Sitting at a desk all day doesn’t have to stop you from achieving and maintaining good health. It’s easy to balance out your day’s activities and to eat healthier when you plan ahead and create proactive good habits.
Bring Your Lunch
It’s best to stay away from as much processed food as possible, such as fast-food and vending machine meals. It’s easy to bring along fruit or healthy simple snacks that do not need to be refrigerated for a quick sugar boost. If cutting out your favorite treats proves to be too difficult, then just make sure that you include a small amount to sate your cravings, but never indulge enough that it’s turning into a meal replacement over healthier options. Packing your lunch is not only healthier, but it also saves you precious time on your lunch break. You spend less of your break purchasing, microwaving or waiting in line, and thus have more time relaxing. It’s also a good idea to swap out the soda for water whenever possible.
Establish a Regular Exercise Routine
As many as 86% of Americans sit all day at work, so it’s important to find the time to exercise. Exercise is an acquired craving that usually creeps up on us slowly as you start to become more accustomed to it. The best way to get to this state is to turn it into a routine that you follow at the same time every day. Start off slow with something simple, such as throwing on your walking shoes and heading out the door for a quick 15 to 30-minute walk. If going outdoors makes you a little nervous because of the weather, or maybe it’s not such a safe hour to be out alone, then invest in a manual treadmill, which typically cost between $100 to $200. Try to make a habit of doing this first thing in the day before you can talk yourself out of it. Another good time is right after you get off work. When you repeat the same habits day in and out, they integrate better with our lifestyle and improve how the day
Work in Intervals
Working in intervals is also known as the Pomodoro method. This is when you break up sitting, working and resting into cycles to improve focus and stamina. Try to get up and look away from the computer screen to reduce eye strain and exposure to electromagnetic fields (emfs) for five minutes every half hour. Taking regular breaks to stretch, walk to the water cooler, etc., takes the pressure off of your joints and helps with circulation, which can help to improve your overall focus and productivity. You can follow this method by downloading interval timer apps on your phone or by keeping an inexpensive timer on your desk that can be reset without much fuss.
Just because you work a desk job doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to stay healthy. You just have to adjust your habits. Setting good habits and fitness goals can help to make your office job more enjoyable, and may encourage you to maintain good habits outside of work as well.
