Losing weight in a normal routine is challenging, and when it gets collaborated with a desk job, it gets more challenging. If you are working, then it is very obvious that you have to spend 8 to 10 hours at your desk job. The endless sitting at work sometimes results in back pain and cripples. Also, waist size increases by sitting longer at a place.
Intake of cookies and chips in between working hours is normal, which leads to weight gain. Additionally, there is no such activity in the office that can help you in controlling weight gain, especially belly fat.
If you are also facing the same and trying to lose weight while working, then we are providing here some tips and tricks that will easily fit into your working schedule, and you can effectively lose weight.
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Avoid Skipping Breakfast
Some of the individuals, either due to busy schedules or with the motive to lose weight, skip their breakfast. But it doesn’t come under a healthy choice. The body demands a nutrient-rich breakfast after a long sleep. You should enjoy a healthy breakfast in the morning before leaving for the office. You should prefer eating stomach-filling foods and drinking a glass of milk rather than eating a packet of chips on the way to the office. It will keep you full and prevent the intake of other unhealthy foods.
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Count Calories
Counting calories helps in making your weight loss journey easy. If you start tracking the number of calories you are consuming in a day, then you will be able to figure out the amount you have to reduce from your meal in order to get healthy body weight.
Different calorie counting apps are available that are sure-shot ways of knowing the amount of calorie intake. They will help you in keeping an eye on your calorie intake and plan your meal effectively. Strive, a fitness tracker app, offers to track your Move Calories from your Apple Watch/Smart Watch. You can check what energy calories you have burned while walking around or moving around.
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Maintain Distance With Vending Machine
It is always difficult to fit healthy eating into a busy schedule, especially if you work in an office. However, you should avoid reaching the vending machines more often when you are craving. It is common for every working individual to rush to a vending machine available outside or inside the office to get something to satisfy their hunger. And most obviously, these culprits hold most snacks that are high in sugar and fat and low in fibers that promote weight gain. The popular items of the vending machine include soda, potato chips and other processed foods that are not good for a healthy lifestyle.
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Exercise Whenever And Wherever Possible
It is well known to everyone about the benefits of doing exercise in order to lose weight. Thus while doing your 9 to 5 job, whenever you get the time, you should utilize it in doing some easy-to-do exercises. Exercising at different intervals will help you in protecting yourself from long-term health problems. Various simple and easy-to-do stretching exercises can be easily done at the work desk. For example, you can bend your knees over your toes and give straight to your legs by pushing them through your feet. Repeat this 4 to 5 times.
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Make Your Drink Green
Starting green tea will be the best alternative in the process of losing weight. The antioxidant property and diuretic properties of green tea will help you in achieving your fitness goal. They are full of health-promoting elements. Along with reducing weight, it will protect your body from several diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
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Opt For Stairs
One of the best ways to lose weight is to opt for the stairs. Not only is this a more efficient way to burn calories, but it also provides a great exercise alternative for people who are unable to participate in other forms of exercise. In fact, opting for the stairs can help you burn as much as 300 more calories each day than walking on a treadmill. Additionally, going up and down the stairs repeatedly stimulates your body’s muscles and helps you lose weight by burning off more calories. So instead of pressing the button for the lift, put pressure on your legs and reach your destination.
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Cut Back Unhealthy Chewing
You should reduce your inclination towards junk foods and other packed foods to get a healthy and fit body. There are several healthy options that are good in protein and fiber and promote good health. To control your appetite, you can consider some of these options:
High Protein Foods
Protein makes muscles and mass, and you can easily burn calories with gained mass. Studies report that intake of high protein foods controls the hunger level. It limits the craving for sweets and carbohydrates. Protein takes time to get digested completely, which ensures fewer snacking options and, as a result, the weight loss process speeds up. The list of high protein snacks consists of eggs, nuts, yogurt, dairy products, popcorn and soy products.
High Fiber Foods
Fiber-rich items also help control your hunger and reduce your craving for snacks. Also, women experience more cravings as compared to men, and they compensate for that by reducing the amount of their main meals. Because of this reason, weight gain is more common in women than men. Thus consuming fiber-rich foods will help you maintain a healthy diet plan.
Also, try to eat a healthy meal at lunch besides grabbing an unhealthy burger or sandwich. Make sensible choices by adding green vegetables and salad to your meal.
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Keep Yourself Hydrated
Are you aware of the fact that water plays a major role in losing weight? Yes, water helps in removing toxic materials from the body and controlling weight gain. It is recommended to drink at least 4 to 5 liters of water every day for a healthy body. Dehydration affects the concentration power, and if you remain dehydrated, then you will feel hungry, and most obviously, you will pick some easy-to-cook or processed food to fulfill your hunger.
Thus drinking enough water prevents overeating, and you should always have a water bottle by your side to prevent undesired fatigue.
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Stand While Working
This works as the key for every office worker in order to maintain a healthy body with a desk job. Every office-going individual spends the majority of time sitting in front of their system. And there is a direct connection between obesity and long sitting periods.
Thus it is quite a simple and effective way to keep your body in shape. You only have to stand at your workplace and walk around for some duration. Standing during working hours can help you lose weight. Research has shown that people who stand for more than two hours a day have a lower body mass index (BMI) than those who sit for the same amount of time. This is because standing burns more calories than sitting. Additionally, standing while working decreases your risk of obesity and heart disease. Standing also strengthens your core muscles and reduces weight.
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Plan Healthy Snacks With Office Buddy
Desk jobs and snacking go side by side. But intake of unhealthy snacks contributes largely to weight gain. You should plan something with snacks that are full of nutritional benefits and satisfy hunger. Try to bring some fresh and seasonal fruits and consume them as healthier snacks. Do not leave them in the office drawer; eat them on the same day. You can also make your office colleague your fitness buddy. You both can collectively prepare your fitness goal. Also, you can try the weight loss challenge with your friend and track your progress.
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Maintain Right Posture
You should try to sit in a straight posture while enjoying your desk job. Sitting in an office all day can cause back pain and other health problems. To avoid these problems, make sure to pay attention to your posture while sitting. Try to keep your back as straight as possible and avoid hunching over. You’ll also want to make sure that you’re not sitting in the same position for long periods of time. Periodically move your body and get up and walk around.
Conclusion
Losing weight is always a goal, but it can be especially difficult to do when you’re working full time and trying to manage other responsibilities. However, with a little bit of effort, it is definitely possible to lose weight and improve your health while staying within the confines of your work schedule. A few key tips include: -keeping track of how many calories you consume each day -finding ways to reduce or eliminate processed foods from your diet -sticking to a regular exercise routine.
You can try different tracking apps such as Strive to get a complete report about your weight loss journey. Our app comes with several wonderful features, such as Tracking Move Calories, Number of Steps, Exercise Minutes, Distance in Miles, Weight Loss Percentage, Body Fat Percentage, and BMI etc.
Hopefully, this blog has helped you put together some basic strategies for losing weight while still keeping up with your hectic schedule.
