Like its fresh counterpart, frozen spinach is a nutrition powerhouse, providing essential vitamins and minerals, fibre and phytochemicals such as eye-protecting lutein and zeaxanthin. But because it has less water content (frozen spinach is cooked first), cup for cup it has more than four times the amount of nutrients than fresh, including iron, vitamin C and calcium.

And the older fresh spinach gets (after transportation and sitting in your fridge for a week) the lower its folate content, so that frozen spinach becomes the better source. Folate is a B vitamin that is important for producing and maintaining new cells in the body, and a deficiency in pregnant women can lead to birth defects such as spina bifida.

Before using, defrost frozen spinach and squeeze out excess water. Then add it to any recipe that calls for leafy greens such as fritter batters, smoothies, soups, stews, rice dishes and as a layer in your favourite lasagne or pie.

Note: If you are on blood-thinning medication such as warfarin, be aware that spinach is a source of vitamin K. Check with your GP before making any significant changes to your diet.

It is important to note that health and safety has updated its definition in many places to include psychological health and safety and psychosocial hazards, that is, your mental and emotional health.

This means that while your employer is responsible for not putting you at risk of psychosocial hazards, you are also responsible for managing your own risk, and letting people know when your health and safety is at risk.

A psychosocial hazard is anything that could cause psychological harm. Common psychosocial hazards at work include:

• job demands
• low job control
• poor support
• lack of role clarity
• poor organisation change management
• inadequate reward and recognition
• traumatic events or material
• remote or isolated work
• poor physical environment
• violence and aggression
• bullying
• harassment, including sexual and gender-based harassment, and
• conflict or poor workplace relationships and interactions.

Remember, you are not acting alone. Your employer is responsible for providing and maintaining a working environment that is safe and without risk to health, but you still have a legal responsibility to take care of yourself and not do anything that would affect the health and safety of others at work.

This means that you do have the right to refuse to do unsafe work. If asked to do something that you think may be unsafe, either physically or mentally, stop and talk to your supervisor or HR.

Reckless endangerment

Everyone also has a responsibility around reckless endangerment. In general, a person who, without lawful excuse recklessly engages in conduct that places or may place another person who is at a workplace in danger of serious injury is guilty of reckless endangerment. In some areas, reckless endangerment is an indicatable offence, which can incur a fine or even imprisonment.

Reckless endangerment applies to everyone – an employer, a worker, a designer, manufacturer, supplier or installer, even a member of the public.

Fortunately, there are proven strategies that build your motivation overall, and techniques that help you find that silver of motivation when it all feels too hard.

We have gathered four strategies from leading motivation experts: Dr Julie Smith, Dr Aleyet Fishbach, Daniel Pink and Scott Geller.

1. “Just do it”

Do not wait for motivation to strike. Act first, then motivation will follow. This is the advice of clinical psychologist, social media star and author of Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?, Dr Julie Smith.

She says when we take action on something that is important to us, it generates energy and motivation.

Dr Smith suggests you start by taking small steps towards your bigger goal, and celebrate your small achievements to encourage yourself to keep going.

2. Reward yourself

When you are low on motivation, you are often low on intrinsic motivation – that is the type that comes from within you, and is built or broken by your goals, values and sense of self. In these cases, you can ramp up the extrinsic motivation – things outside yourself, like praise or tangible rewards.

Dr Aleyet Fishbach, Professor of Behavioural Science and Marketing at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, and the author of GET IT DONE: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation, has won international awards for her research on human motivation. She suggests that when you are facing a lack of motivation, focus on anything enjoyable. This can include remembering one element of your work that you do find enjoyable, or taking time to visualise the enjoyable outcome you will get, or making the process more enjoyable, such as listening to music while you do it.

Then, reward yourself for getting the job done well. Dr Fishbach advises against rewarding yourself for getting it done quickly, as this may lead to mistakes and reduced motivation down the line.

3. Clarify your purpose

Daniel Pink is the author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.

He says the “carrot and stick” approach to motivation, as in external reward and punishment, is ineffective. It only works for small, basic tasks and does not inspire creativity, engagement, and high performance in complex, cognitive work.

Pink says we need to focus on intrinsic factors such as autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

• Autonomy: we are in control of what we do and how we do it
• Mastery: we are improving our skills and selves
• Purpose: we are working towards something that is worthwhile

Purpose is one of the most powerful factors of motivation, says Pink.

He defines purpose as the desire to contribute to something greater than yourself.

That is why organisations who can communicate a shared mission and vision with their employees are more successful than others.

Step 1: Begin on your hands and knees. Open your knees hip-distance or wider.

Step 2: Bring your buttocks towards your heels and reach your arms forward, bringing your head to the floor.

Step 3: Your hands can either rest down by your feet or stack them like a pillow under your forehead.

Step 4: Rest here for up to 5 minutes.

Variations: Place a bolster lengthways in between your thighs and drape your torso and head into the bolster. Turn your head to one side to relax your neck.