With deadlines to meet, after work drinks, frequent dining out, late nights and early mornings, it’s easy to forget how simple it is to take control of your health. So how do you deal with healthy eating when you are stuck on unplanned overtime? The following healthy eating tips outline some of the simplest ways to enhance your everyday health.
1. Avoid Eating Late
Your metabolism slows down at night so you can count on anything you eat within three hours of bedtime sticking to your bones. Eating before 20.00 will allow your body to detoxify before you rest and helps get rid of unnecessary weight.
2. Healthy Snack Ideas
Many have healthy options now. Avoid the chips and pop and look for the unsalted nuts or fresh fruit.
If the overtime is more than a couple of hours, you can make a healthy overtime eating a side salad instead of fries. When your blood sugar drops you’ll be craving sugary foods that will have choosing candy and pop instead of a healthier choice. Stick to healthy fats and protein or food containing fiber as that will make you feel full longer.
3. Do Not Rely on Coffee
Excess coffee overloads your liver, dehydrates you (coffee is a diuretic) and increases the risk of blood sugar irregularities. Your liver is the body’s detoxifying organ and if overloaded, your chances for disease, sluggishness and weight gain will increase. Try to decrease coffee or eliminate it altogether. There are some great coffee alternatives on the market. You can also enjoy herbal teas, dandelion root, ginseng, oolong, green tea, and peppermint.
4. Drink Water
Be sure to buy yourself a bottle of water. Or better yet bring your own water bottle . Drinking water is a great way to feel more full and flush out your body. You can and should be carrying that around in your squad car every day anyway. Just fill it up when it’s empty.
At least 8 glasses of water a day will keep your energy levels high, your hunger down, your digestion smooth and your concentration sharp. When we are dehydrated, our bodies often mistake this feeling for hunger.
5. Follow a Time-saving Workout Plan
You need exercise, but it’s often the first thing to go when you get busy. There are two things you need to do to make your workouts fit your schedule. First, make them short, intense, and infrequent. Second, schedule them for times when they’ll be easy to do.
There are several easy stretches you can do quickly at your desk, all of which can help you refocus on work. Chest elevation, Scapular retraction, or chin tuck can be done without leaving your chair.