In the first and second episodes of NBC’s The Office Season Five, Dunder Mifflin Scranton Branch Manager Michael Scott tries his best to motivate his team to lose weight. They were up against other branches of the paper company to see whose team could lose the most cumulative weight in a specific period of time. The winning branch gets extra three vacation days for each employee, which was later upgraded to five to motivate the employees to do better in the challenge.
Aside from the coveted award, Michael is just not one to lose so he makes sure no one from the Scranton branch is indulging in sweets and that everyone is equally committed as he is. Dwight Schrute, the self-appointed apprentice to Michael, tries his best to discipline everyone, even driving fellow salesperson Phyllis Vance to a client then stealing her wallet and leaving her alone so she would have to walk to the office back home. They had even lousier attempts towards the last day of the weigh-in such as destroying the air conditioning system so that everyone would sweat and hopefully shed some pounds. In the end, after all the efforts and the usual The Office banter, they lost to another branch by one pound.
We’re here to help you not lose as the Scranton branch did. If you have a competition in the workplace of similar nature or maybe amongst your friends to try to motivate all of you to work out, then this is how you do it to bag the gold.
1. Watch your nutrition.
If you’ve watched a ton of fitness videos and read health articles, then this information is not new to you. Weight loss is achieved through 80% diet, 20% exercise. Sometimes, the percentages are different but the bottom line is if your goal is to lose weight, you have to watch what you eat to fuel your body for exercise and to burn calories to lose weight. First is you have to calculate your body mass index and determine the right protein-fat-carbohydrate ratio for your diet and fitness goal. Cut on refined grains and added sugars. Opt for healthy sources of fat like avocado, salmon, and chia seeds. Stock up on protein with eggs, tofu, and chicken.
Not everyone is keen on counting their calories on a daily basis so just make sure you’re eating right, you are listening to what your body needs, and being focused with your goal in mind. Ditch the junk food and anything instant like a cup of instant noodles or canned corned beef. Shop in the grocery’s corners where all the healthy stuff is such as greens, fruits, and spices.
The important thing to remember is that everybody is different so your diet has to be in sync with your body’s needs.
2. Establish a workout routine.
It’s better to set a fixed time for exercise than a workout in a different timeslot every day depending on your mood. Your mood changes all the time so it’s much better to discipline yourself at a fixed time of the day so that your body knows it’s time to exercise, regardless of mood or other conditions.
Since this is a group effort, work out with your best buddies in the office. Maybe have a schedule of exercises every workday of the week and anyone can just join what they want---be it Zumba, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), arm weight lifting, or leg day.
An ideal workout week for a very active person would look something like two cardio days, two leg days, two-arm days, and one rest day.
3. Burn some calories while working.
Office work is sedentary work as you are subjected to sitting for long hours of the day. Nowadays, it’s easy to transform that sedentary work into a more active setup with the rise of standing desks and desk converters. The market has also introduced desk bikes and under-desk treadmills to help you burn some calories and lose weight.
A well-loved desk bike is Flexispot’s Sit2Go 2-in-One Fitness Chair. The chair is designed to boost your energy. It has ultra-comfortable pedals that won’t be loud when you’re in meetings and talking to your colleagues. It has a built-in calorie tracker to monitor your progress and customizable cardio with adjustable resistance levels. The height of the seat can be adjusted according to your preference and you may also lay your back anytime on the chair’s breathable mesh backrest. Real customer reviews have testified that they lost weight by using the bike every day at work. It didn’t seem like exercise to them which was why it was easier to be consistent with the practice. They also reported high levels of energy and efficiency at work.
4. Drink lots of water and get lots of sleep.
When it comes to water and sleep, too much is never too much. Well, you still have to balance it out but our point is, since most of you are already working from home, it should be easier to drink two to four liters a day and get seven or more hours of sleep at night. It just takes discipline to lessen your time on the electronics and focus on your physical health and well-being.
A lot of times, these two are neglected but as much as the grind is important, rest is as well.
Final Thoughts
Best of luck at the office weigh-in! If your company has challenges like this and encourages you to prioritize your health, then you must be working at the right workplace. Don’t take this opportunity for granted because it’s not every day that you get an extra dose of motivation to help your officemates in achieving a common goal and your career being in line with your personal health goals. Just be consistent, do your best, and good luck!
