Getting and staying in shape is hard enough as it is, but when you work full time – as many of us do – it becomes that much harder. You simply have less time on your hands in which to take good care of your body and health.
Be that as it may, there are people who work long hours, raise children, hold stressful jobs, and have very little spare time to do anything, yet have a great looking body and are very fit. It’s not about genetics. It’s about lifestyle choices and healthy habits.
In this post I want to help all you full-timers stay in shape, lose weight, and look great. The following tips are for you.
Walk or ride your bike to work
This may not be possible if you work far from home. However, there are ways to add some activity to your commute. Walk to the train station which takes you to work. Get off one stop early to walk the rest of the way. Park a little farther than usual from your office. For each person, the scenario is different, but if you think closely about it, you will find something that suits you.
Do An Early Morning Workout
I’ve written before about the power of morning workouts and how they not only help you stay in shape, but also improve your productivity, making you a better worker. Doing cardio in the morning can be especially beneficial because it increases the rate in which your body burns fat.
The busier you are, the more important exercising in the morning becomes. You simply “get it out of the way” early before your day has a chance to interfere with your plans. This way, you will be sure that you’re getting the exercise you need.
Stay Fit at Home
Your home time is precious and you should also try to make it active. This can be done with home workouts, which may or may not include fitness equipment, and it can also involve various chores such as gardening, painting, wood chopping (if you have a fireplace), etc. The more active you are on your leisure time, the better.
Keep Your Weekends Activity Rich
You may come home each evening totally exhausted from your long day at work. You may find that you can’t really bring yourself to do much of anything other than sit down and stare at the TV until it’s time to go to bed.
If this is the case then it’s vital that you make your weekends as active as possible. Try to pack in a lot of physical activity into your weekend. Go on a hiking trip, play a lot with your kids, take care of house chores that should be done sooner rather than later, etc. The more active you are the more calories you burn and the easier it gets to stay in shape.
Move Around On Your Breaks
I’ve written before on how to take active breaks from your work. This is something that you should keep in mind so that you won’t miss a chance to move around during your work day or even stretch for a moment at regular intervals. This may help you avoid back pain, reduce stiffness, and keep you alert.
Take Your Gym Bag To Work With You
Once you come back home from work, the chances of you dragging yourself out again to go to the gym are slim. This is why I recommend bringing your gym bag with you to work. You can easily stop at the gym for a short workout and then go on home for a healthy dinner.
Walk To Your Lunch Instead Of Bringing It To You
Your lunch hour is your chance to move a bit during your busy day. Instead of ordering your meal to the office, go out and get it yourself. It will get you out of your chair and moving about. It’s a few extra burned calories and every little thing helps you stay in shape.
Eat a Good Breakfast
If you’re the sort of person who rushes to work after just a cup of coffee in the morning, you’re sabotaging yourself. Your body is craving for food after many hours in which it hasn’t been fed. You need to give it what it needs. Make sure to eat a good breakfast with a portion of protein and fiber in it. This will give you more energy for your day and help you reduce hunger and cravings for many hours when you get to work.
Bring Your Own Lunch To Work
If you can, bring your lunch with you to work. Cooking your own food will make it easier to control what you eat and avoid unhealthy ingredients. You can find easy to make recipes for weight loss in the Metabolic Cooking plan or, in case you’re a vegetarian, in the Easy Veggie Meal Plans. There are also plenty of recipe websites like allrecipes that also offer some great options.
Bringing your lunch with you doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get out of the office during your break. Take your lunch to a nearby park or any place where it’s nice to sit down.
In Conclusion
You can have a full time job and still keep yourself in shape. It doesn’t have to involve big steps. Small steps, when added together, can create big results. So, use the tips I’ve outlined above and you will find it much easier to stay in shape even if you work full time and are very busy.
