Eating at work A lot of clients come to us for guidance on nutrition… yet with the idea that they have no time to eat healthy. They believe their poor eating habits and lack of structure to their diet is due to their busy work life. Understandably, there is just no way you can pull out a recipe book and start cooking during your lunch break. But there are several strategies to stay healthy and avoid poor choices. One of our main tips is to eat regularly during the day… Everyone has a calorie goal for the day, whether it is to lose, maintain or gain weight. Yet this might not be achieved because of the idea that your day it too busy to eat. There are several reasons why regular eating is vital though out the day…
It can often prevent overindulging after work: You may feel unsatisfied and hungry due to lack of food throughout the day which may then result in a need to ‘make up for it’ at the end of the day.
Energy is needed thought out the day: This is actually contradictory to the point of being “too busy to eat”. This makes it even more important to eat as food is used to fuel the day. As stated in our previous blog about eating before you train, it is important to have stores of energy present otherwise the weight lost is likely to be muscle mass. Calories are energy which are needed throughout the day. Eating throughout the day can help get through the busiest of days and will suppress the need to load yourself full of caffeine.
It may prevent poor eating choices at work: Colleges can be a bad influence. If your meals and snacks are prepared they may prevent you from touching the box of celebrations your friend from work brought in for their birthday.
It will boost your metabolism: leaving a huge gap between eating (more than about 4 hours) can lead to several negative effects (eg breakdown of muscle tissue). Eating regularly can prevent this and also help us metabolise food better, rather than storing it as fat.
All these tips will work for you, given you know how much calories you need for that day and you have the right guidance for what should make up those calories. Strategies for eating regularly
Plan your meals and snacks ahead: having all your meals and snacks prepared will provide structure and will prevent you from looking elsewhere for unhealthier alternatives.
Always have one of your snacks on you: to avoid getting caught out on the busier days where you’re always on your feet, make sure you have something on you so you don’t have to wait till the next time you’re at your desk. This could be fruit, nuts etc.
Drink plenty of water: it is important to stay hydrated no matter what your goal is. It can also increase concentration levels which may take your mind off any cravings you may have.
Know what to eat: If you don’t know what you should be eating we suggest a range of meal/snack ideas and advice on meal prep and how to do it. So speak to your trainer or look through our website/social media to find ideas.
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