Maintaining a good work/life balance is so important for your health and so is being active every day. The purpose of this post is to provide you with tangible, realistic tips that I have used to help you seamlessly maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.
But how do you do that when you are glued to a desk all day?
I have had many jobs of all types of environments— from fast-paced running around to sitting all day at my desk. I know how hard it is to stay active when you have a desk job, trust me! I know that for many of you, the 9-5 working week involves being in an office environment for most of your day, so I put together a list of things that I did to stay healthy + active, so I hope it helpful to you as well!
One of the difficult things about working in an office job is that you are likely to be inactive for a lot of your day. This is something that could have a negative impact on your health in the long-run. By following these 4 simple health tips, you can help reduce these risks and work towards being healthier during your working week!
Tip 1. Get your steps in
Trying to move your body regularly can help combat some of the negative effects of sitting down for most of the day at work.
One way to do this is to get up from your desk regularly and go for a walk around the office. You can go refill your water bottle, park farther away from the entrance to your building, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to the bathroom on a different floor (if possible), walk over to your colleague to ask a question instead of emailing, or go for a walk on your lunch break.
These little changes can add up so the more you can include bits of activity into your day, the better it can be for you! A good goal is to try to walk at least 10,000 steps a day to start.
Tip 2. Schedule your workouts
Try to plan your week’s workouts ahead of time (maybe on a Sunday night before your working week begins) and then make sure you commit to them. One way to fit your exercise in is to do it first thing in the morning. While this depends on your lifestyle, it can be a good way to make sure that you don’t cancel on yourself! It can sometimes be too easy to skip exercise in the evening because you have to stay back late at work or you’re too tired at the end of the day.
Don’t have a workout plan to stick to? You definitely don’t need one— however, it saves SO much time in the gym to have a plan already set for you. You are more likely to be successful and consistent when you are following a specific plan.
Tip 3. Drink your water!
Stay hydrated throughout the day at work by tracking your water intake. Try keeping a 1L water bottle at your desk that you regularly drink from and refill. Another option could be to keep a small glass at your desk and then go fill it up every hour. This can be useful in getting your steps done for the day too, because it forces you to get moving on a regular basis.
I have teacher friends that don’t have time to keep going to the water fountain, so I suggest bringing in a gallon! It may seem extreme, but it will ensure you have plenty of water on hand at all times. You can always use it to refill a smaller water bottle if you have room to store the gallon at your desk.
Tip 4. Pack your lunch
It’s a lot easier to reach for unhealthy food at work when you’re hungry and unprepared! Try to pack your lunch every day, rather than eating out on your lunch break. This can save you money, as well as help you be better prepared to make healthier choices. You’ll know exactly what is in your meal because you made it! Pinterest and Instagram are great resources for recipes and ideas for meal prepping. You can also outsource to a local meal prep company if you are short on time!
If you like to snack, it could also be useful to prepare some healthy snack options to take to work. Being prepared makes it less likely that you’ll reach for any unhealthy options just because you are bored!