Balancing a Healthy Diet as a Working Professional
For working professionals, balancing a healthy diet and exercise regime with a busy career isn’t always an easy task. Not everyone has the time to batch cook healthy meals to take to work, and it can be all too tempting to pop to a local cafe or fast food outlet for a quick yet unhealthy bite to eat for your lunch break. Pair that with a mostly sedentary office job, and you have the perfect combination for feeling unfit, gaining weight, and losing energy. So, if you’ve decided that it’s time to do something, here are our top tips for balancing a healthy lifestyle with your busy working life.
Use Meal Replacement Shakes:
Meal replacement shakes are easy to make and packed full of all the essential nutrients that you need, enabling you to get a healthier and more balanced diet without the need to worry about preparing your meals every day. Ideally, a nutritional shake mix can be taken for breakfast and lunch, and then followed up with a healthy dinner option. Make sure that you opt for a shake that’s designed to replace a meal – many regular protein shakes are not.
Stretch Your Legs:
If you spend all day sitting at your desk, this can certainly contribute to an unhealthy lifestyle. It’s not good to sit for prolonged periods of time – this will slow down your metabolism and make it easier for you to gain weight. Instead, try and get up to stretch your legs regularly – a quick walk around the office to see how your colleagues are getting on every so often can do you a world of good. Most workplaces encourage healthy lifestyles and won’t mind you getting up and moving every now and again as long as it doesn’t affect your work.
Take Healthy Snacks:
Snacking at your desk can be a real trap for working professionals – if you have a lot of work to get through, it can be much easier to take a sandwich or bag of chips to your desk and keep on going. If eating at your desk is unavoidable, then pay attention to the type of foods that you’re eating – nuts, fruit, and protein bars will keep you fuller for longer and give you the energy that you need to work to your full potential.
Avoid foods that are heavy in carbohydrates or sugar – whilst tasty, the energy you get from them won’t last long and you’ll end up hungry again quickly.
Drink More Water:
Lastly, always having a bottle of water at your desk can make a big difference to your health. Instead of sipping on coffee or sugar-laden energy drinks, make sure that you are properly hydrated by giving your body the two liters of water that it needs throughout the day. If your office doesn’t already have one, why not speak to your boss about getting a water fountain?
If you found these tips helpful, we’d love to hear from you in the comments!