How “Eating Ergonomics” Can Help Employees Improve Their Health
Hello! Are you – and your employees – familiar with the term “eating ergonomics?”
Eating ergonomics is about shifting one's surroundings so that healthy choices are easier to make - everything from what foods are visible in your kitchen to having workout clothes laid on the bed in the morning to taking a different route home from work to avoiding a favorite tempting fast-food restaurant. There are very simple and practical shifts that you can make to your home and work spaces that will set you up for eating ergonomics success!
Help your employees succeed in making new, healthy lifestyle changes and choices by encouraging them to think about and pay attention to their surroundings and how they can be shifted so that the healthy choice is easier to make without even realizing it. By being more deliberate and thoughtful about one’s surroundings, people can truly alter their choices for improved health.
There are so many easy ways to shift surroundings to form new routines. Let’s split them into four categories:
Rearrange: When you open your cupboard, what do you see first – salty snacks, whole grain crackers, or a chocolate bar? Researchers have found that we are three times more likely to eat the first thing we see compared to the fifth thing we see. That means that your fridge, cupboards, counters and workspaces should have ready-to-eat, healthy options begging for your attention.
Resize: Think about the size of the plate or bowl you’re using for lunch - or, the size of the bag you’re snacking from. How big is it? It’s amazing how you can be more satisfied with less food with a few simple changes to the size of your dish, package or portion. Trick your brain into thinking that you’re eating more by using smaller plates, bowls, silverware and glasses. It’s more of an illusion - but it works! You are more satisfied with less food without even realizing it.
Plan: Simply having fruit and vegetables in plain sight at home isn’t the key to success – if I had to bet, I’d say some went bad before you ate them all. Make a plan to cut up fruit and vegetables – keep them in pre-portioned packages in your fridge or freezer. Close the gap between the counter and your stomach!
Search: “Search” pertains to finding healthy options when you’re on the go. Whether you’re at the airport, on a business trip, or at a local restaurant with the team, there are smart ways that you can feel successful about your food choices. Airports are making it easier to find bananas, yogurt parfaits or low-sugar protein bars throughout the terminal. And many fast-casual restaurant menus now display calorie information for easy perusal.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg - there is so much more to each of these four important categories that will help you make the healthy choice the easy choice.
You make more than 200 unconscious food-related choices every day! Your surroundings drive so much of what you choose to eat. By using the tips in the four eating ergonomics categories above, your employees will start to make healthier choices without a lot of thought and effort.
Now is the time to set employees up for sustainable, long-term health and wellness. Let’s team up to invest in their wellbeing and encourage them to make small, sustainable changes to their health – including improved eating ergonomics.
Hire me to speak to your team about eating ergonomics! Contact me so that I can help you fulfill your company’s needs and health and wellness goals. I will help motivate your employees to improve their health without fighting their willpower!
