5 reasons your job is making you FAT.

There are many reasons why we struggle to meet our health and wellness goals, but after working in the corporate fitness field, I am determined that our jobs are one of the biggest reasons for weight gain, illness, and chronic diseases. Many of us spend 40 hours or more a week at our jobs and it's bad enough that we spend most of that time sitting behind a desk, but there are other work-related factors that also play a role in our expanding waistlines.  Check out the 5 reasons your job is making you fat.

1.  Working too many hours is literally killing you by killing the time you could be putting in at the gym.  Make sure to limit the amount of time at your job to no more than 50 hours/week.  Overworking often leads to fatigue, depression, poor sleep habits, eye strain, and stress.  Start backing off on hours slowly by saying no when you have too much on your plate, scheduling needed days off, and working in your exercise, sleep, and time with family and friends.

2.  We spend most of our hours at work sitting behind a desk - getting up for lunch or to use the restroom isn't cutting it anymore.  Get up often to walk around the office or stretch.  Schedule a walking meeting, walk to a co-worker's desk instead of calling or emailing, always take the stairs (use the restroom on the next floor up), try to get a quick workout in at lunch or on a break (could be as simple as a mini circuit or brisk walk).

3.  When work stress starts eating at us, we start eating - emotional stress is one of the biggest reasons for comfort food.  If you are feeling stressed and overworked; you are not alone.  Learn how to say "no" if you have too much on your plate already.  Also, find other activities and hobbies to release your tension after work.

4.  Your post work activity is almost always sedentary - I get it... after a long day at work, a happy hour beverage and the couch all call your name but here is your time to resist.  This is the time to find something active to do.  It will boost your energy, self-esteem, and maybe even your social life.  Find a gym partner or try a group exercise class.  Up your chances of being successful by bringing your gym bag to work and heading straight there.

5.  You eat out all the time for lunch and the candy jar is your go to pick me up -  This one can help to save your wallet too.  Pack a lunch everyday so you can control your choices.  Even the healthiest joint on the block knows how to pack in sodium, fat, and sugar to make your food taste great!  Keep it simple by using leftover meals and packing your bag the night before.  And always be prepared with a healthy snack such as nuts, fruit, or yogurt.  This will help you resist the urge to snack from the vending machine or grab from the candy jar.  Most importantly, don't skip your meals... eat at a regular time every day!

    Stay tuned... Learn about more tricks and tips to help you lose weight at work.

Don't Be an Emotional Eater

Did you just get in a fight with your spouse, kid, or maybe even your mom; maybe the traffic on your commute home really got your blood boiling?  You may be hungry in the the first place, but your reaction is often to go into the kitchen and find something creamy, smooth, fattening, salty, or crunchy?  If so, you are an emotional eater.

Maybe you have thought about being an emotional eater before but the hardest part yet, is being able to crack the cycle.  The problem with emotional eating is it promotes an even bigger pattern of anxiety and self-loathing that will put you on a destructive path to weight gain.  The nasty part is emotional eating has physical triggers that can distract from your real emotions:

• Eating produces a sense of fullness and increases blood sugar levels reducing the physical agitation that comes with negative feelings.  This will produce an experience of "emotional numbness"
• Eating to the point of physical discomfort distracts from any emotional pain
• Continuous/subconscious eating distracts from disturbing thoughts
• Consuming foods that are enjoyable will bring pleasure and will temporarily relieve sadness
• Certain foods raise endorphin levels (the "feel-good" chemical in the brain) improving your mood
• High carb foods facilitate the release of serotonin.  This is the calming brain chemical that erases the feelings of stress and tension.

Once you are able to accept these facts, it is time to make some changes.  Actions like these are all about the habit you have created.  There is never going to be a time in your life that is stress free so the idea is to change your reaction to the stress in your life.  The key to this is to first identify the things that trigger emotional eating.  What is it that makes you feel pressured, sad, mad, or anxious?  Once you have narrowed in on your triggers, you can regain the control of how and why you eat.

To identify these triggers, start by creating a journal.  Every time you eat, log what you're having, serving size, who you are with, and your emotions involved.  Face the recurring issues that drive you to eating; bring them out of your subconscious and tackle them head first.

These issues may not be things you can avoid, such as a bad day at work, but brainstorm a list of alternative activities that help you de-stress or drive your energy toward another goal.  These are some of my favorites that I use for myself.

• Exercise (of course I would say this first, but it really does work.  I like to take my anger out on the weights or on a really good run.  If you are not someone who likes an intense workout, use a hike or bike ride to ease your mind)
• Read a book/magazine
• Take a bath
• Call a friend or family member -  I feel blessed to have a sister
• Work on a hobby (knitting, sewing, scrapbooking, collectors items)
• Take a nap
• Try a new health conscious recipe (don't have a cookbook? they are all over the internet these days)
• Play with a pet  

What are some of your favorite things that get you out of a bad day??

If you have any other questions, please ask!  I'm here to help!

oxox, Em