As much as we don’t want it to, work and the stresses that come with it can affect various aspects of our life. Whether that’s having enough leisure time, the ability to cook foods, or even just to move around, there are small yet important things in our day-to-day that we tend to forget in the name of work productivity.
Because of that, it’s important to form small yet significant habits that can greatly impact us in the long term. Here are some things you can incorporate into your busy life to help you stay healthy.
Find healthy substitutes for your favourite snacks
While working away at our computers, many of us can get peckish and reach for a bag of chips or sweets. While these might be a comforting part of your stressful day, these pre-packaged snacks are often very low in nutritious value yet high in calories, causing weight gain and a handful of other problems.
Choosing the right snacks can make all the difference when it comes to your health and diet. Instead of choosing a chocolate bar, go for dark chocolate-covered almonds, and instead of ice cream, go for yogurt. Whatever your favourite work snack is, there is undoubtedly a healthier and more nutritional alternative.
Take supplements that promote immunity
Working all day and feeling stressed can sometimes be unavoidable depending on your line of work, but too much of it can take a toll on our health.
Being proactive about your health and putting it at the forefront is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Taking supplements that maintain and promote cardiovascular health, bone, and joint strength, and have an abundance of essential vitamins can help you avoid certain risks and diseases.
Track your daily exercise and diet
Working at a desk is often a whole day affair for many people, and can easily lead to a sedentary lifestyle. This is very detrimental to health and can cause very serious and life-long diseases later on.
One way to monitor your health daily is to track your movement and food intake with apps on your phone or a wearable activity tracker. These are easy and effective ways to remind you to get out of your chair and move a little bit, or to hold you accountable for unhealthy food habits. It’s been shown that activity tracking can lead to better overall health, sleep, and nutrition.
Final note
While work life can be very hectic, it’s very important that we don’t neglect our health or put it on the back burner. Many diseases have become increasingly common because of certain habits created or lost thanks to stationary work, so incorporating certain habits into your daily life, no matter how insignificant they may seem, can do so much more good for us later on in life than we might realize right now.
Ellen Diamond did her degree in psychology at the University of Edinburgh. She is interested in mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.
