Fit Tips for the Working Girl

You want to keep fit and get in shape but the long office hours are taking its toll. The pounds are piling on and you feel sluggish at the end of the day – sound familiar?

Sitting down all day can lead to all sorts of problems including weight gain, bad posture, poor blood circulation and headaches. It is also linked to decreased productivity, seemingly the whole reason you are sitting so long in the first place! These tips are designed to help you keep fit and more importantly to remain sane in the office. They are all remarkably easy and can easily become healthy habits and best part it, it won’t cost you a cent!

1) Take the Long Way

If you’ve been sitting for more than 2 hours, it’s time to get up. Make sure that you are at least walking about every 2 hours to keep circulation going. Staying seated for 2 hours or more will reduce metabolism and fat burning enzymes. You can set an alarm on your phone if need be. Swapping the elevator for the stairs will not only minimize your carbon footprint but comes with the added benefit of toning those legs and buns too. So up you get!

2) Get Some Vitamin D

Vitamin D paired with calcium helps the body In absorbing that calcium thus building and retaining healthy and strong bones –something we all need. Now you have a perfect excuse to grab some sunshine on a work break. The amount of sunshine each individual actually needs is dependent on many factors such as skin color, time of year, use of sunscreen and weather. Though more or less, we should be aiming for around 15 minutes a day at least.

3) Stretch

Our fingers may be getting some good exercise with all that typing but our body is crying from the lack of movement. Sitting still is bad for your bones, muscles and joints – eek! To avoid these nasties you can do a few simple stretches throughout the day. If you need to stand up for that coffee break don’t use your hands when getting up, this will help burn a few extra calories and help strengthen your core. Shrug your shoulders to release the neck muscles, circle your wrists and hug your shoulders by crossing your arms over your chest.

Poor circulation can interfere with your metabolism making it more difficult to burn off fat and easier to gain, to avoid this you can practice raising your legs under your desk to keep circulation going:
Sit with a straight back and raise one leg to create a horizontal line with your knees and hips. Hold for 3-5 seconds and alternate between legs. You can do this 5 times per leg and no one will even notice under that desk. Just try not make any silly faces or to kick anyone if there happens to be someone sitting opposite you!

Not only will this help with circulation but it will also help tighten your legs and prevent issues with edema. Edema can cause unnecessary fluid retention and cause water weight to be stored in the lower half of the body. No thank you!

4) Keep Warm

Keep the areas around your neck, abdomen and ankles warm. Allowing for your body to get cold can potentially lead to unwanted weight gain. A cool body is more likely to retain fluids and store away fats. This can lead to the buildup of cellulite as well as lower the metabolism.
As summer falls upon us and the air conditioning is wacked up, you may already be bringing your sweater to the office but you may be forgetting to keep warm some important areas. The neck, ankles and abdomen are the key areas to keep warm. These are areas where large blood vessels are located. When these areas cool down, the body’s blood circulation is negatively affected leading your whole body to cool down. Try not to keep these areas exposed; simply avoided by keeping a scarf, socks and sweater at work just in case. Keeping your body warm in the right places is the key defense. Don’t allow your body the right conditions to make it easy to store fat and gain weight!
Tip: This also goes the same for drinking icy beverages – who knew?

5) Relax in a Nice & Warm Bath

Need an excuse for a bath? If work stress isn’t enough you may have noticed that evenings can bring about unwanted leg swelling. The best way to deal with this is by taking a bath. This also works as a great defense against edema. Taking a bath will help to raise your core body temperature which in turn will better your blood circulation and allow for excess fluids and toxins to leave the body. Unfortunately a shower will not have the same effect.
-Massaging the body whilst in the bath will also promote better blood circulation and help in preventing unwanted cellulite. Massaging can also help the flow of lymph, boost your metabolism and is the perfect way to distress at the end of the day, why not grab some oil and get your partner involved?

Who said being healthy couldn’t be fun?