem-solving capacity
  • More likely to take risks
  • Lack of awareness of performance limitations

A study conducted by Dawson & Reid found that 17 hours without sleep is equivalent to driving with blood alcohol level of 0.05%. After 24 hours without sleep, it increases to an equivalent of 0.1%.

Technology and sleep

Last but not least, when it comes to sleeping well, we need to look frankly at our technology use.

While mobiles, tablets, computers, and other devices have become an important, if not essential, part of our daily life, they can have a negative effect on our sleep.

The blue light emitted by the screens can stop our brain producing melatonin which assists with sleep.

Try to have at least a 30-minute gadget-free period before heading to bed.

Invest a little time now to audit your sleep routine and put some positive changes in place – you won’t regret it.

Dos and don’ts of sleep

There are changes we can make today to improve the quality and quantity of sleep we’re getting.

Don’t sleep on it – make a positive change to recharge properly.

Some tips to consider:

Do Don't

Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day – even on weekends

Exercise within two hours of going to bed – exercise stimulates your body and can make it difficult to fall asleep

Create a comfortable sleeping environment – keep the room cool, quiet, and dark with comfortable bedding

Consume caffeinated drinks in the evening – avoid coffee, tea, and other caffeine

Use your bed only for sleep and intimacy – avoid eating, studying, or using technology

Drink alcohol before bed – alcohol may cause a number of sleep issues for you

Use an alarm clock if you need one – it’s a better solution than keeping a mobile phone by your bed

Eat a heavy or spicy meal before going to bed – try to allow sufficient time to digest your meal

Exercise during the day – it will help you to wind down more easily in the evening

Go to bed hungry – have a light snack if you need to

Spend time in natural light during the day – this promotes melatonin production that helps your body know when to sleep and when to wake up

Engage in stimulating activity right before bed – avoid playing competitive games, paying bills, having difficult conversations or anything else that might keep your brain awake

Use relaxation techniques before bed – take a warm shower, do some breathing exercises, or read a book to help you unwind

Nap during the day – or keep it to no more than 30 minutes so as to not disrupt your sleep

Sleep is an important and fundamental part of wellbeing. Help your employees improve their sleep quality with tailored content and programs delivered by Springday. Learn more about our solutions or chat to us about how we can help you.

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4 min read

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