How do I prevent long-term cubicle weight gain?
Do you worry about the long-term effects of sitting at your desk for eight to 10 hours a day? A sedentary job can make your fat-loss efforts challenging and with regular office birthday cakes and doughnuts, fat loss can easily turn into fat gain.
Food Survival
The first survival tip to eating clean in an office atmosphere occurs outside the office. Exercise physiologist says, “The most effective tip is to set aside some time during the weekend to prepare healthy meals and snacks such as carrot sticks, celery sticks, sliced grapefruit and steamed veggies and package them in storage containers so they can easily be taken to work”. Turning meals into a family affair to get kids interested in helping in the kitchen and knowledgeable about clean food choices. This doesn’t mean you have to give up your whole Sunday to slave over the stove. Setting aside just one hour on Sunday to prep meals for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then set aside more time Wednesday evening for Thursday and Friday’s meals.
You’ll devote just two days of prep for a full week of clean eats. We recommend glass containers for storage over plastic. This way you can avoid bisphenol A (BPA), the controversial chemical compound that can be found in many plastic storage containers.
Fitness Survival
Finding time to work out when you’re chained to a desk all day can be tricky and particularly challenging if you wait until the end of the day when the stresses of the corporate world are coaxing you to go home to your couch. A lunchtime workout can be a great way to break up a stressful day, reenergize and perhaps even blow off a little steam. Consider taking up running outdoors on your lunch, starting a running group with some of your coworkers or finding a local fitness center in your area you can join and escape to on your lunch hour. A lot of businesses have partnerships with big-name gyms, so check with your employer about possible discounts. Another option to consider is working physical activity into your commute. Are you close enough to walk, cycle or perhaps inline skate to work? It might take a little longer, but it’s an effective way to burn calories while going to work, plus you wouldn’t have to find time to hit the cardio room after work.
Food and Fitness Tips for the Career Gal
Nutritionist offers some of the cleanest office snacks that require no prep at all, plus a quick routine to keep your body rock hard even when you sit on your buns eight or more hours a day.
Try These Snacks
Nitrate-free low-sodium deli turkey breast, pomegranate kefir, two percent low-fat Greek yogurt and fresh-cut veggie sticks dipped in hummus.
Sample Workout
One circuit of five push-ups, 10 crunches and 15 swats every hour for an eight-hour workday equates to 40 push-ups, 80 sit-ups and 120 squats and should take less than a minute every hour. Incorporate circuits into your workday and watch the fat melt off your frame, your core become strong and your lower back pain go away.
Your multivitamins: A Friend in fat loss?
Wonder what your multi-vitamins have done for you lately? Plenty, according to a Chinese study. After 26 weeks, women who took a daily multivitamin supplement showed a decrease in body weight and waist circumference while experiencing a rise in their resting metabolic rate. While it can’t hurt to pop a multivitamin, only a clean diet and exercise will strip fat form your frame.
