So… Go for a workout or… Browse online?
In most cases, the latter seems to be the answer. Ever since the rise of social media, hanging out online seems to America’s favorite pastime. And it leaves most people wondering is the Internet getting in the way of people exercising?
A survey conducted by the Normal Bar from a few years ago tried to answer this question.
When asked why they don’t exercise enough, a vast majority of people answered that they simply don’t have the time to do it. What’s more, roughly 17% of people said they feel too tired to exercise after coming home from work and 30% feel like they don’t have enough time at all.
Can You Do Something About It?
If you feel like you don’t have enough time for a full-blown workout during the week, should you just give up on your looks and go back to your fast-food eating habits? Certainly not! Being the busiest and the healthiest version of yourself is actually possible – although it’s easier said than done.
Now, what you need to do in order to stay healthy? Well, according to a 2013 Mayo Clinic study, a healthy lifestyle needs to meet the following four qualifications:
- Moderate exercise every week
- No smoking + low alcohol intake
- A BMI under 20% for men and 30% for women
- A Healthy Eating Index diet score in the top 40
So in addition to moderate exercise, you just need to make a few changes to your daily habits, and you can be healthier than you ever were. The main thing here is to start small and build from there.
The following healthy habits are actually quite easy to implement and are completely “squeezable” no matter how busy your schedule is…
How to Squeeze In Healthy Habits into Your Schedule
- Stop Compromising
Office life can get really hectic, really quick and sometimes, it can feel like you don’t have ten minutes to sit down and have lunch. And even if it doesn’t feel like that, all-day-snackers consume more calories than the rest of us. In order to avoid this, you should start eating pre-packed meals at your office. There are tons of healthy-meal delivery services out there.
- Never Skip Coffee
Now, there’s some conflicting data on just how good coffee is for our health. However, some things are undisputable: for instance, drinking coffee on a daily basis will help you rev your metabolism and give you that much-needed energy boost your body desires. So make sure to have a pot of fresh coffee near your desk at all times, so you can re-energize yourself at any given moment.
- Spice Things Up
In the last couple of years, Sriracha has managed to overthrow both ketchup and mayonnaise, and become America’s favorite condiment. But the sauce does more than add taste to your meals – it also speeds up your metabolism. So instead of adding extra cheese or mayo to your meals, you should start using more spicy condiments to torch your metabolism and motivate it to burn more calories.
- Add Veggies
Speaking of additions to your meal, you should try to add as much vegetables to your daily meals as possible. For instance, spinach is a great addition to smoothies, cauliflower goes perfect with scrambled eggs, and sweet-potato brownies are tastier than most people think. Give your breakfast a healthy makeover to add more flavor and vitamins to it.
- Go High-Protein
When hunger suddenly strikes, it’s pretty easy to go down to the vending machine and go for an unhealthy snack. But even high-calorie snacks like chips and cookies won’t keep you feeling full for a long time. If you want to avoid any hunger pains and sudden snack urges, you just need to eat more high-protein meals during the week. A good high-calorie breakfast will keep you filled up, satisfied, and energized for at least a couple of hours.
- Fill Up On Iron
We’re sure that you’re aware that iron plays a huge role in biology: iron deficiency can actually cause fatigue in adults, and in certain cases, clinical depression. That’s why you need to keep your iron levels high by eating lean meats, lentils, and oatmeal. And since iron boosts muscle strength, you’ll feel energized when you find the time to finally work out.
The Bottom Line
In the end, you have to be aware that nothing will ever replace working out. If you really want to stay fit, you need to find a way to squeeze in a workout or two in your work week. There’s no way around it.
Of course, you can do a few small things on the go to burn a few additional calories:
- Deckersizing: Chances are, you spend most of your day sitting behind a desk. But that doesn’t mean you can’t sneak in a short workout into your daily schedule: you can shoulder shrugs, some curls, and even a few crunches.
- Walking: Experts estimate that an average worker spends roughly 70% of their day sitting. If you want to work out a bit, start running errands on foot. For example, stop communicating with your colleagues via Slack, and start walking to their desks to add a few extra steps.
- Hydrating: Staying hydrated will help you keep your metabolism at an optimum level, stay energized throughout the day, and even gives you some extra focus. So always keep a bottle near and if needed, set timers to remind yourself to drink enough water.
And while there’s no way to work around exercising, you can still tweak your diet just enough not to feel sluggish or lethargic even if you skip your routine work out that week.
We hope you enjoyed our article and that you found it helpful. As always, if you have anything to add to the conversation, feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below.