Eating Healthy on the Job, Regardless of Your Occupation

If you have the support of your co-workers, work can be a great place to find encouragement and feedback about creating a healthy lifestyle. However, if you don't, work can be a frustrating place to be while you're trying to make healthy changes.

I realize that most people's work situations are very different from desks jobs, to students, stay-at-home-moms, to those crazy people who work 12 hour night shifts ;). So, I'm going to try to do my best to cover as much as I can and still keep it fairly brief.

Here are some things I've noticed are helpful when trying to stay on track at work:

Start Your Shift Off With LOTS of Water!

I bought some big water bottles a while back that look pretty and make me want to drink water throughout the day. I LOVE having them at work (and even at home during the day) because they're convenient and inviting. I can't believe how much more water the kids and I drink when it's sitting out, looking good! Not only will starting your day hydrated give you energy throughout the day, but I've also found that I feel a little healthier and I'm more likely to make smart decisions throughout the rest of my day.

Pack a Lunch You'll Be Excited to Dig Into

I always pack a HUGE lunch with plenty of healthy options I can look forward to, so that no matter what kind of mood I'm in when I sit down to eat, I usually have something that will satisfy my craving. It's also helpful to know you have something you're excited to eat whenever everyone else starts taking orders for take-out. 

This is what my lunchbox typically looks like. tI looks like a lot (and it is), but I know if I have a lot of options, I'll be more likely to want something that I brought. I try to bring things that can be used in different combinations so again, I have more options. Here's how I'd "mix and match" the foods in the picture above to give my lunch some variety:

1. The salad in the picture looks tiny, but I usually try to pack a huge salad and eat it first. It kind of sets the mood for the rest of the day if I can start with a hearty salad. Here, I have the option of putting my beans, rice, chicken and tomatoes on it and doing sort of a southwestern style salad; or putting my chicken salad or turkey lunch meat, tomatoes, string cheese, and eggs on it and making more of a house salad. I could even cut up the fruit and do a salad with that. I usually also have veggies to dip in ranch, like broccoli, celery and carrots; and those could be added to any salad as well. I've begun to do a trick where I measure out my ranch and put it into a Ziploc bag. When it's time to eat, I can either dip my veggies in it, or I cut off a corner of the bag so I can squeeze it onto my salad.
2. I almost always pack a plain turkey sandwich and then try to pack as many veggies as I can (this picture is actually VERY lacking compared to what I usually pack for veggies) that I can put on the sandwich. I usually eat my sandwiches in a meal with a piece of fruit and string cheese.
3. The Special K, yogurt and fruit help if I ever get a nagging sweet tooth.
4. The fruit, boiled eggs and string cheese are great for a quick snack on a short break. Another quick break snack could be the crackers with either chicken salad or turkey and cheese.
5. Ideally and normally, I'd have A LOT more vegetables! Other veggies you could include are: broccoli, carrots, celery (maybe with PB?), bell pepper, spinach and cucumber. All could be used individually with the ranch dip or in the salad.  Another item I usually include is a whole wheat tortilla. That way, I can either make a burrito with the bean mixture, or a wrap with the turkey or chicken salad.

I definitely advise investing in a good lunchbox. It makes a big difference to be able to keep your food cold throughout the day and keep it close by if you need it handy or there's never any room in the work fridge.

Just Say "NO" to Treats

This one is REALLY hard!! I know especially around the holidays, most of the places I've worked in the past will have spreads of treats just sitting out, readily available for few second breaks. This KILLS me because I'm a snacky person (especially when trying to stay awake through a long night shift, or when my kids don't finish the third lunch I've made for them) and I think most people would agree that's it's extremely hard to resist food that's so convenient and seems to stare at you! The best thing to do in this situation, obviously, is to put it away. If you have any sort of control over it, put it somewhere out of sight and inconvenient where it's not so tempting. If that's not an option, try making a healthier option just as convenient. I know it's still hard to choose a veggie platter over a cupcake platter, but if it's just as convenient to grab a few carrot sticks during a short break, it may save you from mindlessly grabbing the cupcake instead. I'm going to try to incorporate the same system at home with the kids. If  they don't finish their food, I'm going to pack it away where it's not convenient for me to snack on for the rest of the day. If you're finding it just TOO HARD to resist, if you have any control over it, just throw it away! Get rid of it where it won't tempt you! I know that to most of us who buy the food, that seems wasteful, but Mike gave me some words of wisdom a long time ago that I always have to remind myself of to this day. He pointed out that you don't get your money's worth any more by eating food you don't need/want than by getting rid of it. And it's true! Has a box of donuts held their value because you polished them off and will now gain a pound or two? Will the "starving children in Africa" be glad to know that at least you ate those donuts and didn't waste them? Of course not! Get rid of them!

Pack Snacks You Can't Wait to Dig Into

As mentioned above, if you have convenient and healthy options that you can look forward to, you may find yourself much more likely to go for those options instead if you have to go too long between food breaks. I seem to keep running into a problem lately, where in my haste to get the kids ready and get out the door, I forget that it's been a few hours since we've all eaten and we end up adding a fast food stop to our errands.  I finally wised up the other day and stocked our car with some convenient, healthy options.

Sadly, cars don't have refrigerators, so anything fresh wasn't an option to keep in the car. I know Costco sells REALLY good fruit leather and fruit cups, which are other good options.  Baked crackers, pretzels, trailmix, nuts, jerky and dried fruit are other things I'd like to add, but this was what the grocery store I visited had to offer and at least this will prevent us from being so starved that we're dying to grab a candy bar to start off every grocery trip! Staying full on healthy snacks may be just what you need to avoid a crash and burn later in the day.

Try to be Active at Work

Like I said, we all spend our days differently, so getting moving for the waitress/waiter may be a little easier than it is for the person who spends their day on the phone or in the car, but try to set aside a time everyday to take a short walk or do some wall push-ups or squats. Exercise is SO good in helping you stay alert, less stressed and more productive. I went to the doctor the other day and passed two of the office workers when I was walking in, who were just walking back and forth and back and forth on the little sidewalk outside the office. I couldn't figure out what they were doing at first, but I finally figured out, they were exercising! I wanted to go give them a high five and tell them what an inspiration they were...maybe ask them if I could take their picture for my blog, but decided against being like that pregnant freak! Plus, were getting endorphins anyway, they didn't need my compliments. 

In the past, I'd never been good about making sure I had healthy food with me during the day, but I feel like I'm finally starting to get the hang of it. There are still times when I don't do so well, but at least I don't feel like I'm starting from scratch anymore! Hopefully this post will help you feel like you know a little bit about staying healthy on-the-go as well! Does anyone else have any ideas/go-to meals that you feel like keep you on track during the day?