Staying Fit in the Midst of Chaos
Author: Rupa Dev and Niki Saxena Mon Jan 14, 2008
With a PDA in one hand and a triple-shot latte in the other, the driven professionals of X and Y have evolved into a workforce that is constantly on-the-go? yet always expected to be just a ring away (Thank you, mobile technology.) Determined to be successful, we attempt to meet the demands of our professional and personal lives in some orderly manner?a juggling act that can be incredibly stressful to manage. We have no choice but to multi-task—we have deadlines! And with just 24 hours in the day, something has to give. Sometimes we are simply too busy to hit the gym or squeeze in a healthy home-cooked meal. The Nirvana Woman team can empathize with deadlines and pressure. And this issue, we"ve tested and put together a list of tips to stay fit and healthy in the midst of chaos.
Start Your Day Off Right
1. Start your day with a To-Do List! Taking just five minutes to jot down what you need to accomplish at the beginning of each day, will likely make you more efficient and productive all day long. Remember to set tangible, achievable goals! Any list with twenty action items just seems too overwhelming to even glace at twice. If you don"t manage to cross everything off your list, don"t get discouraged. The act of at least acknowledging your action items by writing them down and crossing them off will give you some peace of mind.
2. Put Your Will Power to Use.
If you"re going to be sitting at your computer or sitting in meetings for at least eight hours, the last thing you need weighing you down is a load of heavy food sitting in your stomach. Loading up on free office-catered food and snacks will seriously damper your wood and energy level. If you"re simply too swamped to bring or produce your own healthier meal option, or must dine out with your colleagues or clients, make an effort to choose a light meal. If you must indulge, try to balance out the extra calories by making a conscious effort to snack on healthy options like fruits and nuts and of course, drink lots of water.
3. Resist The Tempting Short-Cuts
Just because you have deadlines that will make it impossible for you to get to the gym this week, doesn"t mean your day has to be exercise-less. A few adjustments in your daily routine can squeeze in the extra strides, steps, and stretches to keep your blood circulation flowing and your body active. Instead of spending five minutes trying to find the parking stop closest to your office front door, park in the lot furthest away and walk to the office. While walking, try to resist the temptation to multitask with your blackberry or cell phone. When you"re confined to one office building, try to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Strive to stand up and stretch at least once an hour.
4. Kick up your office strides
Use your lunch break to get out of the office and go for a walk. Skip out on the daily "eat and chat at the cafeteria" routine and munch on your homemade lunch at your desk. Keep a pair of athletic shoes at your desk and find a co-worker to join you in the ritual. This way, you don"t have to sacrifice your social hour to fit exercise into your hectic schedule. If you want extra resistance and a faster heat rate, but are too embarrassed to carry dumbbells as you walk around the company campus, carry a bottle of water in each hand (in place of resistant weights).
5. Invest in you.
If you take nutritional supplements like multivitamins and calcium every morning, be consistent. Buy a Monday-Sunday plastic pill holder container and fill it up with your nutritional supplements for the week. Instead of picking up box of 24 disposable water bottles to take with you every day, invest in a durable polycarbonate water bottle and throw it into your office bag. Polycarbonate water bottles usually hold about 32 FL oz of water, which is more than twice the amount held by a regular disposable plastic water bottle and as a result, you end up drinking a lot more water through the day without even really realizing it.
6. Leave room in your schedule to breath.
With technology at its highest, it"s easy to never stop working. We have treos, internet, our passions in addition to our paid positions, and it is hard to slow down and breath. We know that yoga or an exercise class would be good for us, but we think we don"t have the time. Challenge yourself to make the time. Investing an hour in yoga or even meeting a friend for tea, while leaving your laptop and portable devices at home, will ultimately help give you a sense of balance.
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