Office life is not exactly the best environment to keep our bodies in shape. Constant stress, machines full of fatty snacks and unhealthy drinks or having your eyes glued to the screen – they all impact your health, posture and well-being. Eating your lunch in a hurry and resorting to bought snacks, the risk of gaining weight is at its highest. But keeping in shape while at work is easier than you’d expect – here are 6 key tips to help you avoid gaining weight at work and enjoy a healthy lifestyle powering your productivity.
How to Stop Gaining Weight at Work?
6 Key Tips To Avoid Weight Gain Naturally
Eat regularly
Eating regularly is your best strategy against weight gain. Never leave home without having a proper breakfast. Buying your breakfast in a local cafe will on the long run ruin your finances and health. A tasty croissant and large sugary coffee on the go sound nice, but they’re full of calories which are empty and won’t keep you going until lunch.
Instead, choose a balanced and nutritious breakfast. You can eat some simple muesli with yogurt, a fruit and a couple of walnuts to keep your brain in shape. Keep up your eating schedule at work as well – this is just something that your body will appreciate. Avoid skipping meals – they make it easier to gain weight.
Prepare your lunch at home
Instead of having to rely on your office canteen or skipping lunch altogether, always have a meal prepared in advance. You can go for a large bowl of salad – make sure to include a variety of vegetables and salads, and a low-fat source of protein. It can be grilled chicken breast, chickpeas, baked tofu or tempeh.
Create a dressing that is light and has little calories – avoid ingredients like mayonnaise. All this will help you to keep your body in shape and avoid spending money on low-quality food prepared with ingredients which are often unhealthy.
Move your body
During the day, make sure to take regular breaks. Instead of checking your social media accounts, try to stretch or walk around the office. You can use taking a pile documents to a different room as an excuse for having a short brisk walk.
Just because you’re in an office doesn’t mean you cannot exercise a little – there are lots of online resources to help you use your office environment for exercising. Instead of spending your lunch break gossiping over at the coffee machine, you can perform a series of short exercises in your chair or standing up. They’ll pump blood to your brain, leaving you refreshed and ready to face any challenge.
Avoid snacking with fresh breath
Every time you finish a meal, a snack or a cup of coffee, make sure to brush your teeth or pop a chewing gum. This is a simple trick that works great for your teeth health, but also waistline – a minty breath will unconsciously prevent you from snacking on sweets or other treats brought in by your colleagues. This is simple, but very effective. And who wants to brush their teeth every five minutes anyway?
[Read: Can Bad Sleeping Habits Trigger Weight Gain?]
Drink lots of water
This is a very simple measure you can take to reduce the risk of weight gain at the office. Drinking a lot of liquids is important, but make sure that you’re drinking the right ones – coffee and black tea actually have a dehydrating effect. Sweet sodas will only rise your sugar level to abnormal high, followed by a low – what we tend to call the post-meal lull.
Turn to nature and drink lots of plain water. You can sometimes spice it up by adding a light green tea or herb infusions. Always keep a reusable bottle on your desk and take small sips from it throughout the day. Water keeps us hydrated and full of energy. Moreover, having your belly full of water will prevent you from snacking.
Keep a stash of healthy snacks
Make sure to always have a selection of emergency snacks hidden in your desk. Those can be dried fruit, raisins and all kinds of nuts. Fresh fruit makes for a great snack as well – bring a different one to work every day. If you’re constantly offered treats from your colleagues or your company provides a selection of free candy in the break room, assume an assertive approach and just say no.
Snacking is the number one enemy when it comes to our waistlines. Having your own snack stash, you can at least ensure that you won’t die of hunger and that your snacks are actually good for your health and won’t cause you to gain weight.
Most professionals can put a stop to gaining weight at work by modifying their behaviors and breaking bad habits. When effectuating your change, don’t think of it as a means to achieving a supermodel figure celebrated in glossy magazines. It’s about your health, well-being and productivity. If you found a smart way to avoid gaining weight at work, we invite you to share it with our readers in comments.
