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I work at home and I know how lucky I am to be able to switch off my computer screen and go for a walk when I need some fresh air. Working freelance gives me the opportunity to do the one healthy thing I really love whenever I want to, which balances out my less healthy tendencies.
It’s not so easy when you are working long hours in an office, so I’ve been on the search for some ideas…
www.graze.com is a very easy way to eat healthily right at your desk. They deliver healthy snack boxes through the post, including a portion of fresh fruit! I don’t know how they do it but what a clever idea. If you go to www.graze.com and fill in the promotional code 6M2H7WZ (last checked 10 June 2010) then you’ll receive your first box for free and the second half price.
Of course, if you’re a fan of Tupperware you can make these boxes up yourself at home, but if you know that the chances of that are slim to none then I think it would be good fun to receive a food parcel at work and keep you steering clear of the evil 11a.m. munchies.
Other convenient but healthy snacks include my favourite, innocent smoothies, Nairns Oat Snack Packs (check out the dark chocolate variety available from Waitrose) and I also love Firefly drinks for just a hint of sweetness.
We all know that water is very, very good for us. It’s anti-ageing, anti-bloating, can stop a headache in its tracks and helps to keep our minds sharp. Unfortunately for many of us it’s one of the hardest habits to make when it should be the easiest. What can we do??? How about pinning up your target for the day above your desk and every time you have a glass you put a tick. Or every time you go to the loo make a water or herbal tea run at the same time – adding to a routine you already have is easier than creating a new one. Take a glass of water to every new meeting and before you switch on your computer in the morning grab a glass then. And every time you have a cup of tea of coffee, you guessed it, have a glass of water too. I realise drinking all this water will lead to many extra trips to the loo but to be honest it’s good to get up and walk around every hour anyway.
Always, always have lunch, and never leave it until mid afternoon. If you are having an incredibly busy day then putting off lunch will actually make you less effective and efficient and, if you’re anything like me, more irritable. Thirty minutes spent away from your desk will recharge your batteries and mean you opt for healthy choices rather than feel a desperate need for quick energy carbs.
The Chocolate Run – sent to tempt us all. Treats in the office are what keep us going so how do you avoid the 3p.m. chocolate biscuit meltdown when it’s the slowest, hardest part of the day? I can’t say I have an easy answer for this but once you break the cycle and the cravings go then you don’t see it as quite the treat you thought it was. When I was working in an office and losing weight I did tend to make a cup of tea around this time and join in the chat, rather than sit sullenly in my pod. I’d make a fuss of the fact I wasn’t having a chocolate hob nob, going public meant I couldn’t then give in without looking really pathetic. But for others it might be a good time to disappear and go and chat to a healthy, non chocolate eating co-worker.
I realise treating ourselves through food and alcohol is a biggie – I won’t go on about it today and will come back to it another time.
This last tip might make your desk neighbours point and stare but why not get them to join in. A five minute exercise routine all sitting on a chair… just not a chair with rollers.
Flat Tummy at Your Desk
Kate Adams, Flat Tummy Club, June 2010I work at home and I know how lucky I am to be able to switch off my computer screen and go for a walk when I need some fresh air. Working freelance gives me the opportunity to do the one healthy thing I really love whenever I want to, which balances out my less healthy tendencies.
It’s not so easy when you are working long hours in an office, so I’ve been on the search for some ideas…
www.graze.com is a very easy way to eat healthily right at your desk. They deliver healthy snack boxes through the post, including a portion of fresh fruit! I don’t know how they do it but what a clever idea. If you go to www.graze.com and fill in the promotional code 6M2H7WZ (last checked 10 June 2010) then you’ll receive your first box for free and the second half price.
Of course, if you’re a fan of Tupperware you can make these boxes up yourself at home, but if you know that the chances of that are slim to none then I think it would be good fun to receive a food parcel at work and keep you steering clear of the evil 11a.m. munchies.
Other convenient but healthy snacks include my favourite, innocent smoothies, Nairns Oat Snack Packs (check out the dark chocolate variety available from Waitrose) and I also love Firefly drinks for just a hint of sweetness.
We all know that water is very, very good for us. It’s anti-ageing, anti-bloating, can stop a headache in its tracks and helps to keep our minds sharp. Unfortunately for many of us it’s one of the hardest habits to make when it should be the easiest. What can we do??? How about pinning up your target for the day above your desk and every time you have a glass you put a tick. Or every time you go to the loo make a water or herbal tea run at the same time – adding to a routine you already have is easier than creating a new one. Take a glass of water to every new meeting and before you switch on your computer in the morning grab a glass then. And every time you have a cup of tea of coffee, you guessed it, have a glass of water too. I realise drinking all this water will lead to many extra trips to the loo but to be honest it’s good to get up and walk around every hour anyway.
Always, always have lunch, and never leave it until mid afternoon. If you are having an incredibly busy day then putting off lunch will actually make you less effective and efficient and, if you’re anything like me, more irritable. Thirty minutes spent away from your desk will recharge your batteries and mean you opt for healthy choices rather than feel a desperate need for quick energy carbs.
The Chocolate Run – sent to tempt us all. Treats in the office are what keep us going so how do you avoid the 3p.m. chocolate biscuit meltdown when it’s the slowest, hardest part of the day? I can’t say I have an easy answer for this but once you break the cycle and the cravings go then you don’t see it as quite the treat you thought it was. When I was working in an office and losing weight I did tend to make a cup of tea around this time and join in the chat, rather than sit sullenly in my pod. I’d make a fuss of the fact I wasn’t having a chocolate hob nob, going public meant I couldn’t then give in without looking really pathetic. But for others it might be a good time to disappear and go and chat to a healthy, non chocolate eating co-worker.
I realise treating ourselves through food and alcohol is a biggie – I won’t go on about it today and will come back to it another time.
This last tip might make your desk neighbours point and stare but why not get them to join in. A five minute exercise routine all sitting on a chair… just not a chair with rollers.
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site design by Wilson Langley