Everyone is a winner when it comes to employee health and wellness. Great to be part of Linfox’s employee health, wellbeing and benefits expo. Often “Prevention is the best cure”, and it is our aim to ensure that your staff have all the knowledge and tools to be proactive and align themselves on their own path to wellbeing. The Health Tea Box offers something for everyone, depending on your taste, mood, and health goals.
Workplace wellness is a multi-million-dollar industry. When done right, those millions of dollars spent earn far more than that in return. When done wrong however, workplace wellness focuses around a reactive instead of proactive approach and leads to millions of dollars in workplace productivity loss, employee absenteeism and loss of company ROI.
If you want to find yourself in the latter category it’s time to stand up and get real about what your employees need and how you can get there.
What’s Wrong With my Workplace Wellness Program?
Here’s the thing: it might not be that there is anything outlandishly wrong about your program, as much as it is outdated. Heck, even something you started last year could be outdated by now with the rate of advancement of technology and wellness trends. And while some of it is indeed trends that will always be on again, off again, a lot of it is backed by science and research. And when it comes to that, there are a few areas of your program that researchers know are no longer best serving your employees:
Let’s start with the hard part: you have to make a change. Change is indeed hard – logistically, financially, physically, and emotionally – and as a result is often avoided. In fact, the reality that things have to change is often the primary hurdle in the way, and why workplace wellness programs remain the same for so long. But now that you know you are going to have to make a change, let’s jump in and figure out what you need to change.
If you’re ready to make a change and create a wellness program that works, we have just what you need to get started: a Health Tea Box! Complete with energy boosting teas made with science backed ingredients, it might be just the answer you are looking for!
We’d love to help you become healthier and be the best version of yourself!
Got a question? Send us an email:
info@healthculturesystems.com.au
It was a great turnout for our first educational “Health Day” event at Delmont Private Hospital. Our resident Naturopath & Herbalist, Kimberlee Ashanti, shared a holistic perspective and understanding of health and wellbeing through the use of herbs and healthy hydration. We enjoyed discussing all things herbal with the staff over a cup of tasty Health Tea Box teas.
Thank you, Rachel Wheeler, for organising this educational event.
If you would like to kick-start your wellness program by organising a Health Day event at your workplace or office send us an email at info@healthculturesystems.com.au or call (03) 9528 30 98
The cooler weather and decrease in sunshine are often precursors to a cold or the start of the symptoms of flu. The immune system works hard to keep us healthy and functioning optimally, but sometimes it can’t keep up!
This year, as winter slowly starts to descend, prepare ahead by strengthening your immune system and arming it with everything it needs to help you stay healthy and keep sickness away!
Maintain Sleep
Sleep is the foundation of a healthy body. During sleep, the body repairs itself, including cleaning out old cells, tackling viruses or bacteria and replenishing the cells of the immune system so they can be on guard and ready to fight. Lack of sleep means this doesn’t get done, and eventually that catches up to you in the form of cold or flu. If you have trouble getting to sleep, why not try a sleepy time tea?
Practice Stress Management
Whether you meditate regularly, engage in yoga and deep breathing or simply get out and exercise, reducing your stress is a key step in helping keep your immune system healthy. The body doesn’t differentiate between different types of stress: physical stress from exercise, family stress or that from work, the sympathetic nervous system enacts the same pathway to fight it. If this is enacted too often however, the immune system starts to break down because it can’t keep up. Regularly engage in your most efficient stress reduction techniques to stay healthy. And better yet, try some tension taming tea to help you out.
Tackle Lymphatics
The body has its own built-in detoxification system, that is manually pumped through our movement, exercise and breathing. Known as the lymphatic system, the body uses this system to get rid of toxins, clean out dead and unwanted cells, and help release viruses or invaders in the body. Having a healthy lymphatic system is key to having a healthy immune system. Tackle this by regular exercises, deep breathing exercises, drinking lots of water and avoiding long periods of sedentary behaviour.
Become Adaptogenic
Adaptogenic ingredients, such as ashwaganda, rhodiola and certain varieties of mushrooms, have adaptogenic properties. This means they are able to help the body adapt to stressors and be better able to deal with the stress that is presented. Illness is a stress on the body, and it is important to arm your immune system with the proper tools to stay healthy before illness strikes.
Eat Plants
Leafy greens, broccoli, sweet potato, blueberries, beetroot and any other brightly coloured plants are your best friend when it comes to fighting disease and boosting immunity. All of these contain antioxidants, which help remove free radicals in the body. These free radicals can be at the root of illness – acute and chronic – so it is important to keep them in check. Aim to make the majority of your diet plant-based, with less coming from animals and minimizing processed foods and sugar.
Get Moving
Finally, don’t forget the importance of exercise! Not only can it be a valuable way to improve your lymphatic health, help you sleep better, and be a great way to reduce stress, but exercise also releases natural endorphins, which are beneficial to immunity. Furthermore, if you engage in your activity outside, you are exposed to environmental stimuli which can also strengthen your immune system by exposing it to additional stimulants which it has to develop antibodies against.
Above all else, listen to your body! It will tell you when it is tired, when it needs more water or if it is time to press pause and take a rest. When you do this, it will reward you in return keeping you healthy all season long!
We’d love to help you become healthier and be the best version of yourself!
Got a question? Send us an email:
info@healthculturesystems.com.au
This is the perfect tea to start your day with! I love that this healthy tea can offer an energy boost thanks to the unique combination of the matcha, green tea and white tea. Unlike coffee however, since these teas release their caffeine differently, I don’t feel jittery or have that dreaded mid-morning energy crash. Plus, I like that I get the added health benefits of matcha at the same time as being gently woken up!
Herbal Power
Tasting Notes – The apple and berries balance out the sometimes-potent flavour of matcha and green tea and the slight fragrant taste of rose and hibiscus gives the tea a nice finish.
Sometimes I feel like my brain is overloaded, and I just can’t think straight. Whether it is a busy day with lots of demands, or I have a large project on the go, having a tea to bring clarity and help with the brain fog is essential. I consume this tea daily for the added long-term benefits of reducing Alzheimer’s risk, but I find it particularly beneficial when I’m in the throes of overwhelm and a to-do list that seems never-ending!
Herbal Power
Tasting Notes – Natural sweetness thanks to the mango, balanced out by the tartness of kiwi and apple; slight, but pleasant medicinal undertone from the memory enhancing ingredients.
Anybody else feeling the effects of the incoming cold weather? A little sniffle here, or waking up with a bit of a sore throat are my typical early symptoms to let me know a cold is on the way! Now though, I sip immunity tea off and on all day and within a few days, all my symptoms have gone! It’s easy to do when it tastes so delicious (thanks orange and pomegranate!), and I know I am getting a major Vitamin C boost at the same time. Win win!
Herbal Power
Tasting Notes – Naturally sweet thanks to the liquorice and fennel this tea has a hint of peppermint from the fresh peppermint leaf that is included in the blend. The orange and pomegranate give fruity finishing notes.
I would drink this tea every day, thanks to the delicious flavour, but the fact that I get a gut boost at the same time is amazing! I tend to go for this tea 30-60 minutes after I have had lunch, as I find it helps me feel satisfied and lets me focus more on the afternoon tasks. Because the gut biome plays such a critical role in concentration, mood and brain function, I always make sure this tea is close by if I feel any early signs of gut distress, like nausea or bloating.
Herbal Power
Tasting Notes – With the combination of ginger, coconut and lime, this tea tastes like a tropical paradise! It is pleasantly sweet, with a fiery, but balanced, ginger kick, and
When the evening hits, and I am ready to unwind, I always crave a comforting cup of tea that I can wrap my hands around and curl up with on the couch. The truth is though, I am not always good at shutting my mind off and relaxing so I can sleep, and having a tea that is part of my routine to initiate that makes a huge difference. I love how this tea helps me instantly feel less stressed and calmer, and I always feel like my thoughts can finally slow down and I can get ready for bed.
Herbal Power
Tasting Notes – Hints of cinnamon and vanilla, as well as a slight hit of lemon thanks to the Lemon Balm. The blend of ingredients allow this tea to be simultaneously soothing and satisfying.
We’d love to help you become healthier and be the best version of yourself!
Got a question? Send us an email:
info@healthculturesystems.com.au
Very excited about the upcoming “Lunch & Learn” workshop at Work Club Melbourne’s amazing office.
The Work Club’s ethos of freedom of movement, curiosity of mind and courage of spirit to transition effortlessly between work, life and leisure is a perfect match for our goal to introduce natural healthy habits to everyday life and empower a positive change to help people be the best version of themselves.
Be ready for some wellness tea tasting and lots of helpful herbal wellbeing hints and tips from our nutritionist Kimberlee Ashanti.
It is often said that staying well hydrated is important, but why? The average adult’s body consists of 50-65% water about 2/3 of which is contained in our intracellular fluid. Water plays a very important role in keeping our body functioning properly. Some of the roles that water carries out include: regulating body temperature; helping (as saliva) to metabolize protein and carbohydrates; acting as a shock absorber for the brain, spinal cord and internal organs; flushing waste and toxins from the body via urine; and carrying oxygen and nutrients to the cells.
Dehydration is caused when a person loses more fluid from their body than they take in. If untreated, severe dehydration can cause seizures due to an electrolyte imbalance, a reduction in the volume of blood in the body also known as hypovolemic shock, kidney failure, heat injuries, and even coma or death. Elderly people are particularly susceptible to dehydration.
What causes this susceptibility to dehydration in older people?
Symptoms of dehydration in older people include:
How can we prevent dehydration in older people:
Hydrating alternatives:
If water is used for hydration, it is best to offer either warm or room temperature water. Cold water is more difficult to drink in higher volumes, contracts the stomach and makes digestion harder. It also makes nasal mucous thicker hindering normal respiration.
It is important that beverages offered other than water are healthy choices. Drinks such as cordial and soft drink are high in artificial colors, flavours, caffeine and sugar or artificial sweeteners. Fruit juice if consumed frequently also contributes a high amount of fructose or sugar to the diet. Drinks which can hydrate the body along with providing much-needed nutrients are thus needed.
One such healthy supplement is opting for herbal teas. They are a powerhouse of vital nutrients and anti-oxidants thus supplying the body with health giving benefits, helping to prevent cognitive decline and improve immune fuction while simultaneously preventing dehydration.
Using Health Tea Box herbal teas
Health Tea Box offers a combination of five different herbal teas made from a combination of natural herbs, flavouring and spices designed to address various areas of health and wellbeing. They are:
These teas have pleasant flavours and provide a healthy alternative from water for elderly people, while offering a daily well-being tonic for the mind and body and addressing common health concerns of older people.
What an awesome start to 2019. Super excited about a trial of Health Tea Box at Linfox Logistics head office.
Looking forward to getting some feedback and be part of Linfox Wellbeing and Benefits expo.
Recent study by National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine suggests that People who drink hot tea daily are less likely to have glaucoma than those who did not consume hot tea.
Frequency of a diagnosis of glaucoma in individuals who consume coffee, tea and/or soft drinks.
To evaluate the association between consumption of coffee, tea or soft drinks, and glaucoma in the participants of the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
The exposures of interest of this retrospective cross-sectional study were caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, iced tea, hot tea and soft drinks. The outcome of interest was a clinical diagnosis of glaucoma based on the Rotterdam criteria. Analysis of the correlation between the frequency of consumption of each type of beverage and glaucoma was performed using logistic regression modelling while controlling for age, body mass index, gender, ethnicity, smoking status and diabetes. Data were weighted using the multistage NHANES sampling design.
Among a total of 1678 survey participants, the overall prevalence of glaucoma was 5.1% (n=84). Most participants were non-Hispanic white (n=892; 53.2%). There were no statistically significant associations between consumption of caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, iced tea and soft drinks, and glaucoma. Participants who consumed at least one cup of hot tea daily had a 74% decreased odds of having glaucoma compared with those who did not consume hot tea (adjusted OR=0.26, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.72, P=0.004 for trend); however, no statistically significant association existed for decaffeinated hot tea and glaucoma.
In NHANES, participants who consumed hot tea daily were less likely to have glaucoma than those who did not consume hot tea. No significant associations were found between the consumption of coffee, iced tea, decaffeinated tea and soft drinks, and glaucoma risk. This study is limited by its cross-sectional design and use of multiple statistical testing, and larger prospective studies are needed to investigate the proposed association between tea consumption and decreased glaucoma risk.
Full details of the article. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29242183#)
We are super excited about our new series of short videos that we are planning to release early next year explaining the the benefits of each Health Tea Box herbal blends and teas.
You’ll be able to learn directly from our Naturopath Kimberlee about the herbs and spices of each infusion/tea and its benefits in keeping hydrated and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Filming is done. Now for editing and post-production.
Special thanks to Kimberlee and Florient for doing dozens of takes, trying to get the perfect shot. 🙂
