How are your eating habits at work? Healthy or not so healthy?
You spend many hours at work and if you count in the travel, it is over one third of your 24 hours! Therefore what you consume at work will have a huge impact on your health and wellbeing; especially your energy levels, your mental focus, and your productivity.
The workplace can bring about many temptations that can sabotage your best laid plans. Eg. vending machines with chips and chocolate bars, soda machines, cafeteria foods that may be healthy but also have unhealthy options, coworkers who like to go out and eat at restaurants, meetings where donuts are brought in, etc.
Can you relate to the following?
You wake up late or you are running around with the kids and you don’t have time for breakfast. You get to work and you are hungry so you hit the vending machine and buy a chocolate bar, during the morning meeting, there are donuts; then at lunch you go out with a coworker and eat a burger and fries, at afternoon break there is a cake for someone’s birthday (very sugary) and you indulge!
This may seem a little exaggerated to some of you, however, I have seen this happen over and over again!
The challenge is real, so how can you be prepared?
Be Aware
It is important to be aware that this is even happening! Take note for a few days of what you are eating (it might surprise you); what the occasion was, and how you were feeling. For eg. skipped breakfast, had a meeting, was stressed, etc. It will help you to see what is going on when you make the choices that you do make.
Start to make some healthy choices one step at a time. Build one habit and then work on another one.
Eat Breakfast
I am sure you have heard this before! Eating breakfast will jumpstart your day in a
positive way. This is absolutely true! Eating a good breakfast will provide you with the nutrients you need so that you can be physically and mentally at your best.
It helps curb the cravings that will hit around 9am if you don’t eat. And, it will help you to make better choices throughout the day.
You can try waking up 15-20 minutes earlier to eat breakfast. You can prepare overnight oats and then all you need to do is eat it in the morning, or you can make yourself a smoothie.
Stock Up On Healthy Snacks
Bring a bunch of healthy snacks to work and leave them in your drawer or cupboard so that they are accessible when the hunger hits.
Some snack ideas are: almonds (about 12 is a serving size), apples, veggies and hummus, celery and almond butter, kale chips, etc. Click here for more snack ideas.
Drink Water
It is important to stay hydrated so that we can operate at our best. It helps us to think, focus, and concentrate better! Sometimes the hunger that we are feeling is really a need for water. So, when feeling hungry, drink a glass of water and see if the hunger subsides. If it doesn’t, then reach for that healthy snack.
Plan Ahead
You will, most likely, eat snacks and have lunch at work almost every day. Planning ahead will ensure that you don’t starve and will make it easier for you to snack on healthy foods. It will help you ward off the vending machine, the donuts and the greasy, highly processed lunch!
- You can prepare your foods the night before; you can cook extra at dinner and bring left overs to work
- If you know you will be going out for lunch, try to take a look at the menu ahead of time and decide on your choice before going. This will help prevent you from ordering an unhealthy meal because your colleague is.
Don’t Eat At Your Desk
If you are eating at your desk, chances are that you are not being mindful of what you are consuming. And the next thing you know, you have overeaten!
Also, if you are someone that sits most of the day, it is very important for you to get up and move. Our bodies, our joints, and our minds need to move. Taking a break will help clear the mind: that solution that was eluding you may suddenly appear, your mental focus is better, and you will be more productive overall.
Go for a walk and take the time to breath.
Cheers to healthy eating at work!
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