Written by Anabel Monet Ramirez
Keeping fit when you have an office job can be hard to do. Temptations are all around from replacing a nice home cooked meal with McDonald’s to taking the elevator instead of the stairs. You soon find yourself slipping into the lazy life with several bad habits you can’t seem to break free off. But, you can take small steps to get in shape with an office job. Time to go from couch potato to Olympic athlete (4 years before the actual Olympics).
Eliminate Anything ‘Sedentary’ from Your Life
Make staying still your enemy. Now, you may be thinking how is that possible with an office job? You can’t exactly from one day to another change careers and get a sport focused job. But, it’s actually easier than you thought! Replace everything that doesn’t get you moving with something active. So, instead of the elevator take the stairs. If your company has money to spend, get desks that allow you to stand or there are even desks that have a treadmill attached to them. Sit on a yoga ball instead of a chair and you’ll be engaging your core. Get ankle weights and do sitting down flutter kicks every 30 minutes at your desk. The possibilities are endless so you have no excuse!
Sneak in a Quick Exercise When Possible
Sneaking in a quick exercise every now and then can also work wonders. You might not see results straight away but in the long haul, you’ll be fitter. It doesn’t have to be a full gym routine, simply doing jumping jacks for a set time will do. For example, at my job, we have planking challenges where at the hour we stop what we’re doing and plank for a minute. The show-off’s plank for longer. I started 3 months ago and now I can plank for several minutes, have a better core and improved arm strength. A little a day makes all the difference.
Get Your Coworkers Involved
Some friendly competition is good, so get your coworkers involved in your quest to become fit. Spice it up by placing a bet such as ‘the person who can do the most push-ups at the end wins a free dinner’. But, just having someone who has the same goal as you will motivate you much more to get in shape.
Prep Your Meals
Eating healthy is the key to getting in shape and if you’re constantly having a takeaway after work or putting everything in the oven then you can kiss those abs of steel goodbye. Instead, prepare your meals in advance. If you find yourself eating an unhealthy lunch at work bring your own from home. That way you won’t be tempted to get a meal deal or nip to the closest McDonalds. Preparing your dinner for a couple of days over the weekend or preparing a meal a day in advance is also a great way to prevent eating unhealthy.
Don’t completely cut out all junk food from your diet though! Treat yourself every now and then.
Join a Gym
One full-proof way of getting fitter is to join the gym and actually commit to it. Don’t be afraid of looking silly or other people judging you. Everyone at the gym has been in your position and the last thing they’re going to be worrying about is your appearance. If you don’t know how to use the equipment ask someone to show you, not just a trainer but other gym goers and more than eager to help. And, you don’t have to hire a personal trainer to form a routine. Google and Youtube videos can be a great starting point if you’re not quite sure what workouts to do or how to do them. Who knows, you might enjoy working out so much that the office doesn’t cut it for you anymore
These tips will have you on your way to becoming fitter and they can help you work wise too. Your mentality and determination can improve as a result since you’re used to hard work. Your confidence can increase and that’s something that will help you through life from job interviews to just meeting new people. If you join the gym or rally your co-workers to join you then it’s also a great thing to mention on your CV because of the transferable skills such as motivation, leadership and organisation.
