How to stay Fit and healthy when you have a full time office job

Ever since I started working at #FITGIRLCODE, staying in shape became much harder than it was before when I was a student. Not only do I now sit in front of a desk for 8 hours a day (instead of being constantly in the move), but I also have relatively ‘less’ time to work out. Sooner than I realized, I had packed on some extra kilos because of my new office job. It was then when I realized that working full time at an office is not necessarily the most healthy thing. But there are certainly ways in which you can make sure you can stay Fit even when you work full time.

Just two weeks after I started working at the headquarters of #FITGIRLCODE I started to notice some changes in my body. Not only had I gained a kilo or 2 within my first weeks, but I started to feel extremely unhealthy. I had never given a thought of how working full time in an office would affect my looks and my health. If you think about it, office jobs are not the healthiest jobs. Sitting and barely moving for 8 hours a day can really compromise our health. The combination of more snacking and less moving made me realize that, if I wanted to stay in shape, I had to make some changes to make the office a healthier place. Here are some of the tips and changes I made to stay Fit at the office:

DRINK LOTS OF WATER

Remember, just because you are siting the whole day doesn’t mean you don’t need to drink enough water. If you tend to feel tired towards the end of your working day, this may be a sign of minor dehydration. Besides making you feel tired, this can cause headaches. All this combined can get in between your productivity at work and after work (after all, when you don’t feel your best after work, what are the chances that you will work out ??)

MOVE AT LEAST EVERY HOUR

If you think about it, you are at your workplace for approximately 8 hours. Can you imagine sitting 8 hours straight? It’s just crazy! I get it, when you are at work you are well...working and you may be extremely busy but, the least you can do is move. Whether you have time to get a real lunch break or not, there are many things you can do to move and get out of your desk. Moving doesn’t have to be something that steals your time from your work. It can be as easy as going to the toilet, getting a glass of water, or going to your colleague to ask them something rather than sending an email. Simple as that, as long as you move.

BRING HEALTHY SNACKS TO WORK

This is super important because when it comes to munchies, it can be very tempting to grab that package of cookies or that chocolate bar hiding in your drawer. And you know the drill. One cookie leads to another and suddenly you end up finishing the whole package. The best thing is to bring healthy snacks to work and make them ‘easy to grab’ by putting them into a zip-lock bag or a plastic container. This means, prepare them in advance at home. Some examples of healthy snacks are, veggie sticks with hummus (delicious ?), nuts and even plain popcorn! This way when you get hungry or simply feel like snacking, you know you have the best foods to do so.

TAKE A SHORT WALK BREAK

Remember when I said it is important to move when you are at work? This goes hand in hand with that. Going for a walk is the best way to move ;) ! Even if you only have a short lunch break, use some of this time to go for a short walk. Not only will this stimulate your digestion process, but it also will give your mind a break and you’ll feel much more refreshed afterwards. You don’t necessarily have to leave the office an walk outside (although fresh air in your face would be awesome). It can be as simple as walking up and down the stairs, walk around the office, walk to a colleague whose office is far from you, etc. There are many ways to get creative and add some walk breaks throughout your work day.

As you can see Fit Girls, there is no reason why having an office job means you have to give up your Fit status. Try to implement these super small changes into your working day and I’m sure you’ll start to see changes in no time. I can tell you out of experience that they DO work ;).