No matter if you are working, studying or both, you know that there is not a lot of motivation left to pick yourself up to go to the gym or cook a healthy meal after a long workday. Luckily for you (and me), there are some small tips and tricks to go through the day healthily without too much effort.
Stay hydrated
This may seem like the most obvious point, but it is also the one most regularly forgotten during the day. The best thing to do is to keep a reusable water bottle close to you and fill it regularly. You might even want to set some regular reminders on your cell phone or computer to not forget. Drinking enough might even help to keep that certain afternoon tiredness at bay and keep you concentrated and focused on your work.
Eat a wholesome lunch
As tempting as those ready-to-go meals are, they also contain a high amount of additional sugar, fat and flavor enhancers we neither want nor need. Take the time to cook a wholesome meal the day before and bring it with you or eat at the cafeteria where you have healthy options as well. Another important point to keep in mind here is the portion control. Most foods we eat are not necessarily bad for us, but the amounts of it that we consume is.
Snack healthily
The chocolate bars and gummy bears seem very alluring, but they are not the best thing to have sitting next to you at your desk. That being said, it is not forbidden to go through the day without snacking in between. Quite the opposite actually, as our brains consume around 20% of our daily energy, which is twice as much as what our heart needs. However, you should resort to healthy snacks such as fruits, vegetables, nuts or a granola bar now and then. These foods offer a high degree of variation and will not make the snacking in between boring. Try not to eat them mindlessly while doing something else as you will not realize how much you have eaten already that way. Take your time, stop working for a few minutes and enjoy your snack!
Walk around in between
Though it seems like sitting is our natural posture nowadays, it is not that good for us. Sitting for too long raises your risk of heart and circulatory diseases, and a lack of exercises is the primary trigger for these diseases. Try to get up in between your work, walk around and maybe even stretch your muscles a bit to lower this risk. Your eyes and neck will thank you as well. I know this is not always possible due to long meetings or lectures, but these do not go on forever, and working at your desk should give you ample time to move around a bit from time to time. Therefore, try to talk to your co-worker personally instead of sending an email or take the stairs instead of the elevator.
This also applies for the time before and after work. Moving from your working chair to a couch is not the most advisable thing to do. Riding a bike or walking to work instead of taking a bus or car are good alternatives for having some exercise during the day without having to invest some additional time.
Take breaks
There seems to always be too much to do with too little time to do it, but try to take a break in between. Your brain cannot process new information after a certain amount of time and it will do your work no good. Use these breaks to free your head, take walks, talk to other people or even meditate if your environment allows you to. Taking breaks in between will allow you to go back to your work with a revived state of mind and will help you to finish that essay or work report.