Lose weight at work — doesn’t that sounds like the ultimate in multi-tasking? I think so, and it can really happen, too! If you know what to do, you can kick-start your weight loss journey, or just cut a few extra calories to help out, just by doing a few small things — and none of them involves wearing a sweatband. Here are 9 ways to start losing weight at work. Get ready!
If you can possibly swing it, walk to work. If you can’t do that, then at least park a little further away to maximize your calorie-burning, keep your blood flowing and your mind focused, and even keep your metabolism rocking! I used to drive around looking for a close spot, but now I just head straight for the back of the parking lot and walk the quarter-mile in. It’s invigorating!
Surely you’re not the only office drone who wants to lose weight at work. Why not start a club, then? Encourage each other, share ideas, track your progress together, maybe even plan healthful, low-cal pot-lucks together.
Let’s talk about food some more. Did you know that if you bring your own lunch from home, you’re far likelier to make more healthful food choices, spend less, and eat smaller, more healthful portions? Brown-bagging your lunch is one of the best ways to lose weight at work.
At-work gyms aren’t just for high-level execs anymore. Why not lobby your superiors for an elliptical or two at work? Here’s the angle: workers with healthier weights are less likely to miss work, which saves the company money in the long run.
Before you grab a snack out of the vending machine, or indulge in a double-whip mocha latte from the coffee shop in the lobby, think about what you’re doing: adding unnecessary, empty calories to your work-day diet. Be aware of the choices you make at work, just like you do at home, and you’ll lose weight at work, too!
Just like parking further away and walking to your office will help you lose weight at work, so will taking the stairs instead of the elevator. It will also get your heart thumping! Not convinced? I used to work on the 35th floor of my building. Even if I got off the elevator half-way up, I still got in a good cardio mini-workout… whew!
Rather than using the printer by your work area, choose another one a little distance away. This will encourage you to get up and walk a little more… again, burning more sneaky little calories away! You also might run into that hottie in the Accounting department a little more often… hmm…
Did you know that just one serving of regular soda contains more than 100 calories? If you drink soda at work, you may want to consider wither skipping it altogether, or at least switching to a low-cal or no-cal version. Those calories add up! If you have two servings (on bottle) of soda every day for a year, that’s 73,000 calories. Holy moly!
If you’re considering skipping the soda, why not ban donuts in the office while you’re at it? Sure, bagels and muffins are just as diet-wrecking, but this one tiny ban may start a trend of healthful pot-lucking that’s sure to help you, and your co-workers, lose weight at work.
See? There are loads of easy ways to lose weight at work, and not one of them involves wearing tennis shoes with your pencil skirt or chasing the IT guys around, asking them to fix your computer. Follow these simple tips, and you’ll be on your way to being… less of you… in no time! Which of these work-place weight loss tips do you like best? Or do you have another tip to share?
Top Photo Credit: Cavan Images