When it comes to working a desk job, people tend to get a lot of flack. Especially with the rise of new WFH (work from home) positions, and more relaxed work environments– having a desk job can be the least interesting thing career-wise. However, it doesn’t have to be. One common occurrence with people who work desk jobs is that their health takes a quick decline as soon as they begin their position. Usually they’ll try to schedule in workouts before or after work, take healthy lunches and hope that no one brings in donuts that day. You’ll notice this pattern quickly change as people become comfortable in their position, and begin falling into old habits. Being tired from the day at work, not wanting to wake up for that 6 am workout, and being too tired to cook dinner so resorting to take out or Skip the Dishes.
While we’re sure that no one wants to read a blog all about the hardships of desk jobs, we have prepared some helpful tips and ideas to stay healthy while working a desk job. These tips and tricks are small changes that you can implement into your daily routine, without any big changes to your schedule. You’ll notice that your energy levels are higher, your sleep is better and your confidence is back (or higher) from before you even started.
Drink Your Damn Water
Drinking water is something that everyone should be doing. It helps boost your metabolism, skyrockets your energy levels, hydrates your body and helps you detoxify your organs. Not to mention it gives you that glowing, radiant, Hailey Bieber type skin that everyone craves. So basically– drink your damn water.
Since no one really likes drinking all that water during the day, we have some hacks that you can try out to make hydration a little more enjoyable:
Try infusing your water with fruit! We recommend lemon, cucumber, mint or strawberries.
Get a water bottle that has times on it so you drink a certain amount of water every hour.
Invest in a Hydroflask or water bottle that keeps your water cold. That way you don’t have to worry about drinking warm water throughout the day.
Get Moving
Desk jobs can be challenging especially since you’re meant to be sedentary. However, it’s important to take a walk, to get up and stretch and to take short moments away from your desk. Incorporating movement into your day at work can be beneficial for boosting your energy levels, increasing your focus and motivation, and encouraging the blood flow in your body.
In addition to encouraging blood flow, another downfall of working a desk job is that our posture typically takes a toll. You’ll notice over time that you’re slouching your back, sitting on a leg while the other dangles or have your shoulders hunched or basically touching your ears.
If you work from home and find that you’re still strapped to your desk due to long work hours and never-ending to-do lists, these tips will help you too!
Walk around the office every hour; this encourages regular movement and stops your blood from pooling.
During your breaks throughout the day, make it a priority to walk up and down some stairs or walk to a coffee shop nearby.
After long periods of working, notice your posture. Focus on stretching out your muscles and straightening your back to encourage your core to engage and avoid headaches and muscle soreness.
Eat Your Veggies
Something that a lot of people are aware of but are constantly missing out on is eating enough veggies. Incorporating vegetables into your diet is definitely not as fun as indulging in a plate of pasta or your favourite restaurant’s chicken sandwich– but vegetables provide so many nutrients, and are valuable for our longevity.
If you’re stuck at your desk for the majority of your days, not only are you usually missing out on movement, enough hydration and a depletion of energy levels, but you also miss out on time in the sun. Canadians (and pretty much everyone) suffer from vitamin D deficiency, which is challenging because it’s largely due to the location of countries where people live. Of course you could take vitamin D supplements, and other supplements or vitamins to make up for what you’re lacking in your diet, but the most beneficial way for your body to consume vitamins and minerals is through food.
Your diet can also be responsible for a lot of health conditions and ailments. For example, eating too much food without exercise, proper sleep and high stress levels can lead to obesity. Cutting out meat from your diet can cause vitamin B and iron deficiency. Only eating carrots as your vegetables, you’ll likely be missing out on major vitamins like vitamin K, vitamin C and so much more. (Hint: you shouldn’t just eat carrots as your sole source of vegetables).
Since incorporating fruits and veggies into your diet can be tricky and bland, we wanted to also share some helpful tricks to making veggies taste good:
Try indulging in a morning smoothie. You can add fruits and veggies (spinach is a great option because you can’t really taste it) and take in a lot of your daily requirements first thing in the morning.
Try making your sauces and soups at home. If you want to have pasta with tomato sauce, instead of buying some from the store, try making your own. You can add in more veggies and you can use fresh vegetables instead of preserved ones.
Try out a greens mix. There are so many to choose from, and they offer you the opportunity to take in your daily required servings of veggies and fruits. Just make sure you check out the ingredients beforehand so that you’re not taking in too much processed stuff, especially sugar.
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