Staying healthy at work can be a challenge. It can be easy to work right through lunch, forget to take breaks, and even skip stopping by the office water dispenser to stay hydrated.
But it’s important that you’re diligent about taking breaks and moving around. Sitting for hours at a time is more dangerous to your health than you may realize, and it should go without saying that skipping meals is never a good idea.
Here are a few easy hacks that can help you remain healthy during your workday.
1. Create Reminders to Move Around
Even if you plan on getting up and stretching regularly, it’s all too easy to get wrapped up in emails, phone calls, and projects. The next thing you know, you’ve been sitting for over three hours straight.
To avoid this, set reminders on your calendar or phone to get up and move around. You should do this at minimum, once an hour. If you have arthritis or other joint conditions that can cause parts of your body to become stiff and painful if you sit for too long, you may need to stand up and stretch every half hour.
2. Take the Stairs
One small change to your daily routine that can add up in the end is to simply take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever you can. It may not seem like a big deal, but it’s a good little bit of exercise. This is especially helpful if you have to go up and down stairs several times a day or if you have to climb two or three flights.
3. Replace Your Unhealthy Snacks
Everyone snacks at work, and unhealthy candy and other foods full of sugar are the most common go-to items. You may not even realize how much sugar and how many calories you’re consuming from your office snacks.
Replacing these snacks with fruits, vegetables, and other healthy snack options can be a huge change. It can help you reach and maintain your target weight, have more energy, and protect your teeth from cavities.
If you know you’re a stress eater, it’s even more important to replace those unhealthy options with healthy ones. It’s much harder to change your habit of stress eating than it is to change what you eat.
Reward your hard work with a healthy, delicious snack after a large project or stressful task. Trying to stop stress eating, on the other hand, is very difficult. You may end up falling off the wagon and stress eating more bad food than ever.
4. Walk Around on the Phone or When You Need to Read
You don’t necessarily need to have a destination in mind when you get up to walk around. If you’re taking a call on your cell phone or using headphones, you may be able to get up and walk around while talking.
You can also walk around while you’re reading anything you have a printed copy of. If you’re trying to work through a problem or come up with a new idea, walking around can also help. Even if you never leave your office, pacing back and forth or doing laps will keep you moving around.
5. Don’t Forget To Drink Water
Water is absolutely vital to your workday. You’ve got to stay hydrated, and other beverages simply don’t do that as well as water does.
Make sure you always have water at your desk and take walks to the water cooler on a regular basis. Having water delivered by Lipsey Water will ensure that there’s always a refreshing glass of water available.
Need to have Lipsey Water delivered to your office? Contact us today to learn more about our two-week free trial offer.