Staying fit and healthy is a priority for most of us, but finding time to do so is the biggest hurdle mot of us face. Our sedentary office work style is adding more obstacles. Since we are spending most of the day at work, why not make time to workout and eat healthy during our working hours? Easier said than done you’d say, but what we do often becomes a habit, so why not try a healthy path and it may well become the daily route.
The last two decades have seen an evolution of the workplace. Humans sit hunched at their desks, focused on the screen from as long as 10 hours a day! According to the American Heart Association, sedentary jobs have increased 83% since the 1950. Compared to any time in history, this workstyle is bringing in problems to overall health, both in long-term and in short-term.
Now that we can’t change the way we work in a month or a year, it’s essential to take control of the areas where we can help ourselves. Taking breaks and planning walking meetings must be on your daily list, but don’t ignore health eating.
Here are some tips that you can follow as you sit for long hours at work, giving your guts the love that they need will help you perform better and feel better.
Healthy eating choices.
Consider office meal catering with a Mediterranean cuisine or wines for your company or team meetings. A Mediterranean diet primarily concentrates on vegetables, nuts, fruits, olive oil and a collection of different grains and some seafood and meat options and research over years have shown that this diet is highly beneficial to health. Once you get to like the different options it would be easier to prepare at home as well.
Preparing meals over the weekend helps to pack home made healthy lunch at least for a couple of days during the week.
Check out some other tips here at the American Heart Association website.
Stay hydrated.
With the numerous meting and back-to-back deadlines it is so easy to get carried away with work and forget that your body does need at least 5-6 glasses of water during your work hours. Tea and coffee counts, but stay away from sugar drinks. Having a water bottle at your desk it the best way to ensure you’re having enough water during the day and an eco-friendly option as well, by not using disposable cups and adding more trash to our planet.
Consider walking meetings or a step challenge.
Other than the healthy eating routine, you can also join a walking challenge with colleagues, or just initiate one. We tend to stay on schedule more when doing in a group or with someone and quite often a challenge gets us to do things that we won’t venture on otherwise.
If your company has a gym on site, make (NOTE the word is ‘make’ it’s always difficult to find time, we have to ensure that health is given a priority at all times) some time to exercise during lunch hour or before leaving for home, it all depends on what fits the best in your schedule.