Creating Weekend Warriors

Face it: Most of us don’t like to face Monday after a weekend free from the office.

And as much as you’d like to believe your staffers come in bright-eyed, well-rested, and ready to work, that’s not often the case.

Monday blues affect many office workers, and the reason behind them range from too much partying to too little sleep, overindulging in food and drink and underindulging in physical activity…or a combination of any of these factors.

Which makes you wonder if there’s not some way their “free” hours could be better spent, perhaps working toward your mutual goals of health and wellness.

Take exercise, for example. It often gets pushed to the back burner. On weekdays, that’s usually because people are so busy or because they’re too tired after a full day’s work to get in an honest-to-goodness workout.

Theoretically, then, weekends should be a blank slate, with time and energy to spare for logging some real exercise time. If it’s not working out quite that way for your staff members, maybe it’s time to remind them of some exercise options that are actually (gasp!) fun.

Summer sunshine invites a host of outdoor activity, with swimming at the forefront. Beating the heat at the community or fitness club pool is the perfect way to spend quality time with the kids and get an effective dose of activity at the same time.

Hiking and biking are other popular outdoor pursuits that can be shared with family and friends, and you may find you’re having so much fun you forget you’re getting a good workout (until the next day, maybe).

Local rivers and lakes offer recreational activities, too; rent a canoe or kayak and explore the natural surroundings (as you put your rowing arms through their paces).

Just encourage your workers to fill some of their downtime with activities that require more energy and offer much more payoff than lounging by the pool, sitting in a darkened movie theater, or guzzling beer and scarfing down pizza on the couch.

When you treat your body right over the weekend, Monday mornings will be that much easier to face.

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