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Workplace Health Month

Do You Celebrate Healthy Workplace Month? Here’s Why You Should!

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This post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label.

A lot of you may not have known this but on top of being the month where we get to dress up as our favourite childhood cartoon characters, October is also Healthy Workplace Month! You do want to contribute to a healthy work environment, right? We’re not monsters! Healthy Workplace Month in Canada is about making an effort to create a healthy work environment and I wanted to share some ideas to get you started! I am also giving away a sweet Cold & Flu Essentials kit from Bayer!

The Rule of 20’s

For many of us, a day at work means long hours in front of a computer. According to the Ontario Association of Optometrists, excessive screen time can lead to blurred vision,headaches, tearing or dry and irritated eyes. If you’re feeling the strain, try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break from your screen and focus on something at least 20 feet away from you. To treat the symptoms of dry eye, keep eye drops handy. hydraSense® introduced three new products for dry eyes this year that are worth a second look. The eye drops are preservative free and give you long-lasting relief that’s also gentle on the eyes.

No Play For Mr. Grey

The colours and images around us can affect how we think and feel. Try adding some colour or some family photos to your workspace to spruce up your mood and get away from that grey, dreary feeling that can often take over. Dressing up your surroundings can help your mind gear up for work, de-stress or bring joy to your day.

Move Your Butt!

Breaking up your routine is a great way to clear your head and relieve stress. You may be stuck at work for 8 hours, but you don’t have to take it sitting down! Get up during the day to bounce ideas off of a coworker, take a walking meeting with your team or even get up and do a little dance if you’re feeling brave. If you work from home, a change of scenery may give you new perspective on a tough project. Try hitting a coffee shop or even renting a shared workspace for a few days a week.

C’mon, Get Comfy!

Do you spend a lot of time in an office chair? A few simple tweaks to your workspace can help you cut down on back pain. Keep your spine straight by raising your monitor up to eye level and positioning your knees at a 90-degree angle. If you need fast relief to get back to work, ALEVE® lasts up to 12 hours with just one caplet or liquid gel capsule. It’s no fun trying to get work done when your back hurts, so keep some ALEVE® on hand.

Step Away From That Pizza Pocket!

Proper nutrition is an important part of staying alert and energized at work. If you’re finding it difficult to pack healthy food and snacks throughout the week, share the burden with a few close friends by starting a healthy lunch club. Take turns putting together the next day’s lunch for your group. It’s a great way to share your positive new habits with your coworkers.

GIVEAWAY!!

As mentioned, I am giving away a Cold & Flu Essentials kit from Bayer and all you have to do to enter is fill out as many of the Rafflecopter entries you’d like and I’ll choose a winner in 2 weeks! Good luck and stay healthy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label.

Shoppers Drug Mart Man Flu Shot

Can We Talk About The Man Flu For A Minute?

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The man flu is a joke that has been around for ages and will likely never die. The joke is that we, as men, don’t know how to handle being sick so we over exaggerate our sniffles, lock ourselves away in our rooms and expect to be waited on hand and foot. If I’m being honest, the locking in the room part of that equation is absolutely true, but I have never expected, nor demanded, anything from my spouse while I was sick.

Recently, however, science has shown that there may be something to this so called “man flu” that completely excuses us from further ridicule. Gooooo, science! You see, scientists claim they have found that men suffer more because they invest in their spirit of adventure at the expense of their immune system. Or in other words, we don’t take care of ourselves and get sicker than our female counterparts, who are much smarter than we are. Still, science! This article explains it far more eloquently than I can.

Further to this news it is said that across a range of animal species, males tend to be the “weaker sex” in relation to immune defenses, usually because of hormonal differences. This has been supported by more recent studies, which suggest estrogen has anti-viral qualities that provide women with greater protection against influenza.

What I’m really trying to say here is that while man flu may be a thing, science shows that it is actually very natural and that you should definitely cut us some slack the next time we are sick. At least I think that’s what science was trying to say… In the end I think we can all agree that getting your flu shot is one of the best ways to avoid getting the flu and I highly encourage you to stop in to your local Shoppers Drug Mart and get your flu shot today! Getting your flu shot not only protects you but also helps protect those around you who are more susceptible to getting sick.

Okay, I’m done, you can run over to Shoppers Drug Mart now to get your flu shot! Oh, and if you feel like sharing, please tweet @CanadianDadBlog a picture of you getting your Shoppers Drug Mart flu shot using the hashtag #SDMFluFighters and I’ll hit you with a virtual high five for your bravery!

Disclosure: I was compensated for my participation in this campaign.

SDM Flu Shot

Did You Get Caught By The Flu This Season? {Plus A Giveaway!}

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Well, we’re almost at the finish line and, knock on wood, we haven’t had any major sickness in our house to date this flu season. Is it just around the corner? Maybe, but I’m staying confident in my belief that this year’s flu shot is going to do its job and keep us from missing out on hockey, ballet, skating, sledding, baseball and everything else in between.

The truth is that I got so sick last year that I completely changed my lackadaisical behaviour when it comes to flu prevention. Getting the shot was one step but I have become obsessive about things such as hand washing, cleaning my workstation and germs in general. Besides, it’s hard to teach your children the importance of clean living when you yourself don’t follow your own advice. One thing I will caution you against, however, is using google to look up how many germs are out there and where they like to hang out the most… No, seriously, don’t do it!

Throughout this Shoppers Drug Mart flu shot campaign, I have received a number of comments on both sides of the fence about whether or not you should get the flu shot for you and your family but there is only one fact that matters to me. As I discussed in the post about Flu Shot Myths, getting the flu shot will not make you sick and even if it only gives you a slight advantage of not getting sick this winter, I am going to take any advantage I can get.

That said, there is still time to get out to your local Shoppers Drug Mart to get your flu vaccination. If you think reaching February means you are safe, you need to think again!

GIVEAWAY

Now, because you are all so amazing, I am going to be giving away a Cold & Flu Prize Pack which includes a $100 gift card from Shoppers Drug Mart! This should get you through any sniffles you may come across during flu season and prevent you from having to reuse tissues… This giveaway is open to residents of Canada, excluding Quebec.

a Rafflecopter giveaway