6 Ways to Stay Healthy at the Office
With our fast-paced lives and hectic schedules, maintaining healthy habits can be a challenge. If you’re a working professional, you’ve likely heard the “I’m too busy” and “I don’t have the energy” excuses exchanged among your coworkers.
While we all know that we should make our health a priority, many of us fail to take action until stress, burnout or other health issues force us to change.
Why wait until you hit rock bottom? Why not be proactive and practice habits that will put you on the right track?
Regardless of how many hours you work or how jam-packed your schedule is, you can always make time to be healthier. Here are six simple ways:
1. Bring your lunch.
If you’re always on-the-go, fast food seems like the most convenient option. But is convenience worth sacrificing your nutritional needs? Eating processed food will take a toll on your health.
Even though it will require more preparation, packing your own lunch is one of the best ways to be healthier. If you don’t have time to prepare your food the night before, make a large meal on Sunday that will last for the week.
2. Have a healthy snack at your desk.
Along with packing lunch, it’s smart to stock up on healthy snacks. By keeping nutritious food on hand, you won’t be as tempted to dash to the vending machine when hunger strikes. More specifically, food filled with fiber will help keep you full between meals.
Also, your diet has a major impact on your performance. Health experts recommend nuts and dried fruit, avocados, apples, and chickpeas.
3. Take walking breaks.
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, “those who move more, especially if they [accrue] an hour of physical activity over the course of the day, cut their mortality risk in half.”
Whether you go for an hour-long walk or a few walks for 20-minutes, how you rack up those minutes doesn’t matter. If you need a reminder and you want to hold yourself accountable, set an alarm.
4. Drink water.
Hydration is crucial to staying healthy. In terms of how much water to drink each day, the recommended water intake varies from person to person. The Institute of Medicine created an Adequate Intake (AI) for water, which lists the AI for water and fluid intake for all ages.
Dr. Frank Lipman explains, “When it comes to hydration, the general recommendation is 6 to 8 glasses a day, but keep in mind that’s just a baseline and one size does not fit all. Your prescription should be based on your individual needs, taking into account your age, weight, activity level, climate, etc. Another way to ballpark how much hydration your body needs is to simply drink roughly half your body weight – in ounces, that is!”
While water needs for each person varies, you should be drinking half of your body weight (in ounces) daily.
5. Pay attention to posture.
As it turns out, there’s some truth to the age-old advice, “sit up straight!” Your posture impacts your health more than you realize. Along with keeping our joints and bones aligned, it prevents muscle fatigue, and protects us from back pain.
So, what does a good posture look like? If you’re sitting, your feet should be flat on the floor. Don’t cross your legs and make sure your ankles are in front of your knees. Keep your shoulders relaxed and back mostly straight (aside from the natural curve in your lower spine). Lastly, don’t sit in the same position for long periods of time.
6. Get some fresh air.
Being outdoors is good for the mind, body and soul. Making time each day to connect to nature also has scientifically-proven health benefits.
“People living closer to nature also had reduced diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and stress,” according to a study at the University of East Anglia. “In fact, one of the really interesting things we found is that exposure to greenspace significantly reduces people's levels of salivary cortisol -- a physiological marker of stress.”
Do you have any additional tips for healthy office living? Share your thoughts in the comments below – we’d love to hear from you!