A common complaint amongst time-squeezed Americans is that there just aren’t enough hours in the day. The solution? Make the most of the hours we have.
Most people spend eight or more hours sitting on their butts in an office or cubicle in front of a computer. Eight hours of inactivity, five days a week, is a recipe for weight gain. If you use your time wisely, however, and do a little planning, you can turn your home away from home into a weight loss mecca.
- Prepare for afternoon cravings and mindless eating by stocking your drawers with green tea and gum.
- Buy a cheap mini fridge for your workspace and fill it up with low-fat yogurt, bottled water, and cut veggies. If you can’t do a fridge, keep your stash in the break room fridge, just be sure to label your food clearly.
- Set an alarm that will go off every hour. When you hear the alarm, get up and move. Walk around the office, do five flights of stairs, or do some easy yoga moves. Set the alarm and move every hour, on the hour.
- Whenever you feel the munchies coming on, put the money you would have spent on a candy bar from the vending machine and put it in a jar on your desk. When the jar is full, use the money to reward yourself. (Not with something from the vending machine, thank you.)
- Spring for a treadmill desk. For the budget and space conscious, ditch your regular desk chair and replace it with a stability ball or stability ball chair. You’ll work your core while sitting upright, and you’ll burn calories bouncing the day away.
- Put a sticky note on your computer monitor that reminds your to sit up straight. Posture is important.
- Stash resistance bands and dumbbells around your work space. Do bicep curls and tricep extensions while taking important phone calls.
- Replace the candy bowl on your desk with a bowl of fresh fruit. Encourage coworkers to swing by and enjoy the pick of the day.
- Don’t send emails you don’t need to send. Get up and go talk to your coworkers instead of using the computer. You’ll build stronger relationships by putting in the face time.
How do you stay active at the workplace? Fill everyone in on your stay slim secret below!