Weight Loss Tips for People With Sedentary Jobs

I was recently researching a customer service job that requires eight hours a day - on the phone - at a desk - emailing - normal office stuff basically. My big concern about the job is that signing up to do an extremely sedentary job would make getting fit an even bigger challenge than it already is - and that's what inspired this article about weight loss tips for people with sedentary jobs.

Weight Loss Tips for People With Sedentary Jobs

Weight Loss Tips for People With Sedentary Jobs

Make it easy on yourself to fit fitness activities into your work day by putting a small set of dumbbells near your computer or under your desk. If you're allowed to decorate, put up a poster showing some basic dumbbell exercises and seated stretches. This is a great way to remind yourself to get in a few exercises or stretches when websites are loading and when break time rolls around. Stretching and using different muscles to do a few DB presses also helps reduce muscle strain and repetitive stress injuries, so it's an all around good thing.

Track what you eat and drink. At first, you might want to eat and drink normally because that gives you a baseline assessment of how many calories you're consuming each day, but if weight loss is your goal, you'll need to plan to reduce the calories you take in. If you feel like you need large portion to feel full and comfortable, one way to eat a bit more is to take advantage of the fresh vegetable section of your supermarket. For example, a couple hundred calories of potato chips only gives you a few chips to enjoy but you could crunch on a whole bunch of carrots or celery for less calories.

Drive Your Metabolism Up

To boost your metabolism, which is what you need to do if you want to lose weight when you have a sedentary lifestyle, you need to eat, you need to hydrate yourself, and you need to exercise - more specifically - you need to build muscle. The trick is, you need to eat smart (and I confess, I don't always do this, but I keep trying to improve) drink enough water, and pick up those dumbbells and take advantage of what they can do for your body and metabolism. As you get stronger and build muscle, your metabolism starts to climb.

Schedule in regular workouts, whether it's walking, a powerhouse bodybuilding program, or whatever activity you enjoy. Just don't underestimate the value of those mini DB and stretch sessions at your desk, because they give you a boost throughout the day and even short bursts of exercise add to your overall health and ramp up your metabolism.

Thanks for reading, comments are always welcome, and be sure to look for Fat and Cranky under the moniker F&C on Facebook.


By Laure Justice