Most people associate an office job with eight hours of sedentary, behind the desk work. This is obviously the wrong environment for those seeking to lose weight unless you are creative about how you spend your time there. Employees who desire to drop pounds must figure out ways to eat right, get active and stay motivated all within the four walls or panels where they spend most of the day. Explore weight loss activities you can perform at your place of work.
Eating at Work
Eating is an activity which can easily get out of hand at work. There is the temptation of ordering in fattening lunches, candy dishes on co-workers' desks, cake for employee birthdays and the snack machine in the break room. You must avoid all these if you want to lose weight. Start by packing a lunch and snacks for the work day. Take a healthy lean meat sandwich on whole wheat or pita bread, carrot and celery sticks, a couple of pieces of fruit and your refillable water bottle. Women's Health recommends keeping emergency snacks in your left hand drawer and your fresh fruit on the right side of your desk, so you will be more like to choose the healthier choice most of the time.
Office Exercises
Use your lunch and breaks to get moving. Go outside, when possible, and walk or jog in the fresh air. Stay active during other parts of the day as well. Park your car at the far end of the lot, take the stairs instead of the elevator, deliver messages to other employees on foot rather than emailing them and use a headset when you are on calls so you can walk around instead of being chained to your desk. Keep a set of hand weights under your desk so you can do some lifting when you are engaged in hands-free work such as dictation.
Motivation
Motivation is typically high when first embarking on a weight loss program but can dwindle over time. Use your office as a way to keep excited about your dieting journey. Set up a weight loss club with interested co-workers, petition the boss for gym membership perks and announce goals to your fellow workers to help keep you on track. Schedule weight loss seminars, and invite successful dieters to speak during lunch hour. Trade low fat recipes and work-out tips with your office buddies, and prepare low calorie snacks for the break room.
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