Staying healthy requires a good deal of motivation and commitment. But anyone who works in an office can tell you, maintaining a healthy diet and practicing wellness can be challenging, especially when generous co-workers bring in “goodies” like doughnuts and other tempting items to share with everyone.
Here are a few tips for staying healthy at the office
1. Snacking can be a good thing!
Snacking is one of the main causes of overeating, which of course doesn’t help a healthy diet. Hey, we all need a bit of a nosh at our desks from time to time, but all that processed food (and perhaps unchecked portions) isn’t a great idea. Your favorite fruit or veggies can really be satisfying. No really, they can.
Get healthy snacks from SnackNation or office snack delivery from Aramark, for a healthy and hassle-free snacking experience. Frequent snacking (on the right kinds of snacks in the proper amounts) can boost your metabolism and can be helpful if you’re trying to lose weight.
2. Bring your own food
Meal preparation is necessary if you want to stay healthy, especially if you’re watching your weight or trying to lose. One good tip is to bring your own prepared food to the office. If you’ve got limited time to eat and are like most of us and are super busy, it’s too easy to just grab something that probably isn’t healthy, but expedient like sandwiches and snacks from fast food chains. Don’t do it.
Sandwiches and fast food snacks are high in calories, and are usually highly processed. Preparing meals like salads and taking them with you in your office is a great way to maintain your healthy eating habits. You also have more control of the calories you put in your body and guarantee that it’s made from natural wholesome foods.
If you don’t have time to prepare it yourself, you can order healthy food on HeyYou as they offer a wide range of healthy food takeouts.
3. Hydrate
There are many benefits to staying hydrated by drinking lots of clean water. It’s easy to want to drink coffee and soda throughout a workday at the office, but these can be unhealthy in a variety of ways, including dehydrating you!
If you’re trying to lose some pounds, drinking water will also keep you from snacking too much because staying hydrated will keep you full for an extended period of time. Also, staying hydrated will also boost your metabolism. Bonus!
4. Keep moving
Movement is imperative if you want to stay healthy. Many studies show the myriad of damaging health effects of sitting too much during the day, which tends to happen easily at the office. Some simple ways to add more movement to your day:
- Use the stairs rather than the elevator.
- If you live close enough to work, consider riding your bicycle or walking.
- Delegate less of the errands and get up from your desk and do it yourself.
- Try apps like StrechClock, which remind you to get up, breathe and give you easy stretches to do at your desk.
- You can also work in a standing position. Standing desks are getting pretty popular now!
Make sure to incorporate physical activities in your work routine. A sedentary lifestyle can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases as well as cancer. It can also lessen depression and anxiety.
5. Create fitness classes at work
You can also get your co-workers who are also into a healthy lifestyle as well by promoting yoga or other types of fitness classes in the mornings, during a lunch breaks or after office hours. Your company doesn’t have to have a gym in the workplace to make this work! All you need is a yoga mat, and you can work with body weight exercises.
Working in an office doesn’t have to be the death of healthy routines! There are a lot of things you can do to stay healthy even if you’re busy working in the office.
