Summertime is prime for a couple things: vacations, when you can afford them, and working full-time to make as much money as possible. The dilemma is maintaining that bikini body while in an office from 9-5.
While full-time work is common and often necessary for students during the summer, it can lead to bad eating and exercise habits throughout vacation months. These habits are usually followed by student complaints of not feeling confident about their body or not feeling well most of the time. The food you give your body is fuel for how it’ll perform throughout the day, including performance and brainpower on the job.
To combat this dilemma, start by never justifying a skipped meal. It’s crucial to your health to eat at least three meals a day. Although there might be some work cultures where people don’t take time for a lunch break, say no to this. Pack a lunch with an assortment of snacks the night prior so it’s easy to grab on your way out the door. If it’s really unreasonable for you to leave your desk, you can bring out your brown bag lunch and eat while you work.
This not only keeps you on track for eating all your meals, but also helps you avoid eating out constantly. Everything is okay in moderation, but fast food lunches five or six days a week catch up to you and your wallet fast. Lunches from home can provide planned nutrition as well as savings in your bank account.
In addition to eating when you should, hydrating is essential during all times of the year. With the rising temperatures, water is more important now than cooler months. It’s recommended that you drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Benefits of this are increased energy levels, better focus, reduced headaches and being more in tune with your appetite.
An easy way to stay on top of this during the workday is to buy a water bottle you love and keep drinking and refilling through your shift. There are also many apps you can download that help you track your water consumption. Any time you feel stressed during work, just take a big gulp of water and breathe.
Staying focused on health and nutrition can be hard, especially in a busy and stressful work environment, but it becomes easier if you have a partner. Find someone in the office that will commit to sharing goals and keeping you both on track. Eat your brown bag lunches together and discuss progress and downfalls throughout the week. Support from others helps you to stay focused on your goals.
Exercising is still a fundamental part of your workday. If you are feeling exhaustion at the end of the day, change how you begin your day. If work is within walking distance, walk. If it’s reasonable to bike then do it. Even taking some brief walks in the office just to move your legs can help you de-stress and stretch your muscles. Make sure you commit to some crunches when you get home or a light jog when you can. There will be tremendous benefits to energy and overall appearance.
Creating goals and health balance in the workplace has benefits that you will see shortly after engaging in them.
