10 Tips for Staying Healthy This Winter at the Office!

Winter is right around the corner and for some, it’s already started! While you are adding those extra layers to stay warm, along with it tends to follow the fat calories which tend to add up when you’re sitting at your desk for long hours. Cold weather, rain, and snow tend to keep us all indoors, and when we are hanging out at home staying in to avoid the dreaded weather, it’s still a little too tempting to lie down in a Lazy Boy chair while binge-watching the latest episodes of your favorite show on Netflix.

It also doesn’t help when you work in an office that keeps you sitting hunched over your desk! That’s a double whammy!

Here are 10 tips to help to keep you healthy and skinny through the winter:

1. Eat Breakfast

While it may be counter-intuitive to eat a decent meal early in the morning. A good, healthy breakfast will keep you from snacking too much throughout the day. Eggs, fruit, and toast will provide essential amounts of protein, carbs, and fiber for a healthier lifestyle! A more nutritious meal plan following a diet will make a big difference when you’re focusing on weight loss through the cold weather.

2. Opt for Water Instead of Sugary Drinks

Sugar. It’s an addictive additive to a ton of foods. Fat, salt, and sugar are what make our favorite foods so tasty! It can be hard to discipline yourself enough to make the decision, but it’s a really important part of staying fit and healthy! We should make the effort to choose plain water over that deliciously sweet ambrosia, only to reward ourselves once in awhile with cheat days.

3. Spend Some Time with People Who are Health Conscious

You know those annoying bro guys that are always talking about working out, protein powders, gluten-free snacks when they don’t have celiac disease and stare at themselves in the mirror a little too long while flexing their muscles screaming, “This must be an artillery room because we’re getting ready for THE GUN SHOW !!!”

Those guys can surprise you with what they know about health and fitness! Hang out with those guys a little bit and you’ll get in the habit of working on yourself, and building a little self-confidence in the process doesn’t hurt! Don’t ever try to do their workout routine when you’re just starting out, but build up to it gradually. You’ll surprise yourself when you set smaller goals and achieve them!

4. Try to Avoid Sitting Too Much at Your Desk

Whether you’re at the office working long hours in order to reach those Q4 and Q1 Deadlines, or at home or in sitting at your computer for long stretches of time looking at social media browsing pictures of food and vacation photos by people with whom you rarely associate because it sucks you in.

Don’t let this happen to you! Instead, you should invest in a standing desk so you can get to those deadlines due to the increased energy you will experience throughout your day. Then you will have more time to do other things besides rush home to turn on the tv, like ice skating or checking out the new Yoga studio that opened around the corner.

5. Exercising at Your Desk?

It may sound goofy and cheesy, but scheduling an exercise routine like a Japanese office worker in an 80’s buddy comedy might keep you from being stagnant like water sitting still in a puddle. It’ll build some camaraderie between you and the people who sit next to you that you might not otherwise get the chance to show your not so serious side too.

Also, getting a treadmill or foot pedal underneath your Standing Desk will greatly increase the calories you burn throughout the workday. Another added benefit, less time you might spend at the gym before or after work, which can free up time for other hobbies.

6. Walking Meetings

Sitting in a boardroom with other executives or peers can be a little stale, and one-on-one meetings should be a little more informal. When you have the chance and don’t need to be using a screen to present a report suggest to have your next meeting while walking around the office or in the neighborhood around your place of work.

7. Avoid Burnout by Taking Occasional Breaks

Work hard, play hard! That’s the motto that a lot of us follow when we’re so focused on our projects that it’s hard to see the wood for the trees. It always helps to take time for yourself so that you don’t feel too stressed out at the end of the day. In addition, new studies show that if you work long hours and sleep little you are actually forcing a negative impact on your ability to be productive. Your brain needs a rest just like the rest of your body.

8. Try to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Studies have shown that a lack of sleep can lead to a variety of health disorders, and adds unnecessary stress! Try to plan to get a full night’s sleep at least 3 or 4 nights a week if you can afford the time. It will help both your physical and mental health in the long-run!

9. Bring Your Lunch

Packing your own lunch means that you know exactly what is going into your own food and your body! A good way to help with saving time while doing this is to cook for the week on our days off so that we can worry less about having to make those meals later! Just reheat and serve! It saves both your time and your health, especially if you’re on a very strict diet!

10. Keep Healthier Snacks at Your Desk

Complex carbs can make or break a diet, as those added sugars process a lot more slowly in your body, stored in reserves that a sedentary lifestyle may inhibit! Try to stick to fruits for your sugars, nuts for your proteins, and vegetables for essential vitamins and nutrients. Carrot sticks are great for beta-carotene, and raw almonds are a good substitute for red meat.