Sitting on your backside all day, being constantly distracted by the array of biscuits in the kitchen cupboard — not to mention being constantly roped into the never-ending birthday cake bonanzas for colleagues — makes a day in the office a dangerous affair for the waistline. Avoid piling on those unwanted pounds with a few simple adjustments to your 9-5 routine.
Big breakfast
It's no surprise that eating a hearty breakfast is good for health but a study carried out at the University of Cambridge found subjects who ate a bigger meal before work and less during the day had the lowest BMI (body mass index, a measure of health risk relative to weight and height). This is no excuse of a full fry-up or several rounds of thick white toast, of course. Get up a little earlier and prepare a nutritious bowl of porridge with skim milk, muesli topped with fruit, or two slices of wholemeal bread with a low-fat spread.
Feeling green
Give up your morning and afternoon coffees for green tea if you want to keep slim. Unlike a skinny cappuccino, which can have up to 70 calories packed in there, there are no hidden calories in green tea. Green tea is also full of antioxidants that are believed to stimulate the body to burn energy and decrease fat. Alternatively pick up the celebrity craze of quaffing white tea — the leaves are left very close to their natural state so have even more antioxidants than their green sister.
Step out
It may sound like a waste of your precious work time but every step counts. Making those extra trips up and down the stairs rather then jumping on the elevator, nipping out for a walk at lunchtime or walking while you talk on your mobile will make a difference to your weight. Invest in a pedometer and track your paces — an extra 500 steps per day burns around 25-30 calories per day.
Lunch out
Scoffing your sandwich at your desk can be tempting but increasing the length of time you stay seated during the day minimises the amount of calories burnt. If you are a packed-luncher, opt for a park or communal area at work and follow it up with a brisk walk rather than a packet of chips.
Snack attack
Start every week with a bowl of apples on your desk. Conveniently available fruit will prevent you keeping full with high-carb nibbles such as biscuits and chips. Research carried out Dartmouth College found that we are more likely to reach out for items in our right-hand sides so make sure your nutritious goodies have prime position.
Smells good
Just because something smells good, it doesn't mean it has to end up in your stomach. According to research the scent of sweet substances are enough to suppress our appetite. Fruit is a great snack choice — bananas and green apples in particular — because even if you do weaken, it will only end up in a healthy snack rather than a bout of guilt.
Leg work
Don't sit still at your desk. Exercising at work doesn't mean you have to leap up to do a set of star jumps. Simply tighten and squeeze your buttocks, holding tight for 10 seconds. Repeat this at least eight times. Tone up calves and by bending and rolling your feet onto your toes. Hold tight for 10 seconds and again repeat eight times.
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