Compassion. Humbleness. Kindness. These days to be confused with weakness, fragility, or vulnerability… but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We all have heard the age old saying, “a little kindness goes a long way,” but how often do we remember to bring that mindset to our workplace?

This month, Baudville has kicked off our annual fitness challenge – perfect time for summer right around the corner! A light bulb went off in my brain: this is the perfect opportunity to start my own journey and still be held accountable by all of my co-workers participating in the Baudville challenge. Besides, who doesn’t get a little more motivation from healthy competition?

We just started our fifth-annual spring fitness challenge and, I have to admit, keeping it exciting has been a challenge itself! We knew our seasoned employees would be looking for a new twist and The Bod Squad—our team that coordinates all things wellness—was feeling a little ho-hum about the existing program, too. We put our heads together, and, along with some healthy encouragement from Brad, our CEO, we proposed some changes that we hoped would get everyone energized like we were in 2010.

We’ve all heard the quote, “you become like the five people you spend the most time with.” Considering we spend a hefty amount of our time at the office, it can be easy for the relationships around us to influence our attitudes and perspectives. When it comes to the workplace (where productivity and positivity should be abundant), that isn’t always the case. Instead of pointing the finger, starting with yourself is the first step towards making positive changes. Ask yourself: what kind of influence are you being on your workplace?  It's the little changes that make big differences! Here I’ve come up with 5 simple ways to be the co-worker you want to work with:

Being a recent university graduate and making the transition from college to corporate, I find myself constantly looking for ways to implement wellness practices into my life. And when I say ‘wellness practices’, I’m not talking about anything major! Small changes make a big difference in enhancing my quality of life while at work if they turn into habits. This time of adjustment from active to not-so-active hasn’t been easy, but it’s been doable. Aside from trying to get my eight hours in each night and trying to hit the gym semi-regularly, I’ve come up with five resources to share with you that I’ve found to be helpful in making the most out of my desk-bound days: