Work More Than Your Mind: Health and Fitness from Your Desk

Where does most of America spend its 9-to-5? Behind a desk.

How does America spend most of its free time? In the driver’s seat (or the recliner).

What is the world’s heaviest country? America.

With over 30% of America’s population considered to be medically obese, and at least two-thirds of the population to having an above-average score on the Body-Mass Index scale, it is clear that when you combine an inactive lifestyle with an excessive caloric intake you will be doing more harm than good.

If you’re an American, the statistics are against you, but that doesn’t mean inactivity and obesity has to win the fight.Since we are faced with this challenge, it becomes increasingly important to live a balanced life, especially if you’re spending a lot of it behind a desk facing a computer.

Even though you’re working, that doesn’t mean you can’t be burning calories and bettering your overall well-being. Following are some tips for things you can follow to improve your health and fitness while sitting in the office. If practiced, these guides can become habits, which will make life easier on and off the clock.

• Watch Those Calories. A good way to track your diet is to see how many calories you need, and to eat just a little less than that – especially if you want to lose weight. When possible, eat food that isn’t wrapped in plastic. A banana before work or an apple with lunch is healthy, cheap, and isn’t loaded with sugar additives or chemical preservatives. A McDonalds Nestle Crunch McFlurry has 630 calories and 24 grams of fat per serving, whereas a small cup of non-fat plain yogurt has less than 130 calories, and with a little bit of granola, it makes a great breakfast.
• Be Active. Eating smarter is only part of the process to better health. Being more active, in any capacity, increases oxygen to your blood, produces more endorphins which can help increase your mental health, lowers your heart rate, and better equips your body to cut fat. Park farther away, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or ride your bike to work.
• Stretch and Move Your Muscles. A lot of people complain about back pain, muscle cramps, and leg soreness, and they’ll often blame desk chairs and mattresses for their ills. A lot of muscle pain, especially back injuries, are due to weak muscle and core strength. Throughout the day, do a few toe touches and planks. It might look funny, but so do back braces.
• Drink More Water. It seems like an obvious point, but most people need anywhere between two and three liters. Drinking enough helps your body process waste better, keeps your inside systems clear and clean, eliminates headaches, and can help your body fight off many sicknesses and infections.Staying in shape isn’t hard – it just requires a little bit of extra thought. Our atomic penchant is that we stay at rest, but an object in motion stays in motion. Eat well, drink more water, stretch your muscles, and avoid becoming a sitting statistic.