Mind Body Business

Mind Body Business Health Checks

The Mind Body Business team are offering free health checks for employees in businesses across the Borough. The health checks will be completed by Bluecrest over 2 days at different venues across the Borough as follows:

Details of what the 20-minute health check includes is outlined below.

If you wish to book an appointment for you or your staff, please call the Admin team in Environmental Health on 0300 013 33 33 ext 40336.

 Appointments will be issued on a first come first served basis, each business will be permitted to book a maximum of 5 appointments, however a reserve list will also be held for any additional employees should any free spaces become available.

Mind Body Business Small Grant Scheme

Now closed to applications

Last year’s scheme offered a small grant of financial support, up to £250 (per business), to businesses based in Ards and North Down Borough who are interested in providing a workplace health and well-being initiative for their employees.

Why should you take part?

• Employee illness, chronic poor health, low job satisfaction and high turnover leads to low productivity and lost business earnings.  Happy workers are 12% more productive.
• Encouraging healthy habits now can prevent serious health conditions later and save your business money in the long run.
• Improving morale and health does not have to cost a fortune.

Get Active Advice

The Health Development Specialist from the SE Trust has shared a few stress relieving exercises to help relieve stress and get active as you go through your working day:

• Get Active, Take a walk -  A quick walk around the block creates an opportunity to get fresh air, stretch your legs and clear your thoughts, and then return to your work with renewed focus.
• Stretch - If your job involves sitting down looking at a screen all day, stretching every hour or so is important to help prevent postural problems.
• Breathe deeply – Deep Breathing (also known as diaphragmatic breathing) has proven health benefits. It encourages a full exchange of incoming oxygen and outgoing carbon dioxide and signals to your nervous system to calm down.
• Practice mindfulness - So, what is mindfulness? Quite simply, it means the mind is present to what is happening in the moment. Think about it for a minute – is your mind in several places at once?
• Visualize a happy place - A quick mental break can do wonders and visualisation is a great technique for relieving stress at work. If you can’t get outside for a quick walk, find a quiet space in the office, close your eyes for a minute or two and visualise a place that makes you feel calm and happy.
• Laugh - It’s no joke, laughter really is just what the doctor ordered when it comes to stress relief exercises at work. Not only does it lighten the load mentally, laughter also enhances your intake of oxygen (we know from the deep breathing that’s a good thing), it stimulates your heart and other organs, and increases the release of endorphins from the brain (the body’s natural feel-good chemicals).
• Perform exercises at your desk, such as seated leg raises, calf raises, and chair dips

Please see the Get Active at Work Flyer from the SE Trust - if you can, please print this out or share an electronic copy with your colleagues at work.

Mind Body Business will:

• Raise awareness of the benefits of workplace health
• Keep enterprises up to date on the activities of partner organisations
• Increase workforce creativity and productivity
• Engage and motivate your workplace to maximise performance, reduce absence rates and retain the best employees
• Support you on your journey to make your business a better place to work, Mind Body Business is open to all employers and employees located in the borough. To sign up to the programme, please email: healthandwellbeing@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk or call 0300 013 3333 Ext. 40333