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Is Your Busy Schedule Making You Gain Weight? Here’s How to Keep It Off

Everyone loves the free benefits that come with an office job: You walk into the kitchen in the morning to grab yourself a cup of coffee and you see a jar of cookies conveniently placed next to the coffee machine. Even though you just had breakfast, you’re still tempted to reach into the jar and grab a few cookies just because they’re there and they’re free – harmless right? Wrong.

A recent study showed that office workers around the country have been piling on the pounds due to excessive snacking and not enough physical activity. So what can you do to keep the temptation of overindulging in office treats at bay?

Studies Show That 75% of Officer Workers Gain Weight

Little physical activity and excessive office snacking are the leading causes of weight gain among employees

Most people with a nine-to-five office job find it difficult to manage work and look after their health at the same time. A recent study involving 1200 employees from different professions around the country showed that almost 75 per cent of the workforce admitted to gaining weight at some point during their career due to their busy schedules. Some of them said that leading a healthy lifestyle can sometimes feel like a full-time job, and when your plate is already full – literally and figuratively – there’s hardly any room in your packed schedule to squeeze in a workout.

Experts think that it’s not surprising that those who lead a sedentary lifestyle (sit at a desk all day) gain weight over time. In fact, working from a desk was the leading cause of weight gain among the 1200 workers who participated in the research. Other reasons included excessive snacking, stress eating, not having enough time for exercise and indulging in unhealthy treats often brought to the office by coworkers.

So what can you do to keep your health on track when you have too many demands on your time? Quitting your job definitely isn’t an option so here are a few small changes you can incorporate into your lifestyle to lose weight while sitting at your desk all day:

Start Your Morning with a Quick Workout

A quick workout in the morning can benefit you in a lot of ways

Admit it: If you don’t exercise in the morning, you probably won’t do it at any other time of the day either. Experts say that half an hour of daily exercise is more than enough to stay healthy and you don’t necessarily have to go to the gym to get in a quick workout. There are several benefits of getting your heart rate up the first thing in the morning. Firstly, your body will burn more fat since you haven’t had breakfast yet and your body is in a fasted state. Secondly, the rush of endorphins after a workout is really beneficial in reducing stress and making you feel happy all day.

Leave Healthy Snacks on Your Desk

Office treats and unhealthy vending machines aren’t doing your waist any favors so it’s about time you bring your own supply of healthy snacks and keep them somewhere on your desk where you can see them. Having a healthy snack always within your reach can help tremendously, especially when you’re craving a bag of chips from the vending machine and it becomes more convenient to grab the healthy popcorns sitting on your desk instead. Fresh fruits, hummus, granola bars and nuts are only a few examples of healthy snacks that you could stow in your desk drawer to munch on.

Prepare Lunches in advance

The best way to stick to your goal of eating healthy is by preparing your own food but cooking and packing office lunch every day on a busy schedule can be next to impossible. However, planning your meals over the weekend and preparing them in advance can save time and keep you from putting on weight.

Stay Hydrated

Drinking water often can keep your snacking habit under control

Did you know that active women need to drink 91 ounces of water every day? Most of us forget to get enough water which can lead to dehydration and fatigue during work. Water is also great for curbing hunger so make to keep a bottle of H2O with you at all times in order to stay away from excessive snacking.

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