A morning workout is a fantastic way to start your day – for multiple reasons. Getting your recommended 30 minutes of exercise each day can be difficult for many full-time employees. Between juggling family priorities and working your nine to five, you can always find an excuse to skip the gym. However, making it a habit to exercise right after you get up in the morning might just be the ultimate solution to keep yourself motivated.

We know that it’s tempting to snooze for as long as possible instead of getting up to hit the gym before work. But if you can make it a habit to get your daily exercise in before you get to the office, you’ll feel more accomplished, confident, and enjoy many health benefits.

Check out six amazing benefits of morning exercise below:

Each year, more and more employers have realized that the strict nine-to-five workday schedule is outdated. Too many hours spent in the office can lead to chronic stress, poor health habits, and low job satisfaction.

In contrast, employees with flexible work schedules have been shown to have higher levels of job satisfaction and less absenteeism, along with reduced rates of turnover. By simply offering employees the ability to choose their own hours and work from home when needed, employers can improve the overall health and wellbeing of their employees.

If your company doesn’t currently offer some type of flexibility for your employees, we urge you to consider these five employee wellness perks of a flexible schedule:

A healthy morning sets you up for a healthy day. Of course, we know that not everyone is a morning person. For those that struggle to get up when the alarm goes off, a morning routine might seem like a bit of a nuisance.

However, keeping up with a healthy morning routine can make your mornings a bit easier because it gives you something to look forward to. Adopting a morning routine will help you feel more productive, less stressed, more energized, and ready to tackle the busy workday ahead of you.

Use the following seven steps to start a healthy morning routine:

If you find yourself feeling more stressed out than usual over the holiday season, you’re not alone. In fact, most adults may feel more effects of holiday stress than they do holiday cheer. In a 2015 Healthline survey, 62% of adults reported the holiday season to be either somewhat stressful or very stressful – with only 10% reporting no stress at all. 

Between spending too much cash and nibbling on too many festive cookies, the holidays can negatively impact our mental health with feelings of stress, guilt, or anxiety. However, we believe you can feel more joyful and less stressed by learning to prioritize your mental wellbeing over the holiday season.

Use the following seven tips below to better prioritize your mental wellbeing and keep yourself feeling jolly over the holidays:

The gut is commonly referred to as your body’s “second brain.” This is because, besides the brain, the gut is the only other organ with its own nervous system. A healthy gut is extremely important to your overall wellbeing – as it affects your entire body. Unfortunately, gut health is often overlooked and not given the amount of care and attention it deserves.

According to an article by Douglas Lord, M.D., the gut is largely responsible for the critical factors of the body’s digestive and immune systems. The good bacteria in your digestive system can boost your body’s vitamin and mineral absorbency, hormone regulation, digestion, vitamin production, and immune response, along with the eliminating toxins. A healthy gut can even help improve mental health! 

So, to summarize, gut health is about way more than just digestion. While your gut does regulate the digestion of food, it also regulates your immune system and central nervous system – along with other bodily processes. If you’ve been neglecting your gut health, no need to fret. You can adopt some healthy habits to help your body restore and maintain a healthy gut.

Keep on reading to discover the many benefits of a healthy gut and some habits to help support gut health.

Many of us have a digital addiction.

Nearly half of American smartphone users say they can’t live without their phones. In a technology-driven world, it’s normal to spend some time online and take advantage of the benefits smartphones and other devices have to offer. However, it’s important to realize when your use of technology has started to impact your mental, emotional, and social health. 

A 2015 study found that people check their smartphones an average of 85 times a day. Feeling the need to check your phone constantly can be a sign that it’s time to take a break from the digital world. Your phone obsession can lead to some bad social habits like ignoring your partner during dinner or paying more attention to your notifications instead of your friends. 

If you’ve noticed a sense of stress associated with your dependency on your smartphone, a digit detox might be just what you need to reduce some stress and improve your overall wellbeing. Check out some of the benefits of a digital detox and some tips to make a digital detox work for you:

It’s officially the start of the holiday season! Thanksgiving is a great holiday to bring together family, friends, and great food. However, if you have specific fitness goals that you are trying to achieve, the holidays can be a stressful time. Since Thanksgiving is all about food, it can be hard to fight temptation – and you might leave your family gathering feeling guilty. 

We believe that it’s completely possible to have a satisfying and healthy Thanksgiving when you’re trying to maintain a healthy diet. Whether you’re the host or the attendee, check out some of the tips below to have a healthier Thanksgiving this year.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has changed the definition of hypertension (high blood pressure) for the first time in 14 years. Previously, the standard for stage one of hypertension was 140/90, and has now been revised to 130/80. The previous standard, 140/90, is now considered stage two of hypertension. 

What does this guideline revision mean for us? Millions more of American adults will be diagnosed with hypertension. The percentage of adults living with high blood pressure has increased from 32% to 46% with the new guidelines in place. This means that nearly half of adults are at risk for serious health problems due to hypertension.

According to the AHA, the new guideline is designed to help people take preventative steps to control their blood pressure earlier in life. This is especially important because hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, which are the two leading causes of death in the world.

Today is World Kindness Day! This means that you have a great opportunity to celebrate and promote kindness at work. We encourage both employers and employees to express kindness as much as possible today and for the rest of the week. And if you don’t think kindness belongs in the workplace, think again! 

The power of kindness is often overlooked at the office. Many employees have the mentality that they are at work to work, not to “make friends.” However, research has found that expressions of kindness actually increase work performance and make the workdays more enjoyable.

Keep on reading to discover some of the benefits of promoting kindness in the workplace, and some ideas for celebrating World Kindness Day with your colleagues:

Americans work a lot. In fact, full-time U.S. employees report working an average of 47 hours per week, which is about an hour and a half more than they reported a decade ago. Research also found that nearly four in 10 full-time employees report logging 50+ hours a week.

Crazy hours at the office often lead to busy, overly stressed employees who don’t have time to care for their health and wellness. These employees are susceptible to workplace burnout. Burnout in the workplace not only has detrimental effects on employees but damaging effects on the company itself.

Some of the negative effects of employee burnout can have on a company include:

• Decreased productivity
• Increased PTO/sick leave
• More errors and workplace accidents
• Higher turnover rates 

Even more shocking is the high-cost employers pay for employee burnout. According to Harvard Business Review, the psychological and physical problems of burned-out employees cost an estimated $125 billion to $190 billion a year in healthcare spending in the U.S.