Staying healthy while working in an office

Do you have an office job like I do?

I have a job where it requires me to be at a desk a lot of the time looking at a computer and since I'm there most of the day, it leaves me sitting for a good portion of my day.

And while being a working mom, I love to get to the office to have some adult time and use my brain a little bit, I also don't notice that I'm sitting for long periods of time without getting up and moving like my body needs.

Modern office jobs have become very sedentary.  Lots of emails to go through and there is little need to walk to co-worker's desks.  When you work at a desk it is also very tempting to work through lunch and just eat at your desk as well, but this is a great break to get up and stretch your legs a bit.  If you also lead a busy family life outside the office, it's very tempting to forgo the planning of lunches and snacks and just grab something quick and convenient at a fast food place. 

So what can you do to create a healthier work environment that still keeps aligned with your goals?

Here's some things that you can start to implement for yourself at work.  Who knows, you may even start a healthy trend with your co-workers.

1. Go for a walk on your lunch break

Because I am sitting a good portion of my workday, I now take 30 minutes to go out for a walk.  Thanks to my Fitbit, it is really motivating for me to take that 30 minutes to get those 4000-5000 steps in over the lunch break.  If you do have that flexibility to eat lunch at your desk, why not get up and move for those 30 minutes before hand.  If you don't have 30 minutes to walk, even just 10-15 minutes of getting outside to stretch you legs helps!  It breaks up the amount of time you are sedittary, it gets your blood flowing and you can avoid that afternoon slump.

2. Bring your Lunch

It’s easy to get into the routine of just buying your lunch somewhere but once I realized how much that was costing me each day, I decided to invest my money elsewhere.  Yes it's nice once and awhile to go out for Subway or the coffee shop with coworkers for a nice lunch, but I really keep it to once every 1-2 weeks.  Since I meal plan weekly I have already put in the work of figureing out what I"m going to eat and I would have prepped some food during the weekend.  Making big healthy suppers also help because then I can package up the leftovers and eat that the next day.
Another time saver if you are eating healthier, I have used the bagged salads from the stores too.  Sometimes you just get bored of the same lunches and salads, so incorporating those with some leftover lean proteins from the night before is a great  and filling lunch. 

If you are following the 21 day fix or portion fix meal nutrition plans, click HERE for a great link on simple lunch ideas.  I also have some great soup and salad recipes right here on my blog.

Save yourself from temptation by keeping your own healthy snacks at work too.  My snack go-to's have been Shakeology, nuts, apples with PB, fresh veggies and hummus.

3. Keep a water bottle at your desk

Water is one of the building blocks of life. It helps to keep your kidneys and liver functioning properly. It also flushes out your system and helps get rid of the metabolic end products.
Proper hydration also helps with weight loss because often people mistake thirst for hunger. Next time you feel the urge to snack, ask yourself if you are thirsty and try sipping water before chowing down.
Pick a cute good-sized water bottle – 32 ounce or one liter sizes are popular. I have gotten into the habit of filling that up first thing when I get to work, drinking that in the morning, having another with lunch and then another during the afternoon hours.  Drop a bit of lemon or cut up fruit for some flavor.

4. Promote office challenges

Start up a "Biggest Loser" challenge.  Add each other on the Fitbit app and set work week challenges.  Have a walking club or take turns bringing in healthy treats instead of sugared ones one day each week.  It just gets people talking and trying new things. 
Everyone likes a good challenge. Another idea could be to collectively maintain a workout streak. If you get creative, you can find a lot of other fun challenges. The team who wins at the end of a set amount of time, receives an incentive, such as a healthy catered lunch.

5. Listen to your Fitbit

Depending on which Fitbit you have, you can have it on a setting that it will remind you when you haven't moved or taken any steps within the hour.  I have the Charge 2 and it will vibrate whenever I haven't moved for awhile.  It encourages you to take 250 steps each hour. So when that buzzes, I go fill up my water bottle in the kitchen, grab my snack or take a walk to say "hi" to a coworker.  Breaking up the time you are sitting can keep your energy levels up too

 

6. Move the Printer

At our workplace, we recently invested in one very large fancy printer (instead of us each having our own) which sits outside all of our offices.  This gets us all up and out of our chairs when we're needing to run and grab papers all the time. It helps get those extra steps in (every little bit helps) and also keeps me from sitting for long periods of time.  It's good to get up and stretch those legs

Towards a healthy office

Working an office job doesn’t have to wreak havoc on your health. With small changes to your daily activities, work station, and office space, you can weave exercise and healthy eating into your work day.  I find when I take those breaks to go out for a walk, it helps me become more productive when I come back to finish off the afternoon.  I avoid those afternoon energy slumps, and having coworkers involved in living healthier makes it a happier place to work too because you're all feeling fit and healthy. Maybe you can help inspire other coworkers to make some little changes in their lifestyle too.