100 Tips to Support a Healthier Lifestyle

There are nine unique dimensions that contribute to our well-being, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). To help veterinary professionals improve each of these dimensions, the association has created a new guide: “100 Healthy Tips to Support a Culture of Well-being.”

In the guide, the AVMA offers a plethora of strategies to use both at work and at home to support a healthy lifestyle and work environment.

Below are some practical steps you should consider whenever you feel that yourself or your employees are lacking in one of the nine dimensions.

Do you value and participate in a diverse range of arts and cultural experiences?

At Work: Put a keyboard or guitar in the break room.

At Home: Take an art class at your local library or community center.

Can you identify, express and manage an entire range of emotions?

At Work: Allow for time off to see mental health professionals and make medical appointments.

At Home: Make a list of people or things that restore your energy and those that deplete your energy. Be discerning about what can stay and what must go—and then actually let them go.

Do you recognize the responsibility to preserve, protect and improve the environment?

At Work: Provide an area for employees to eat lunch outdoors. Conduct meetings outside or go for walks as a team. Take fresh air breaks.

At Home: Challenge yourself to purchase food within a 50-mile radius.

Continue to the next page for the next three dimensions of well-being.

Do you budget, save and manage your finances?

At Work: Provide employees with support for establishing and navigating their retirement plans.

At Home: Consider hiring a financial planner to help you manage your finances.

Do you value lifelong learning?

At Work: Host “Lunch & Learn” talks for colleagues on topics both inside and outside the veterinary field.

At Home: Read fiction, non-fiction, journal articles — anything that will catalyze both critical thinking and enjoyment.

Do you engage in work for personal satisfaction?

At Work: Schedule and uphold regular performance reviews, both for positive feedback and to clarify job expectations for the future.

At Home: Create a five- or ten-year vision plan for yourself both professionally and personally.

Continue to the next page for the next three dimensions of well-being.

Do you get an adequate amount of sleep, exercise and nutrition?

At Work: Include stipends for gym memberships or other fitness activities in employee benefit packages.

At Home: Meal plan for the week so you have guaranteed, healthy meals for each day.

Do you have a network of support you can rely on?

At Work: Create a screen-free zone in the break room to foster communication among employees.

At Home: Schedule quality face-to-face time with family and friends.

Are you able to find connection and meaning through dialogue and self-reflection?

At Work: Share daily gratitudes as a group at either the start or end of each workday.

At Home: Spend five minutes each day practicing mindful breathing or meditation.