I love my job! And one thing I am thankful for is that my job doesn’t require much physical stamina. I exercise my brain whenever I do research and when I write articles. I’m happy about that, and I thought that’s all I should care for. Until I got sick last week, I started to think what am I doing wrong? I tried to do the math of the time I usually spend sitting in front of the computer, and here’s what I found…
8 hours x 5 days a week = 40 hours per week
40 hours per week x 52 weeks in 2016 = 2080 hours a year
2080 hours a year divided by 24 hours in a day = 86.67
86 days sitting down !!!
If I spend 86 days of my life every year sitting down with less physical activity, then I’m really bound to get sick or fat (I wish I can be the latter a bit, but my fast metabolism won’t let it happen because I was born skinny haha). People with desk jobs stare at the computer screen most of the day and do not have enough physical activity, thus leading to heart disease, back injury, and obesity. Here are the ways to avoid being fat and ill while enjoying the job:
Schedule and write it down.
Studies show that to be able to stick to a healthy lifestyle, it should be scheduled and written down. So it’s best to write down the scheduled exercises and healthy food to eat every day. A planner, colorful sticky notes, and alarms can help in reminding about the schedule and sticking to the plan. Remember that a plan is still nothing without execution. With great will and discipline comes success.
Eat the right food at the right time.
Don’t ever skip breakfast, because eating after you wake up boost metabolism, and skipping it can increase the craving for fatty foods during lunchtime, which can cause obesity. It is best to bring your own lunch to regulate calorie intake. For snacks, stay away from chips in the vending machine and eat fruits instead, to avoid too much sugar and preservatives that can cause diseases.
Keep hydrated.
Make sure to drink lots of water/fluids to hydrate the body. 8 glasses of water a day is a good rule, but that’s just around 1.9 liters. The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly about 13 cups (3 liters) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is about 9 cups (2.2 liters) of total beverages a day. Water flushes toxins out of vital organs, keeps the body hydrated and healthy. All fluids count toward the daily total, so loading up on some herbal teas or fruit juices are helpful too.
Take a break and move around
Try some “at-your-desk” mini-workouts or some stretching exercises from time to time. Take a break to move around and shake the tired muscles. Take the stairs instead of the elevator to burn fats. The key is to make sure that the body is not stagnant. It should keep burning calories to avoid obesity and body pains.
Those are just some of the ways to keep fit and healthy while enjoying a job that doesn’t require so much of physical activity, and you can use your imagination and creativity to make your job’s journey productive, healthy, and exciting. Remember what John F. Kennedy has said:
“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” ~~John F. Kennedy
Credits to:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256