In today’s digital world, many of us are sitting at desks for eight hours a day, five days a week. In fact, there are at least 400 million entrepreneurs working around the world. Unfortunately, sitting for an extensive period of time can take a serious toll on your health.
The good news is that there are still many different ways you can implement some healthy lifestyle and work habit changes to improve your health without giving up the job you love. Here are a few tips to consider to boost your health while you work.
Prepare healthy meals and snacks to bring to the office
It’s all too easy to forego breakfast in the morning and to swing through the drive-thru during your lunch break for a quick bite. But it’s not just extra calories you need to worry about when you’re eating fast food and take-out.
Focusing only on foods that fill you up instead of the ones with nutritional value can cause nutritional deficiency. Deficiencies can cause a whole slew of health problems, digestive issues, skin disorders, bone growth problems, and even dementia.
Nutritional deficiency can also cause fatigue so you’re not doing your best work while you’re on the clock. Prepare meals and snacks that help you meet nutritional goals so you’re not just eating healthy but also keeping your body in great shape inside and out.
This is important as not only does it keep you healthy; it ensures you have the needed energy during the day. You can get more information on this page.
Keep a reusable water bottle at your desk to stay hydrated
Dehydration is a major issue in the U.S. whether you’re among the two-thirds of welding jobs in manufacturing or you’re working at a desk five days a week. In fact, one out of every eight Americans suffers from chronic dehydration.
Dehydration can cause a lot of problems for your health, including kidney failure, increased risk of heat exhaustion, seizures, low blood volume, and cancer. About 23,800 adults are diagnosed with brain and spinal cord cancer every year.
It can be difficult to stay hydrated when common reminders such as post-it notes and smartphone apps only work for so long. By keeping a reusable water bottle on your desk, you give yourself a visual reminder to drink more water throughout the day. And even if you’re not drinking the recommended amount of water per day, you’re still drinking more water than you might have without the water bottle there.
Take up sports outside of the office
It can get a little boring to go from your desk job where you’ve been sitting for eight hours a day to the gym where you run on the treadmill for an hour. To liven things up and get your heart rate going, consider taking up group sports outside of the office.
The top five sports in the U.S. include football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and soccer. But you can find other recreational sports for adults that appeal to you, too, such as kickball, rugby, lacrosse, badminton, volleyball, roller derby, and even quidditch.
Not only do group sports give you a greater sense of community and fun while you’re playing the game, but they also help you hold yourself accountable for your physical fitness. It’s easy to tell yourself you’re going to take a break from going to the gym, but when you’re playing group sports you don’t want to let your teammates down by not showing up.
Don’t be afraid to get out there and find a sport that you love. Even if it’s dancing in one of your gym’s Zumba classes, you can benefit from getting active with others.
Working at your desk for eight hours a day, five days a week can have a major impact on your health. But by focusing on your nutrition, hydration, and physical fitness, you can help to keep your body in great shape.