Is Your Job Making You Fat?

"I am too busy", "I'm in meetings all day", "Ugh! My coworkers ordered pizza again". You are probably pretty familiar with these excuses. Honestly, it is very difficult to have a corporate life and still stay healthy, especially as you get more successful. We all know the more successful you get, the richer the food you eat and the more you have to network over meals. This could mean a few inches on your waistline as well.

Don't let this depress you though. It really doesn't mean you have to choose between being successful and being healthy. You just may have to work a little harder. Here are a few of the usual roadblocks and how you can attack them:

I sit all day

Well, this one is easy. You do get bathroom breaks, right? Set a timer to remind you to go on a "water break" every hour. This water break just means you get up and walk somewhere for a couple of minutes and get a cup of water while you're at it. You need to get the blood flowing in your legs, get your muscles working a bit, burn a couple of calories, and make sure your back and neck aren't getting stuck in that wrong peering-over-the-computer posture. All you need is a computer or a phone to set up this alarm, and you'd be getting much needed hydration as well.

I am so busy

Business creates a couple of problems: You may not eat when you are supposed to or eat the wrong things (Bad Diet Habits), or not find time to exercise (Lack of Activity). 

If you find that you are starving yourself and then jumping to the vending machine for candy when you're hungry, start to keep power snacks in your purse; your best options are fruits, nuts, or cereal bars. And then set an alarm for every 3 or 4 hours so you can remember to snack on something.

If you find that you are becoming sedentary, your best option may be to break up your workouts. Wake up 15 minutes earlier in the morning and get a quick workout in. I know it sucks, but the energy burst you get from your morning workout could actually improve your mood throughout the day and give you that burst of energy you need for those morning meetings. Also add in another 15 minutes somewhere else in your day, like on your way back from home or during lunch. If you do get a semblance of a lunch break, squeeze the time to work out in there, and spend just a few minutes actually eating.

There is always candy around me at the office

This sucks too because you can't really control what other people do. Sometimes, I think my colleagues are trying to sabotage me when they go "But you worked so hard at the gym. You can afford that piece of chocolate!". So I know how you feel. 

But that does not mean there is no way around it. Politely ask your colleagues to move the candy to a particular spot where you would not see it. If it is not in your sights, you are less likely to go looking for it. Also, if you stock up on your own power snacks, when you feel the temptation, you can reach for something else in your purse. 

It also helps to not carry cash with you around the office. Why? It prevents you from chipping in when that colleague comes around with the fundraising candy or cookies. You know the ones I mean, right? We all have someone who is always selling fundraising snacks.

I get hungry between meals

We all do. So this goes back to the point of stocking up on power snacks and not carrying cash around. You are less likely to head to the vending machine if you have no money and you already have healthy snacks to munch on.

I have to network

As you climb the corporate ladder, it becomes increasingly important to network. And networking sometimes means richer foods and more alcohol than you would usually have in your routine. There are a few ways to try to get around the networking calories. One, if you tend to eat in a general area, research the healthy restaurant options or the healthy food and drinks on the menus in the restaurants around you. So whenever you take a client out, you already know what your options are.

Two, order in. If you have a meeting in the office and have it catered, you have more control over what gets delivered. Just make sure you already know what the attendees are allergic to!

Three, find other ways to network besides food. Take clients out to a golf course or to play pool. Find out if he/she is into the community and set up a volunteer networking session. There are many other options besides eating and drinking that may be fun to try. And it actually may give the client a good impression of you.

If you are the client, when a meeting is set up, send dietary restrictions. Usually, anyone setting up a business meeting would want to impress the client and so would ask for preferences or options. Don't be shy to provide yours.

How do you stay healthy in the workplace?

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Jezebel.com

Smartfood Selects Popped Chips

So the other day, I received a sample of the new Smartfoods Selects Popped Chips to try out (Thanks Lauren!). Just like ever other potato chip and popcorn company, Frito Lay is trying to lean towards the "all natural" snack choices with their Smartfood Selects brands.

These Popped Chips come in a variety of flavors: Italian Herb Multigrain, Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Multigrain, Feta Herb Hummus, and Garlic Tomato Basil Hummus. 

Pros:

• Each pack contains about 3.5 servings so it is big enough to share. And if you can control yourself, 130 to 140 calories per serving (about 22 chips) is not bad for a snack. They try to make it easy for you by making the bag resealable.
• When you look at the list of ingredients, there isn't a bunch of things you can't pronounce. I know a lot of companies claim to be "natural", but it does look like the products do not contain preservatives.
• The number of calories that come from fat are not that high, which is great because that means it is coming from the whole grain and the protein. For example, with the Cinnamon and Sugar Multigrain flavor, out of 130 calories, only 40 of those calories come from fat.
• It is low in sodium compared to other snacks. This is probably because of the lack of preservatives.

Cons:

• To be honest, anyone can make a bag of anything, divide it into a few servings, and say the calories per serving is low. 130 to 140 calories is great only if you can control yourself. The true number of calories in a bag can go from 450 to 500 calories. If you love your crunchy snacks, you could go on and on.
• I didn't try all the flavors, but I don't think they have much heat in what they have available. Can we get some pepper please?

What would I like to see from Frito Lay and other chips makers? A true healthy snack perfectly portioned for a vending machine or a store with 1 serving that isn't like 5 pieces of chips. I like these popped chips and I think it is a great start to entering the healthy market. I can't wait to see what else they have to offer! If you haven't, you should try it as an alternative to the regular bag of chips or the bland baked kind.

Have you tried these popped chips? What is your opinion?

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Why Salt can be Just as Bad as Sugar

We all know the saying “Everything in moderation”, but do we really take it seriously? There are PSAs, health-conscious ads, and even restaurant menus that constantly remind us how bad many desserts are for us. Sugar is synonymous with ‘sin’ nowadays, but people don’t seem to be stressing how bad excessive salt can be for us.

Don’t get me wrong, snacking in itself is not necessarily bad, as long as we pick the right snacks. But when we frequently turn to things like chips, it can have a lasting effect on our bodies.

Let’s put this into a little perspective. The daily recommendation for sodium is about 2300mg or less. The amount of sodium in a table spoon of salt is, you guessed right, about 2300mg. So does that mean we should only be eating about a tablespoon of salt per day? Well, not exactly.

Black people, people over 51, and people with certain heart and kidney diseases are advised to eat even less sodium – about 1500mg per day. Now, someone did not just create this rule because he/she has a vendetta against black people or seniors. The reason we are advised to eat less sodium is because we are at a higher risk for diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes.

But why, you may ask. Why is it so important to stay away from excessive salt? Well, it’s all part of the “Prevention is better than Cure” mantra. Yes, everyone’s reaction to salt intake is different, but it has been known to increase our risk for a certain number of diseases.

Fluid retention: When you take too much salt, your kidneys pass the excess out as urine. But the more you take, the harder it is to get rid of. If the sodium can’t be passed out, it will stay in your body. The more sodium stored in your body, the more your body retains fluids, causing your heart to stress more as it tries to pump blood. Sometimes, you may even feel the effect of salty food about 30 minutes after you eat it. You literally feel your heart working harder.

Blood pressure: When your heart has to work harder to pump blood, what happens? It increases the pressure in your arteries. It may not be a problem if this is not a common occurrence, but regular increased blood pressure can lead to a myriad of diseases.

Kidney disease: As I said above, the more sodium you take, the harder it is for the kidneys to get rid of the excess. Forcing your kidneys to consistently work this hard can have lasting negative effects on them.

Heart disease: Of course, if you have developed high blood pressure because of your sodium intake, your heart is working really hard. Overload on an organ is always a bad thing because it could lead to all sorts of failures. In this case, it can lead to a stroke, congestive heart failure, and other things.

There are so many other negatives of eating too much salt. A lot of processed foods have a high level of sodium because it is used as a preservative. But don’t think that only processed foods have salt; natural foods have salt too. So please pay attention to the sodium content when you buy anything. Below is a list of some foods and their sodium content:

These are just a few items, but you can find a whole list here: Sodium Content. This is not saying you should give up salt entirely, but that you should stayed informed and ask questions when necessary.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Health.com