8 Must Have Haves for a Healthier Office

How much time do you spend at the office every week? Forty hours? Sixty?

The environmental stimulus in our workspaces is one we’re exposed to for a significant portion of our lives, so it makes sense to make sure our offices are as conscientiously designed as our homes. Don’t just put up pictures and get a pretty cork board — look around your office and figure out how you can make it a healthier, more productive space to spend your days in.

#1 — LED Lighting

Fluorescent lighting has been shown time and time again to be seriously bad news for your eyes. If you work in a shared office space, talk to the powers that be about switching from fluorescent to LED lighting. Soften the lights, and get rid of that migraine-inducing flicker.

#2 — Convertible Standing Desk

Sitting and standing for prolonged periods of time, as it turns out, are both bad for your health. Too much of anything is almost always a bad thing, so mix it up with a convertible sitting and standing desk, like this one from Halter. It sits directly on your existing work surface, so there’s no need to rearrange the furniture and clicks up and into place with a simple adjustment anytime you need to adjust your posture.

#3 — Blue-Light Blocking Glasses

Electronic screens emit a blue light similar to that which we experience in sunlight. The difference? Most people are in front of screens much more than they’re out in the sun. The result is that our hormone production gets messed up — too much blue light can cause insomnia, mood swings, behavioral changes, and even migraines.

Blue light blocking computer glasses are critical to sustaining those long hours in the office, so make sure you have a pair (and a backup pair, for that matter) on hand at all times.

#4 — Air Filter

Whether you’re at home or in the office, you’re exposed to a wide variety of indoor air pollutants that can cause everything from allergies to migraines. Even with a good HVAC system, that air gets continuously cycled through the same space. Over time, this can present subtle but debilitating health problems.

Get a small air filter for your space, or talk to your boss about getting one that’s big enough to clean the air for the whole office.

#5 — Plants

If an air filter isn’t an option for your office space, plants make a great substitute. Low-light plants like English Ivy and aloe vera thrive indoors on minimal water, and actually do a pretty fantastic job of cleaning the air. Set up a planter on your desk, and if you’re far from the nearest window, add a little lighting system to ensure your plant thrives.

#6 — Water

Staying hydrated isn’t always as easy as it sounds, especially when you’re distracted by work. Plan ahead (so you don’t have any excuses), and keep filtered water at your desk at all times — at least enough to get you through the day.

#7 — Healthy Snacks

Everyone needs a snack stash, but everyone also needs something besides Butterfingers and granola bars. Keep clean snacks at your desk that are actually going to keep that brain of yours firing on all cylinders — think healthy fats, unprocessed carbohydrates, and protein anywhere you can sneak it in.

Here are a few desk-friendly snacks that don’t have to be refrigerated, or hidden in shame from your coworkers:

Nuts
Jerky
Whole apples
Kale chips
Protein bars

#8 — Gamercize PC Sport Stepper

Ready to take it to the next level? Of course you are. That’s why you want an under-the-desk elliptical that punishes you with hardware incompetence for slowing down.

That’s right, this device exists.

The Gamercize PC Sport Stepper hooks into your mouse or keyboard, and if it detects you’re slowing down, it’ll actually suspend your control over those devices. How’s that for motivation?