After a month (or more) of overindulging during the Christmas period a lot of us look at shedding the bloat by going on a health kick throughout January, in hope that the new habits become a new lifestyle.
Yet, the return to the office can sometimes bring us back to old and bad habits, of which include – snacking, sitting for far too long and booze – filled lunches.
You might already be well equipped to fight off the unhealthy habits but if you aren’t, then take note:
Swap booze – filled lunch meetings for breakfast
If you’re on a diet then there’s nothing like a lunch meeting that can derail your efforts to eat clean. Solution – swap the lunch meetings for breakfast meetings instead.
Breakfast tends to have a larger variety of healthy options in comparison to lunch – porridge, eggs, salmon and cream cheese bagels (not entirely healthy) … the list goes on. You can grab a light bite or go for a larger breakfast that will most likely get you through the rest of the day, leaving you less likely to snack.
In addition to this – morning meetings have been shown to have more positive outcomes than those later in the day. People are also more likely to cancel an afternoon meeting – if you needed anymore persuading that breakfast conquers lunch.
Up your water intake
If you’re not drinking enough water at work, you need to consider the potential consequences this could have on your health. Severe tiredness, headaches, weight gain and kidney complications to name a few.
Buy yourself a reusable bottle, fill with water and repeat throughout the day. You’ll be saving the planet from unnecessary plastic waste and staying hydrated. Win win.
Even just having a bottle of water at your desk will serve as a visual reminder to drink more water.
Maybe even request your company to provide water stations throughout the workspace to encourage the whole work force to hydrate. Just no plastic cups in water coolers please (see first point about purchasing reusable bottle).
Use your legs
Some of us are likely to spend most of the day sat down in front of a computer which undoubtedly has a negative impact on our overall health. Both diabetes and heart disease are linked to a lifestyle of sitting throughout the day.
Consider purchasing a standing desk – not only will you burn around 170 calories more per day just by standing, these desks have also been linked to reducing back pain due to the fact you’re less likely to slouch as you do when you’re sitting.
Another alternative would be to take your meetings and calls whilst walking. Look for the nearest green space outside your office and get some fresh air. Not only will it help you reach your 10,000 steps for the day but you’ll be treating your lungs to some fresh air, increasing your energy and giving you a sharper mind.
Plan your lunches
Meal prepping is the way to go if you want to stay healthy and inadvertently save money. The easiest way to do this is by making larger portions for dinner and having the leftovers for lunch the next day. However, if your taste buds need variety then there are great alternatives.
Farmdrop are one company that can help make meal prepping simple with quality food. Working with 450 producers across the UK, Farmdrop’s chefs prepare a range of meals in 100% plastic-free packaging. No need to cook from scratch and they will deliver straight to your door.
Whatever way you decide to do it, meal prepping will guarantee that you will make healthier choices. As long as you don’t hit the snacks…
Snack healthy
It can be extremely difficult to avoid unhealthy snacks in the office. Unless there is an office wide ban of unhealthy confectionary, you’re likely to be avoiding eye contact with a doughnut at least once a week. At least.
Drinking water can curb your snacking tendencies. You could be mistaking dehydration for hunger so drink a glass of water first and see if it does the trick.
If that doesn’t work, try introducing healthier snacks into your office space. Veggies and dips, mixed nuts, hard boiled eggs and chia pudding to name a few.
Whatever you do, try to avoid social media. You’re at work so constantly checking Instagram is going to decrease productivity levels but also catching a glimpse of @london.foodguide will lead to bad snacking decisions.
