Since most of us are still working from home, let’s talk about adopting healthy eating habits and keeping your nutrition in check during these unprecedented times. It’s easy to forget about your nutritional requirements when your home doubles as your office too.
You’re so comfortable all the time and there’s plenty of food available. You may keep wandering into your kitchen from time to time and munch on your favorite snacks during conference calls.On other days, you may be so swamped with work that you might not eat a thing all day.
We understand that it can be difficult to maintain healthy habits while working from home. However, healthy eating plays an integral role in helping you achieve your wellness goals and stay productive.
Let’s discover some science-backed ways to eat healthy when working from home.
6 Tips to Develop Healthy Eating Habits When Working from Home
We’ve rounded up the best ways to ensure you meet your nutritional requirements and avoid stuffing your face with junk when working from home. Following even two or three of these tips will make a massive difference in your health and well-being.
Avoid Working near the Kitchen
It’s easier to get tempted to eat after every other hour when your kitchen is right next to your workstation. The shorter the trip to the kitchen, the more likely you’re to get yourself something to eat between projects. Besides, out of sight, out of mind, right?
You should try to set up your work desk somewhere far and away from the kitchen. If it can be on another floor, it’s even better. Also, don’t cheat by keeping a drawer full of snacks at your desk!
Keep a Food Diary
Snacking during work hours isn’t something you should be doing but sometimes, you can’t help it. Hence, it’s best to keep track of what you eat throughout the day. A food diary will help you stay on top of your eating goals and understand your eating habits.
It’ll also allow you to identify why you’re eating, which is important. You wouldn’t want to eat just because you’re stressed or taking a break. Research suggests that maintaining a food journal plays a significant role in changing eating habits. A study involving 1,700 participants showed that people who kept a record of what they eat record twice as much as those who didn’t.
You can make a food journal to observe and understand your eating behaviors. You can find out which food items keep you satisfied and what you can do to avoid eating mindlessly. Make sure you don’t label food items or eating actions as ‘bad’.
Also, try not to judge yourself when noting down your daily calorie count. This will only make you feel guilty and discourage you from making positive changes in your diet and overall eating lifestyle.
Make Time for Meal Prep and Develop an Eating Schedule
It’s easy to resort to unhealthy food items when you’re short on time or ingredients. One of the best tips for maintaining healthy eating habits when working from home is to set up meals for each day beforehand. For added convenience, try dedicating some time on a Sunday night to plan out your meals for the entire week. This will help you avoid snacking at inappropriate times.
Additionally, you should create a meal schedule that aligns with your work schedule. For example, if you want to eat three times a day, you can put meal breaks in your calendar. Moreover, if you have a coworker you stay connected to throughout the day, you can make things interesting by making them your accountability buddy.
Together, you can make sure you stay on track and meet your daily targets!
Drink Plenty of Water
You don’t want to be dehydrated while working. It can make you feel tired and cause headaches, which can ultimately affect your productivity.
An easy way to ensure you’re drinking enough water is by keeping a water bottle at your desk at all times, just like you’d do in the office. If water is readily available, you’re more likely to meet your daily goal of drinking a minimum of64 ounces.
Apart from this, try to stay away from drinks loaded with sugar, including soda, juice, and energy drinks. These drinks will only give you extra calories and cause you to crash later, increasing your sweet cravings.
Limit Your Caffeine Consumption
Gulping down endless cups of coffee during work hours may seem like a good idea to ensure you stay awake and alert throughout the day. However, too much caffeine can cause anxiety, headaches, and digestive issues. It can even make you feel more tired. Generally, when the caffeine boost wears off, you’re left feeling down and craving for snacks to refuel.
On the flip side, increased coffee consumption can affect your sleep schedule. By keeping you awake for longer, it may compromise your restorative sleep and affect your alertness the next day.
With these things in mind, you must aim for no more than a couple of cups of coffee each day to avoid jitters. Moreover, steer clear of high-calorie add-ins and flavored creamers.
Stock Up on Fresh Foods
One of the best healthy eating habits is to replace unhealthy, perishable snacks with fresh foods like fruits and vegetables. Since you’re working from home, you should ensure your pantry is loaded with non-perishable items that you can use in meals or put in the refrigerator when you don’t have time to cook.
Fruits that make great go-to snacks include apples, bananas, pears, oranges, mandarins, and berries. On the other hand, you may also want to keep a good supply of vegetables like baby tomatoes, carrots, and celery sticks. You should also consider buying fresh produce and healthy canned food when you go grocery shopping. The idea is to avoid getting anything with added salt. You may purchase canned chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, and black beans. In contrast, canned chilies and soups are a big no!
The Importance of Staying Active While Following Healthy Eating Habits
When it comes to adopting healthy habits while working from home, staying active should also be on your list. A sedentary lifestyle can take a toll on your physical health and rob you of your productivity. Besides eating healthy food, you should try to take short, regular breaks during work hours to take a walk or stretch your neck, shoulders, and back.
You must know the importance of investing in a good-quality office chair that supports your back and keeps you comfortable all day long. But what if we tell you that you can buy a chair that allows you to work at your desk AND engage in physical activity at the same time?
Yes, you heard that right.
The Sit2Go 2-in-1 Fitness Chair is exactly what you need to stay on top of your fitness game while working from home.
Sit2Go 2-in-1 Fitness Chair
This fitness chair comes with caster wheels and pedals, allowing you to keep your legs moving while working. Rest assured that it cycles quietly and smoothly so that it doesn’t distract you. This means you don’t have to worry about not being able to take some time out to work out when working from home.
Designed with your comfort in mind, this chair features a breathable mesh backrest. Thanks to the high-grade fabric, you get comfort and stability in one. There’s also a firm seat cushion to provide much-needed support to your back and reduce pressure on your muscles, ensuring a pleasant sedentary experience.
Another excellent characteristic of the Sit2Go 2-in-1 Fitness Chair is that it has a height-adjustable seat. With the one-touch lever, you can adjust the seat as per your comfort and preference. Moreover, you can select the kind of challenge you’re looking for by adjusting the resistance levels. Offering unique features along with optimal durability, this chair is the perfect alternative to traditional office chairs.
Final Words
A sedentary lifestyle can bring a lot of health and productivity issues to the table. These tips will help you maintain a healthy relationship with food. Just go easy on yourself as you try to eat nutrient-rich food in the right portions throughout the day and avoid junk food.
Aside from developing healthy eating habits, you must find a way to stay active and beat the sedentary lifestyle. This is where the Sit2Go 2-in-1 Fitness Chair comes in as your savior. It allows you to engage in light cycling as you do your work. Get ready to improve productivity and save time with this incredible 2-in-1 chair!
You can check out more products at FlexiSpot to make working from home easier and more comfortable and manageable for you. We are committed to offering healthy solutions to ensure you don’t compromise your health and overall well-being trying to work from home.
