We all  know it: Humans have not yet evolved to work in an office environment. We are just not built for it. As someone who likes to stay fit, but also loves triple baconators from Burger King, I've come up with a few tricks to stay fit.

We've all heard of the Freshman 15 in college. But, nobody ever talks about what I would call "the 5 year 50" (by the fifth year in the office, many guys have gained 50 pounds since college).

Before we start, what's a typical day like for an engineer:

Well, we start with our morning caffeine intake, and maybe breakfast. By lunch, we are starving and often gorge ourselves so that by 2 pm, we are near comatose and need a boost. We often grab a soda or something with caffeine. This gets us through the day so that we crash about three hours later at home and then have zero energy to exercise. We rinse (shower) and repeat.

Not to mention the indoor environment and exposure to others causes us to get sick more often, and also prevents our recovery. There are also a number of factors that make us perpetually feel like crap (we'll discuss those)

It's all about feeling good. If you feel good, you will actually WANT to do something active. If you feel crumby, you will want to lounge and eat.

Here's some tricks I've come up with:

1) Carry a bottle of drinking water with you at all times.

Even if you don't drink it at first, you eventually will. Just make sure the bottle is easy to open and somewhat pleasant looking. We all get bored at work and we tend to snack because of it. Eventually, you will find yourself sipping it, which will reduce other cravings (the body often misinterprets dehydration as hunger).

2) BEANO (or another digestive aid)

You might be accustomed to it, but I bet since you started working at the office, your stomach hasn't felt the same. I often call the men's bathroom "the symphony orchestra" because of the amount of noise generated there. If your stomach is bloated, you'll move less and burn less calories. Let's face it, most people aren't going to improve their diets, and I'm not even going to bother to tell you to eat healthy, but a digestive aid is the next best thing.

3) Eat a snack with complex carbs at 10:30am

Eat some sort of complex carbohydrate at 10 am or so (2 hours before lunch). This will help you do two things: gorge less at lunch, and more importantly, the complex carbs will slowly break down by 2 pm, giving you a glucose boost when you would otherwise crash. Granola bars are great (not candy bars because they don't have complex carbs). Another good idea is to bring a loaf of bread every week and eat it with butter or a butter spread. Just remember to keep it at a snack and not a meal.

4) Get a good shoe or a good shoe insert

If your legs or feet hurt, you will move less and get more bloated. This could be the best investment you ever make for yourself. If you have a private office and you can do it, take your shoes off once in a while. Seriously, studies show that people had healthier feet BEFORE the shoe was invented.

5) Take a vitamin D supplement

Always looking outside at the beautiful weather and never enjoying it? This also means you aren't naturally producing vitamin d. Almost 90% of Americans don't get enough vitamin d. Some of the effects are depression, sleepiness, and oh yeah, very strong cravings for snacks in the middle of the night.

6) Eat Brocolli

Okay, so I'm going to tell you to eat something healthy after all, but not for the normal reason.

The office stress causes us to produce more stomach acid. Coupled with popular office foods, this makes for an ulcer. Most professionals will need a daily pill (omeprazole for instance) after several years. Well, broccoli, asparagus,and other fibrous greens naturally soak up these acids. Not to mention the vitamins

7)  No caffeine during the last 3 hours of work

This may be impossible for some, but you really want to prevent the crash that comes when you get home. Late caffeine simply pushes the post-lunch crash to 5 or 6 pm, leaving you sluggish at home, which will ultimately cause you to be more tired the next day at work.

8) Get a humidifier in the winter months.

Got a cough that just won't quit? I can't tell you how many times I'm at an office where half the people have a serious cough. The dry air that we breath all day during the winter months further irritates our lungs, causing them to produce more mucus and prolong a cold. The air we breathe all day actually hurts us and not just the infections we catch from others. If you can't get one in your office, get one in your bedroom. 

So, I hope you can make one of these work for you. I know that diet and exercise are what everyone preaches, but you need to feel well before you can even think about exercising. So, I hope these low effort tips helps.

Got a good health tip of your own? Post a comment