Office Junk Food Monsters
7 tips to stay healthy at the office
by Jake Palumbo
Goals for this article
- Think about how your workplace environment may trigger old eating habits
- Develop your own strategy to avoid triggers and replace old habits with new, healthy eating habits in the workplace.
Familiar Office Monsters
Even when you feel like you’re doing everything right—you’re exercising regularly and you’ve cleaned the junk out of your pantry—there are certain obstacles that will inevitably get in the way of your fitness goals.
Unfortunately, the biggest obstacles can come from the one place you can’t avoid, the office. Whether it’s Friday morning doughnuts, birthday cupcakes for Karen, or another ‘Thank You’ gift basket from clients, workplace junk food can leave your office feeling like a minefield of temptation.
These junk food traps catch you when we’re at our weakest, when you’re overly stressed, bored, or fatigued. Your lowered defenses make rewarding yourself with that colorful sprinkled doughnut or another trip to the candy jar seem justified. The sheer proximity of another team breakfast or catered lunch steaming seductively in the breakroom is enough to drive even the most disciplined of eaters to indulge.
In order to help you steer clear of the sugary shores of Halloween candy and Christmas cookies, we’ve compiled this list of strategies you can employ to stay healthy in the workplace:
7 tips to stay healthy at the office
- Blaze a new trail. Asses your usual route throughout the office and whether or not it takes you through a red light district of sleazy sugars and flirtatious fats. If it does, strike up a new course that avoids the alluring vending machines and donut boxes. Junk food out of sight is junk food out of mind.
- Bring your own snacks. Hoard away your own stash of healthy, compliant snacks at your desk or in the office fridge for those times when everyone else is gorging on tempting treats. Instead of reaching for a cupcake reach for your own supply of raw almonds or dried fruit. As long as you make sure that your snack choice is a healthy one, you can productively fight hunger guilt free.
- Schedule small snack breaks. Starving yourself is only going to make that stale doughnut or slice of birthday cake look even more appealing as the day goes on. Once you’ve secured a trustworthy stash of CleanStart approved snacks, treat yourself to a couple small snack breaks throughout the day.
- Find a healthy place. When the claws of temptation are rattling the cages of your aching belly, close your eyes, take a deep breath,count to ten and find a happy, healthy place. Clear your mind and remind yourself why you’re making these decisions. Remember that you’re the one in control. Feel confident that the steps you are taking to make yourself healthier and happier for life are not only the right decisions, but admirable ones and let that deeper, more meaningful satisfaction wash away the superficial temptation of a chocolate éclair.
- Drink lots of water. Instead of pouring another cup of coffee or tea, fill up a reusable bottle with ice cold water. The extra caffeine jolt is often times counter-productive, providing short relief followed by a bigger crash. Drinking water throughout the day will curb your appetite and keep you focused by ensuring that your body is properly hydrated.
- Eat a filling breakfast. We know you’ve heard it before, but the importance of kick-starting the day with a substantial breakfast cannot be stressed enough. A hearty meal of mostly proteins and healthy fats will help stave off the hunger pangs that send you careening toward the candy dish later in the afternoon.
- Practice preaching what you practice. It can be tough facing the confused, cynical stares of your coworkers as you politely pass on Betsy’s birthday cake. If you’re caught off guard by a judgmental hoard, it can be uncomfortable and disorienting to feel like you owe all of accounting an explanation. So just make sure you’re prepared to confidently tackle their questions. Take some time to make sure you can articulate what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and the benefits you’ve experienced so far. Just be careful not to blow anyone’s mind.
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