With the holidays already here most of us will try (and fail) to resist all the yummy holiday food. If you can't resist or just know you put on a few pounds during the season, try to incorporate some form of exercise to balance things out. Here are a few things you can do at the office to keep the holiday weight gain to a minimum.
1. Take a Walk
If you live in one of the freezing states (Midwest I’m looking at you) then taking a walk around the building is probably not an option. A great alternative to that is to take a walk though the office building. Head out of the door and around the floor a few times, just a five minute walk will help.
2. Strength training at your desk
Sure some co-workers may think its odd that you’re doing push ups at your desk but its great exercise and it also is a great way to take a quick break from your busy day. Some great exercise to do at/near your desk are:
-Push ups (use the wall not the floor)
-Squats
-Lunges
3. The stairs are your new best friend
It may seem impossible to you but take the stairs to and from your office every day and you’ll notice you will not only feel better, but you’ll keep holiday weight gain at bay. It will not only work your legs out but its great cardio too. For us women who are in heels all day, try bringing a pair of ballet flats for your stairs routine.
4. Clean your office
This may sound funny, but you can actually burn calories when you're cleaning. Cleaning your office has a lot of other benefits but if you take some time to clean up around your office, even move the layout of your furniture and update the design of your workspace too. Clear your head with a clean office and keep the lbs off while you do it.
5. Make it a group effort
Its always easier to stick to a routine of doing something you may not want to do when you have someone else to do it with you. See if you can get a co-worker or the entire office to plan a time during the day where everyone takes a break from work and adds some healthy exercise into the mix. Not only will it help bring the office together but people will be happier, healthier and enjoy their time at work.
Having trouble getting motivated? Bring your iPod or play music (without distracting others) to get into the groove.
Do you find it easy to avoid holiday weight gain? What do you do to keep weight off during the holidays? Let me know in the comments below!
-Sayeh, The Office Stylist