We spend most of our time at work, some might say too much. Depending on the job you work, you may get ample exercise and physical activity during the day which means you don’t need to worry about working it into your routine at a later stage in the day/week.
Those who work in the care industry, in construction or at height, in security or in retail will spend most of their time on their feet, and this makes it much easier to stay fit. In contrast, white collar workers spend the majority of their time sat down being sedentary. Pair that with the fact that most office workers admit to grazing on snacks throughout the day, it stands to reason that a lot of computer-based employees feel unfit, unhealthy and incur long-term health and wellbeing issues.
To help keep white collar workers in good physical shape, here are some tips you can implement in the workplace.
1. Stand up and walk around
It’s standard practice for employers to provide their office employees with a desk and a chair. At the very least, you need to ensure your employer has supplied you with ergonomic equipment to support your back and posture, but you also need to remember that a good quality chair is no match for actually getting up and moving around. Studies have shown that sit-stand desks can improve productivity at the same time as reducing sit time. This means both employers and employees can benefit from hybrid style desks.
If your employer doesn’t provide this kind of initiative, remember to get up and walk around regularly. Whether it’s five minutes around the front of your office or an hour over lunch, getting up and getting out will give your body the movement it needs, as well as leaving you feeling more energized and ready to tackle the rest of the day.
2. Pack your lunch
A large chunk of office unhealthiness comes down to diet – specifically lunches. Once commuting time, dinner time and errands/general household responsibilities have been factored in, there isn’t always a lot of time in the evening left, and this means most people choose to relax rather than preparing their lunch for the next day. Inevitably, when the next morning rolls around time is ticking, so it’s easier to get out the door and be on time with the intention of buying lunch than it is to be late and make a poorly thought out packed lunch.
If you don’t have the time to make lunch every day, consider making slightly more dinner the night before and saving the leftovers for lunch the next day. Not only will you have a balanced, healthy lunch, but it will be considerably more filling than a quick snack from a nearby shop, and that will reduce your desire to snack.
3. Commit to healthy snacks
If you find snacking to be your greatest downfall at work, limit what’s available for you to snack on. Packing lunch might be a struggle, but throwing a few healthy snacks in your bag before you leave the house takes all of a few seconds. Some snack ideas include:
- Three pieces of fruit (e.g. a banana, an apple and some berries)
- A yoghurt with granola
- A packet of baked crisps
- Dark chocolate chunks mixed with nuts
By bringing your own snacks (and plenty of them), you won’t be tempted by other snacks circulating the office, and this will allow you to stick to a healthy diet.
Summary
Hopefully, these three tips will help you remain healthier and fitter whilst at work.