One of the hardest things to do when one’s schedule is swamped with presentations and deadlines and lots of overtime is to lose weight. After all, the busy employee would not even have enough time to get his reports done, much less to get on an exercise bike to sweat out the extra calories he wolfed down during a high-stress lunch meeting! Also, the high-stress days usually call for extra food to calm the nerves, particularly for women professionals. But if you are that person, there is still a way to lose weight without stretching yourself too thin. The key is simply for you to know the basics in order to make the right food choices and incorporate motion naturally into your daily routine. The following guidelines should get you started on the right track to lose weight while still turning in a superb performance everyday:
1. Stock up on fruits or whole-wheat breads. This stocking process will keep you from buying a candy bar from the vending machine or a high-fat bag of chips when you get hungry. Snacking on an apple before a stressful presentation will even make you feel calmer instead of the usual chocolate bar that women turn to in high-anxiety situations. Also, fruits and high-fiber bread are nice to chew on to calm the nerves instead of depending on chips for that relaxing feel to which you may have become accustomed.
2. Keep a bottle of water or fresh fruit juice at hand. This will save you money as well as extra calories when you gulp it down instead of buying cola from the vending machine. If you are used to cold water, keep your bottle inside the refrigerator in the pantry, and just remember to swing by for it on your way out to lunch so you would not have an excuse to pair your sandwich lunch with a can of soda. These sweetened drinks are, after all, among the major causes of excess weight for both adults and children.
3. Instead of calling the errand boy every time you need to run something to the Photostat machine, you can consider it a quick break from whatever you are finishing and go there yourself. Sure, you may worry about wasting time, but in reality, giving your brain a break and your legs a little stretch can do wonders both to your work output and to your body.
4. Before you go on lunch break, take a quick drink of water or eat a small piece of whole-wheat bread. That way, when you join the lunch line, you will not feel your stomach gurgling as much and you will not feel compelled to stock up on the fatty food you are craving. You will be able to pick healthier alternatives such as food high in veggies instead of meat, and since you do not feel as hungry, you will not even buy extra servings like you usually would. For dessert, you can opt for a smaller piece instead of the usual large portion you enjoy.
5. Use stressful scenarios as an opportunity to take a quick walk. The walk could be simply out of your cubicle and down to the lobby, or even within your floor. It can be as quick as only two minutes, but the walk will not only cool your brain, but it will also keep you from stuffing your face out of the emotional strain. When you come back, you will feel refreshed and ready to get back to work without depending on food.
When you manage to incorporate these little changes into your daily routine, chances are, you will feel more active and healthier on the overall. Now you can see that it is perfectly possible to keep a healthy lifestyle even when you are too busy to go on a serious exercise program or to watch your food intake with extreme diligence. All it takes is a little knowledge about the best food items to pick to keep one’s mind at peak performance while not adding strain to your body, and adding a little extra movement to keep your body agile and active throughout a day of being stuck sitting behind a desk all day.
No comments:
Post a Comment