Do you belong to the group of people who work 40 + hours every week? Do you feel you can catch up on being healthy at a later stage, once you settle down? Well do not be surprised – you belong to the vast majority of overworked and stressed out people who think that way.
Unfortunately over the years, this trend seems to have increased dramatically in a country like India, where work life balance was an unheard of concept in most organisations.Working as a Life & Wellness Coach with this generation, has given me a deep insight about how to break this pattern and help my clients inculcate healthy habits.
With the present situation it is next to impossible to expect your Boss to leave an Annual Gym membership on your table. However by working smart, you can unchain yourself from the work table and begin to be healthier. In the process you will work towards managing stress better.
Some of the things which each one of you can do to begin, irrespective of your job role or position are detailed below –
Your phone is your best buddy: On an average a working person spends at the least a couple of hours on the phone. Even if for half this time you can manage to stand up or walk around, you will log in some precious exercise to your daily log.It might not sound much, but you will be surprised as to how much of a difference this small shift can do to your body in the long run.
Once you are conscious about this, then you can move into other areas more diligently.I was jazzed when i realised that I can actually be on my feet for 3-4 hours everyday by just doing this one small shift in my habit.
Follow the 40 minute rule: One rule which I had stuck by when I was chained to the office chair like most of you, was to ensure that I got up from my chair and moved around to another area within the organisation. This keeps the blood moving and helps in kick-starting the metabolism.
The more you tend to sit, the greater will be the drop in your metabolism. Therefore be innovative as there are more than enough excuses within any job Spec which you can encash upon, to walk around. I have seen some of my own clients who have become more social by this one awesome habit.
Cross the cube border: With an open office culture the norm today, it is that much easier to walk up to your co-worker and speak to him/her directly rather than shooting out a mail or texting. Remember that even if you do this a couple of times a day it is better than just sitting on your office chair & shooting mails.
Most people feel lonely and they would more than welcome you, if you can meet them in person. I remember walking a couple of floors or even blocks to speak to my co-worker in person. This has made a huge difference to the outcome on the whole, because it gives a personal touch to the whole communication.
Make use of the lunch hour: Most of the organisations have at least an hour of break time. This according to me is the most underutilised time of the day for exercise. If you can be a bit more smart about your scheduling, then you can squeeze in a 20 minute time slot to go for a quick walk around the office complex.
I have always done this and some of the biggest insights @ work have always happened to me at this time. Even if there is no opportunity to walk out of the complex, make use of the stairs and ensure you do this a couple of times, before you head back to the office chair. By the way stair climbing is one of the most effective exercises for fat burn.
If the threat of bulging waistline is not enough to unchain you from your office desk, then i am sure that you are not aware,that a sedentary desk job is the number one reason for major health problems both Physically & Emotionally down the road.
If these simple shifts are not possible,then i am not sure what else can work. See what works and do not end here. Be more creative and aspire to make the best use of your work hours to be more healthier & Awesome.Most of us spend the maximum amount of time @ work and if you can use some ingenuity, you can derive the maximum from it.
As always I will look forward to hear from you on these thoughts. Do feel free to reach out to me at my mail ID coach@satishrao.in or on my Facebook fan page.