Our lives have become more and more sedentary in the last few decades. More people now work on a desk for eight hours every day. They do not know how to lose weight with a desk job.
Our ancestors, on the other hand, did not even need to. Our previous generations did not have gyms or fitness centers to help them keep fit. They did not need to follow a crash diet to undo the effects of being inactive and poor eating habits. They lead a physically active life. Simple everyday errands required them to walk for miles and that was the way of life. There were no modernized home appliances, no instant processed food options, and no unnecessary junk foods that made their lives easier.
Our lives have become more and more sedentary in the last few decades. An average person is at least 20 times physically less active than their grandparents. Today, a 20-year-old person cannot perform a physically strenuous job as effortlessly as a 20-year-old person could, say, about 50 years ago. Staying fit did not require extra effort back then. However, now, desk jobs are a reality for many people and obesity is a serious problem.
So how to lose weight with a desk job?
Read on to find how you can maintain a healthy lifestyle, lose weight, and stay fit, all while working your regular desk job.
Find ways to include activity into your work routine
Carving out time for the gym from your busy schedule might be a difficult thing to do, but it is extremely important to stay physically active if you not only want to lose weight but also maintain it. If you cannot find the time to go to a gym, take the stairs to work. Even if you work on the eleventh floor.
Try incorporating walking in your work commute. Even at work, take short breaks and walk around your floor. If you need to talk to a co-worker, instead of dropping an email or buzzing them on the intercom, walk up to them. Possibilities are endless if you just decide.
Black coffee is great solution to lose weight with a desk job
Black coffee is a blessing in disguise for anyone trying to shed a few extra kilos. When consumed post meals, the chlorogenic acid in coffee slows down the absorption of glucose from the food into the bloodstream. As a result, fat storage by the body speeds up, and you lose weight. Two cups of black coffee without any additives, one in the morning, and one post-lunch can do wonders for your weight loss journey.
Green tea also helps lose weight with a desk job
If you are not someone who enjoys black coffee, try green tea. Green tea is rich in antioxidants that effectively help in managing weight. Sip on a couple of cups of green tea throughout the workday and you will see visible results in no time.
Try intermittent fasting and lose weight without working out
In intermittent fasting, you alternate between eating and fasting periods throughout the day. When you have a desk job, it is difficult to burn all the calories that you consume in your regular breakfast-lunch-snack in between-dinner routine. Intermittent fasting helps in burning the calories consumed during the eating period by fasting for a certain period. Many people under the desk arrest all over the world have achieved great results in their weight loss journey by simply following the rules of intermittent fasting.
Lose the snack, lose weight
Instead of grabbing a bagel on your way to work, eat a hearty protein-rich breakfast before you leave. Instead of going out for lunch, pack in a healthy and sensible lunch for yourself. Instead of having one massive meal, carry nuts and other healthy snacks to munch on. Simply be mindful of your snacking habit.
Get your daily dose of fiber
It is very important to incorporate raw vegetables in the form of salads in your daily diet. They are rich in fiber and aid digestion. If you eat a bowl of salad right before your meal, you feel fuller and end up eating less of the calorie-rich parts of your meal.
Make healthy choices to lose weight for the long run
Weight loss largely depends upon consciously making healthy lifestyle choices. Avoid eating ready to eat and processed junk foods. Reduce the consumption of refined sugar to an occasional dessert here and there. Choose fruit infused water over that soda drink. Prepare big batch healthy meals for the workweek and avoid the cafeteria pizza.
Stay hydrated and lose weight even at work
This is not the first time you are hearing it and it isn’t the last of it. Drink enough water! First, drink warm water with a few drops of lemon juice on an empty stomach in the morning. And then continue sipping on a glass of water at regular intervals. A study has revealed that overweight women who only increased their water intake (made no other lifestyle changes) were able to lose up to 2 kilos in 12 months. So, drink up!
In all, there are lots of things you can do to lose weight with a desk job
Don’t look for drastic changes and fall prey to crash diets and always remember to prioritize health overweight loss. Value fitness and nurture your body instead of starving it. Any results achieved by practicing healthy rituals will be more permanent and your body will reward you for all the kindness and patience that you show it.
Nobody but us can make healthy choices for ourselves. It is a long road and you may falter along the way. But be kind to yourself and start again. It may be overwhelming and exhausting at first, but in time you will learn to make healthier life choices.
