According to a recently released survey from Wellness Tourism Worldwide a little wanderlust might not only be good for the body and soul but it’s also good for work productivity. I kid you not! Alert all the stressed out hard working Puritans who believe where there is no pain–there is no gain. Wellness Culture is rising! Well sort of– but maybe more so outside of the Unites States. Check out what many of us Americans believe but are not practicing enough below…
Fun Facts – U.S. Vacationers Report & Survey Data
Wellness Tourism Worldwide 2013 Survey
U.S. Surveyed Respondents believe…
- 90% believe vacations can improve happiness.
- Nearly 90% believe vacations can improve health.
- 84% believe vacations can improve productivity
- 37% decided to start a health regimen while on vacation
The people have weighed in but why aren’t we practicing our beliefs? The truth is Americans are very low on the totem pole in comparison to other westernized countries when requiring mandatory vacation leave and the length of time we take vacations (US standard is one week and shrinking). See this infographic for the weary details!
Let’s stay optimistic because as ideals for wellness culture gains momentum more American businesses will begin to see the “value” in investing in wellness culture and the importance of healthy employees. Right now there are Wellness 2.0 inspired ideas out there. I was happy to discover this encouraging piece from Wired Magazine’s Innovation Insights column entitled “Taking a Culture First Mentality With Workplace Wellness”.
When you look at things from an economic perspective, healthier employees not only cut health insurance costs but they also can increase productivity and innovation. Your healthy brain and body is our country’s economic future. Too bad we have to be financially motivated to “value” the health of our people, but whatever it takes to move wellness culture forward–we’ll take it!
Slow Fix, by Carl Honoré
Carl Honoré, author of the Slow Fix, Solve Problems, Work Smarter, and Live Better in a Fast World says “Politicians and business people go around saying we’ve got to raise a generation of creative thinkers, problem-solvers and so on but when you look at the kind of education they’re given it seems to run completely in the wrong direction”.
Carl’s point is well taken, “stressed out fried brains” are not going to produce creative innovative thinkers. We can look to one of America’s most innovative companies Google and see how wellness culture is taking hold of the workplace. Check out one of the perks Google offers! Forget the basic gym membership–that’s a given. Anyone for a little nappie poo? One of the latest employee perks at Google is use of their high-tech nap pods (brand name EnergyPod) because they want to keep their workers energized!
Don’t roll your eyes just yet because sleep is becoming a sought after luxury in today’s high stressed world. In addition to the built in Bose sound system see the additional spa like features of the EnergyPod. (photo below).
Several studies from the National Sleep Foundation, substantiate how napping has important psychological benefits. A nap can be a pleasant luxury or a mini-vacation. It can also provide an easy way to get some relaxation and rejuvenation.
- Napping Boosts Alertness
EnergyPods ( aka sleep pods)
- Napping Improves Learning And Memory
- Napping Increases Creativity
- Napping Boosts Productivity
- Napping Lifts Your Spirits
- Napping Zaps Stress
The focus on sleep is nothing to snooze over! According to Wellness Tourism Worldwide Sleep Aids rank # 5 on the 2013 Top Wellness Travel Trends list. Look out for Pod Hotels coming to an airport near you and already popping up in Japan & Europe.
Don’t know if the EnergyPod is in your future? No worries– the simple art of taking a nap is still free the last time I looked. Just plug in your ipod and kick back. Preferably it would be nice if you were taking a nap on a beach in Bali but hey that’s what dreaming is for! Wherever you sneak a snooze I highly recommend this CD The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World Ever and the “just dreamy” Sonoma Lavender eye pillows. Oh and there is nothing like a warm cup of yummy herbal infused vanilla drink from Beauty Foods to send you off to the lala land of your dreams!
Trulyherself,
Lauroly
ZZZZ….