Starting a new job or picking up extra hours can often throw your health for a loop.

Here's some tips to keep your mind and body fit.

Take regular breaks

It’s important to take both annual breaks (holidays) as well as breaks during work. This is particularly important to keep your focus. Although it may sound counter-productive, taking a short break will allow you to return your duty with a clear mind, ready to dive into your next challenge.

Stay active

When you become stressed at work it’s easy to throw your exercise routine out the window. But exercise has proven benefits of improving your mental health while also minimising your chances of developing serious health conditions. Find time for fitness either before or after work, and if you can’t fit it in, try taking a walk on your lunch break.

Take time for things you love

When you begin working somewhere new, or you’ve started working a lot, life starts to feel a lot like a regular cycle of work, go home, sleep, go to work, go home and go to sleep. It’s important to find time to incorporate time for things (or people) you love so you don’t feel stuck in a rut, or worse, become burnt out.

Drink water

Staying hydrated is essential for brain function. When you’re having trouble focusing, it might be your body’s way of saying you’re dehydrated. If you don’t particularly enjoy the taste of water you can try adding apple or lemon slices to your beverage to help keep your water levels up.

Don’t substitute sleep for caffeine

It’s easy to grab a coffee or a coke from the vending machine for an instant caffeine boost when you're feeling tired or lack lustre. However, these energy boosts are usually short lived and can make you crash, or keep you up at night when you should be sleeping.

Don’t overdo it with junk food

As with caffeine, you might not think twice about choosing an unhealthy option when you’re hungry and time poor. Junk food is fine in moderation but long term, your body may suffer. Try simple healthy options like homemade chicken or tuna salads to avoid grabbing that greasy burger at lunch.

Focus on correct posture

It is now not just common, but often mandatory for workplaces to provide items such as foot rests, wrist pads, and ergonomic chairs to ensure that those sitting all day can maintain good posture. Slouching, squinting, leg cramps and more are very common in office workers and can cause a number of long term health effects.

If you’re starting a new job, or you’re putting in extra hours, it’s hard to keep your mind active. Try these tips to keep your body and mind sound when working.