Sitting has become a part of our lives, and many of us spend nearly whole days behind a desk. Have you also been wondering if you can do something to lose weight while doing your work?
From opting for nutritious meals to drinking plenty of water to frequent physical activities, there is a lot that each can do to manage their working time better.
Go through this cheat sheet and discover the top tips on how you can lose weight even if you’re sitting at a desk all day.
Opt for Nutritious Snacks
Nutritious snacks not only keep you full for hours but will also improve your digestion and help you lose weight. Overall, this will result in better weight management and general health improvement. Avoid highly processed snacks, as they are known to have adverse effects on our body and contribute to weight gain.
What should you eat? Meals rich in proteins, whole grains, vitamins, and minerals.
Here’s a list of a few ideas for healthy munchies that you can eat during your work day:
– Fruit salad
– Whole-grain bread with feta cheese (or vegan alternatives) and olives
– Low-fat yogurt with dried fruits or whole-grain cereals
– Boiled eggs with low-fat cheese
– Unsalted nuts
– Apple cubes with or without honey
Drink Plenty of Water
Most of us can hardly imagine sitting behind a desk all day without coffee, tea, or juice. However, these can’t help you lose weight. Your goal should be to drink at least eight glasses of pure water per day. Here are some tips to help you achieve that:
– If you have difficulty drinking frequently, set alarms that will remind you when it’s time to drink.
– Always keep a huge bottle of water right next to you.
Drinking plenty of water will reduce your desire to eat and improve your metabolism. It will also make you walk to the lavatory more often, meaning that you’ll frequently engage in physical activity.
Stand at Your Desk
While standing at your desk doesn’t burn many calories in comparison with sitting, it does provide other health benefits. By standing, your body will be stretched, and you will more easily maintain a good posture. Image source:
Standing can also improve your blood sugar levels which contribute to weight loss.
Tip: Make sure not to slouch while standing. You can adjust the height of your screen, mouse, and keyboard. There are also tables of which height can be regulated.
Set Aside Time for Exercising
If you’re behind a desk all throughout the day, you probably have something important that needs to be finished as soon as possible. To help you achieve that, you have to allow enough of your working time to exercise.
In addition to helping you lose weight, physical activities have been proven to boost your cognitive abilities such as memory and information processing. They are also a great way to jump-kick your blood flow and digestion. Burn those extra fats by allowing yourself to exercise for at least 5 minutes per 1 working hour.
Here’s a good set of exercises to get you going:
- Begin with stretching exercises (1 minute).
- Proceed with a series of cardio exercises such as jumping jacks, squats, mountain climbing, and pushups (5 minutes).
- Final stretching (1 minute).
Develop Healthy Habits
Besides re-planning your diet and exercising, you should also begin developing healthy habits that will help you burn the extra calories and lose weight. One thing you can do is to decide to stand up and walk around each time you’re talking on your phone.
Remember that you’re not glued to your chair, meaning you can move away from your table at any time. Can’t focus or feeling bored? Walk for a few minutes and return to work when your head is clear. If you’re eating lunch outside, you are also advised to walk to the place and back instead of driving. Even better, prepare your healthy meals and eat them at a remote place where you can relax your mind.
Final Word
Sitting behind a desk all day often leads to weight gain. Nevertheless, it’s up to you if you will let that happen or not. From opting for nutritious meals to drinking plenty of water to frequent physical activities, there is a lot that you can do to manage weight during your working time better. With the tips provided in this post, you can now lose weight even if you’re sitting at a desk all day.
What are your tips for losing weight while having to sit at a desk all day?
Share your thoughts and comments with us.
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Very interesting piece. Most times people don’t realise that they can still burn calories sitting at their desk all day. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Evelyn,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We appreciate it.