Healthy Eating While Wfh (Working from Home)

How many of us over the past two years put on an extra few pounds? Sitting in our sweat pants all day working on a lab top, in a chair; not sure if we would put those dress pants back on. Snacking isn't a bad habit as long as the snacks don't sit in the sweat pant waist line.

As most of us know, working from home, has become the norm. In 2021 over 26% of the American workforce worked remotely. It's also estimated that by 2025 22% of the American workforce will permanently work remotely. (Global Workplace Analytics)

What Working Remotely Means for the Waistline

“God gives every bird its food, but he does not throw it into its nest.” ~ J G Holland

I find this quote to resonate with our lifestyles today and in which we have easy access to "food". We open the refrigerator, and consume whatever it was we purchased at the grocery store or we open the pantry and pull something off the shelf. As humans we do not hunt and gather today as our ancestors did, and we should be grateful for this.

What is transpiring among generations is the lack of teaching and education of an important nutritional meal. Remember the cooking classes in high school? (I am dating myself, as I graduated in 1989). Those have gone to the wayside. Who is responsible now for teaching our younger generations about "good" and "bad" foods? Fast food restaurants? Big box stores? The middle aisles of the grocery stores? It should be us.

Getting back to the "waistline" (#waistline) of Americans working from home....how do we keep it from stretching? Working from home does not make you gain weight, it's your lifestyle that contributes to it. Working from home diminishes routine and habits. These are four ideas to get you underway!

1. Prep some fun, healthy snacks instead of the easy go to chips, and yes Ice-Cream is on this list! (see recipes) https://www.oneingredientchef.com/healthy-snack-ideas/

2. Leftovers for lunch. Don't order Uber eats, or that pizza! So many of my readers, when I say leftovers, they say "yuck". Leftovers do not have to be the same boring dinner from the night before. Add, pasta, rice, spinach, with a dash of garlic, to most any left over and it's a new meal!

3. Establish exercise times throughout the day. Write it down, set an alarm, or schedule it regularly. A 15 minute walk outside can lower your blood pressure, clear your mind and get your metabolism boosted. Don't focus on the 10,000 steps, get out and enjoy moving your legs. In this Readers Digest article the number one thing a walk can do....instant happiness https://www.readersdigest.ca/health/fitness/walking-benefits-15-minutes/ (#getmoving)

4. Make a schedule and stick to simple rules. Exercising vigorously once a day, does not balance out sitting for the rest of it. And studies show that if you sit for six hours a day your risk of disability and disease doubles https://coach.nine.com.au/lifecoach/working-from-home-weight-gain/751c8cdf-a902-4d8e-8b58-7f1830b30e09

5. Set a space at home for working remotely. Establish this space so your family is aware that it is your personal working space, as much as it can be, and be some what "dressed" to come to work when stepping in.

These are a few ways to assist with working from home and creating a healthier environment around you. If you'd like a few more ideas, let's set up a coaching session!

Do we love working from home?

I think partly we do, and partly we don't. For some waking up, putting suits on, and driving to work has been a way of life for many years and now there is a reprieve, and a new way of doing business. For others, it is going to be a hard wake up call when accountability falls on no one but yourself. Either way if working from home will make us "fatter" with statistics showing that 70 million adults in the US today are overweight, our commitment to a nutritious 2022 should be top priority.