Health Tips For Busy People: Healthy Diet & Exercise In the Office

Many women's lifestyle magazines frustrate us by providing exercise regimens for work and then adding: "You can do this exercise in your office!" What about those of us who work in a cube or other small space (with no floor space for Pilates-style stretches) that's not very private (do you really want your boss to wander by right when you're doing jumping jacks?). Even if you are cube-confined, you can maintain your health in a cube.

Make A "Health" Drawer

Your filing spaces are your friends. Most cubes have lots of little drawers. Make one of them a "health" drawer. Add a ziplock bag or two with healthy non-perishable snacks in it (maybe dried veggies), a few bags of herbal, non-caffeinated tea (switch over from coffee midday to help you sleep better at night), and a travel-size hand-sanitizing gel for use regularly when there's a cold going around the office (did you know most colds are transmitted through shared objects like doorknobs?). A decorative canvas bag can store an extra pair of athletic shoes in case you can take a 10 minute walk or stretch break over lunch.

Get Blood Back To Your Brain:

Pop goes the weasel. When you sit in a cube in front of a computer or on the phone for hours at a time, gravity pulls your blood towards your feet. It pools in your feet, ankles, and fanny; if you're ever noticed your feet looking puffy towards the end of the day, the puffiness may be a side-effect of having blood spending so much time down there! Our arm and leg muscles function as "pumps" to get blood back to the heart.

While you could just do jumping jacks to get the blood flowing back upwards, there are less noticeable ways to get blood moving: If you've got a shelf in your high in your cube, keep daily useables (paperclips, stapler) there; getting up regularly will remind you to stretch. While standing lift your legs up at the knee, one at a time, to help get blood flowing. One enterprising woman kept a postcard pinned up towards the very top of her cube wall - and kept an ever-growing collection of postcards that she exchanged every day in the afternoon. The new postcard each day perked her up, and it gave her a reminder to get up and stretch several times a day.

Muscular injury is common in the desk-job world. The Center for Disease Control reports that 92,576 injuries resulted from repetitive motion, including typing or key entry. Make sure to take breaks from the keyboard at least once an hour. Use a wrist support at your computer when you are typing or browsing, Your forearm, wrist, and hand should be on a level, not making a V. The Harvard RSI action group suggests some exercises to help prevent repetitive stress injuries (http://www.rsi.deas.harvard.edu/). If you spend a lot of time on the phone and can't use a speaker phone, don't hold the phone by crunching your shoulder against your ear. Instead, invest in or ask for a headset or shoulder support for your receiver.

Drink Plenty Of Water:

Drinking water is very important. It can help you recover from a cold more quickly (though it doesn't "cure" it), replenish lost fluids after exercise, and assist in weight loss (many people think they are hungry when they are actually thirsty, so make sure to take a drink before diving for the candy machine). Keep a four-cup bottle or thermos near the computer and replenish daily. Don't overdo though - excess water can dilute important minerals and vitamins in your blood stream.

Make Sure To Take Your Vitamins & Other Pills:

Pill reminders. Do you need regularly forget to take vitamins because you're busy? Find an attractive, desk-top container to put the bottle in - a decorative flower pot is one option. Something attractive and eye catching will remind you it's there. This can also work for daily medications, but keep in mind that some medications can be toxic to others or have street-value (many prescribed pain killers), so these are medications that should stay with you, rather than your desk.

American Council on Exercise, "How much water is too much?," 2005

Center for Disease Control, "Repetitive Stress/Strain Injuries," www.cdc.gov/od/ohs/Ergonomics/Ergohome.htm

Tyrrell, D., Fielder, M. , Cold Wars: The Fight against the Common Cold, Oxford University Press, 2003

Ian Mason, owner of Shoppe.MD, your source for Online Prescription Medications and health news.

Ian studies health, weight loss, exercise, and several martial arts; maintaining several websites in an effort to help provide up-to-date and helpful information for other who share his interests in health of body and mind.

Contact Ian Mason by e-mail at ian@shoppe.md.

---

Should You Train Before Bedtime?

A Japanese study found that if you exercise at night... Read More

Get Out and Play: Top 7 Outdoor Exercises

Do you remember when our parents used to yell at... Read More

Workouts That Travel

A vacation can do wonders for reducing stress levels, but... Read More

The Cool Down - Recover Faster & Avoid Injury!

Many people dismiss the cool down as a waste of... Read More

Want To Get In Shape? Watch Another Infomercial!

You know I have always wondered how people of yesteryear,... Read More

Got A Cold - Should You Work Out?

A recent study sponsored by the American College of Sports... Read More

Invest in Your Health

What if a trusted friend were to tell you about... Read More

People Walking: How Some People Enjoy Their Exercise Walking

People walking regularly for exercise often walk for more than... Read More

Get a Health Screening Before You Start Training

So, you have decided to hire a personal trainer to... Read More

Double Calories Burned With Five Minutes Of Exercise Each Morning!

Recent studies have shown that if you perform just five... Read More

The Truth About Lactate and Exercise

For years exercise scientists and physiologists have preached that lactate/lactic... Read More

The Amazing Health Benefits of Walking for Exercise

Walking for exercise is a purposeful, brisk walk specifically designed... Read More

Salsa Dancing for Fitness is Hot

Salsa dancing is emerging as a refreshing replacement for conventional... Read More

How to Start a Walking Program

Did you know that walking is the number one participation... Read More

Exercise: How To Keep Your Kids Moovin and Groovin

One out of five American kids is obese and the... Read More

The Abs... More Important Than You Think

What comes to your mind when I say the word... Read More

Top 10 Exercise Mistakes and How To Fix Them

This is a list of ten common mistakes made during... Read More

Exercise Motivation: 7 Sure-fire Tips

So you've begun an exercise program to get in shape... Read More

How To Get Started With Exercise: The Magic Pill Of Your Weight Loss Program

In a previous article, I mentioned the weight loss mantra... Read More

Incorporating Physical Activity into Your Daily Routine Not as Hard as You Think

You already know that getting at least 30 minutes of... Read More

10 Workout Mistakes Cheaters Make

"When I'm lifting free weights, I tend to go pretty... Read More

How To Overcome Workout Plateaus

Humans are habitual. They strive on routine and rituals. While... Read More

The Importance Of An Active Lifestyle

Over the past 15 years or so, we have been... Read More

Yoga

Yoga traditionally conjures up images of long hair, loin cloths... Read More

Lower Back Extension Exercise

This is an excellent exercise for the lower back that... Read More

Exercise Smarter Not Harder ? 10 Ways to Make Consistent Progress in Your Exercise Plan!

My name is Greg Ryan. I am a fitness expert,... Read More

Different Exercises Schedule to Combat Diabetes, Arthritis, and Obesity!

Different Health Problems generally do not allow us to do... Read More

Weight Loss, Bodybuilding, and Exercise Tips ? Keeping Your Body-fat Low; Part 1 of 10

Ever go to a party and wish you were the... Read More

Movement That Matters: Exercise With a Greater Purpose

You've seen the commercials Ive fallen and I cant get... Read More

How Exercise and Beta-Glucan Help the Immune System

It is thought that moderate exercise, such as speed walking,... Read More

Exercise and Kids: The Difference between Training Children and Adults!

The greatest mistake a person can make when exercising with... Read More

Current Recommendations are 30-60 Minutes of Exercise, Everyday?

This is the latest advice to the public and many... Read More

Integrating Core Stabilization into Your Workouts

Stabilization is a hot topic in the fitness industry over... Read More