Lose Weight from Your Office

An office job may be good for your bank balance, but it’s shockingly bad for your health. Read on to find out how to minimise the effects of a lack of exercise and start to actually lose weight from your desk!

Why am I Putting on Weight?

Anyone who works in an office knows the devastating effect sitting at a desk all day can have on your health – and your waistline. You certainly don’t get much exercise barricaded behind your PC, boredom and stress lead to all-too-frequent calorie-fests, and when you finally get home you’re far too tired to hit the gym.

Top Tips to Lose Weight

Don’t think it’s that bad? Then consider this shocking fact: research suggests that most office workers are so spectacularly inactive that they are actually at risk of deep vein thrombosis – over a third of all cases are caused by office jobs!

Burn More Calories than you Eat

Yet the key to weight loss is breathtakingly simple: burn more calories than you consume. It’s as easy as that. Read on for our easy office friendly tips to do just that, from the comfort of your desk!

A Directory of Lose Weight Tips

Easy to Follow Weight Loss Tips

Lose Weight Tips: Fidget. It sound ridiculous, but one recent study actually proved that people who just can’t sit still are slimmer – all those tiny movements like crossing and uncrossing your legs add up to loads of extra calories burned. The best way to do it is to stretch, flex and swivel your feet, legs and arms throughout the day.

Lose Weight Tips: Keep the blood moving around your body. Try placing everyday objects such as staplers away from your desk so you have to stand to reach them. Take a break and walk round the office every hour at the least.

Lose Weight Tips: Whenever you’re on the phone, walk around the room – research shows that the more time you spend out of your chair, even for short periods, the slimmer you’ll be.

Lose Weight Today

Lose Weight Tips: Within reason, find ways to keep walking around the office as much as possible. Talk to co-workers in person instead of emailing them, use the copier on a different floor, and never ever take the lift to get there.

Lose Weight Tips: You can burn over 100 calories in 20 minutes by taking the stairs, and you don’t need to do it all in one go – rather split your climbing time up over the day for the same calorie count and minimum sweat.

Lose Weight Tips: There are lots of exercises you can do in your chair without anyone even noticing. Try squeezing your derrière – holding for ten seconds for a toned tushie in no time – or tightening your abs. You can do sets of 15, or try doing it every time you hit “send” on an email!

Lose Weight Easily

Lose Weight Tips: Women can also work their core muscles by doing kegel exercises – holding then loosening your pelvic floor muscles (the muscles you squeeze to prevent going to the bathroom). Added bonus: fantastic sex.

Lose Weight Tips: Whatever you do, take a lunch break. Use it to go for brisk walks or even go shopping - you’ll be so busy hunting for the perfect item it definitely won’t seem like work, and you’ll burn 100 calories in your lunch hour. (By the way, once you find those perfect stacked heels, wear them with pride – they’ll tone your calves and increase the number of calories you burn just standing still, let alone trying to walk in them.)

Lose Weight Tips: If you can, join a gym close to your office or find a nearby yoga class and go in your lunch break, or make a standing arrangement to go with a co-worker at the end of the day.

I Want to lose Weight

Lose Weight Tips: Moving around is not the only way to up your calorie burn though – sitting up straight instead of leaning against your chair requires more muscle use, so you use more energy just sitting still, plus it’s a fabulously simple way to tone your stomach. You’ll be surprised to find it’s such a workout you won’t be able to keep it up for too long and you’ll have to build up your strength until you are able to sit with good posture for the entire day. The logical next step is to invest in an exercise ball-type chair, so you’ll be engaging your core muscles while you work.

Lose Weight Tips: Drink at least 2 litres of water a day to flush out toxins and keep you feeling full. Even better, add some green tea to the mix. Its antioxidants fight cancer, but it also boosts your metabolism. So you’ll burn up to 60 extra calories a day just standing still. (Read More: Go Green).

How Can I Lose Weight?

Lose Weight Tips: Ban the coffee run! Avoid getting roped into a mid morning or late afternoon cookie and cake binge by snacking regularly on healthy foods that will keep you feeling full for ages, like nuts and seeds – keep a stash of portion-sized snack packs in your desk drawer and if you absolutely must give in to the coffee run, go for chopped up fruit and veggies or an angelic smoothie instead of your usual junk food.

Lose Weight Tips: Once you start seeing progress and feel even more motivated, consider setting up an office walking club or sports team. The social event will make it seem less like work, plus you won’t find it as easy to laugh off if other people are going.

Easy Exercises to Help You Lose Weight

Lose Weight Tips: If you ever find yourself alone in the office, you could even try some short bursts of aerobic activity – try spending 60 second periods running on the spot, walking quickly round the room, doing jumping jacks or pretending to jump rope. You could also try doing squats, press ups and tricep dips holding onto your desk. Not only will all the activity add up to burn loads of calories, you’ll also be more energised and find it easier to concentrate afterwards.

Lose Weight Tips: Don’t let embarrassment get in between you and your perfect, healthy weight. Chances are, people will admire you rather than laugh, and you may even make some friends.