Best diet for office workers
Until I started working a 9-5 job I had only heard about "how hard it is to stay healthy and workout" and had a hard time believing it. I have always managed to control my diet (when I want to) and workout regularly. However, recently I have gone through a mad period at work where I don't know what time I'll be able to eat or unglue myself from my laptop..I barley exercised for 2 weeks and ate bad food. This is terrible because it's a vicious cycle of feeling like c**ap. When you don't feed your body the nutrients it needs to functional properly and put it through mental stress too then it's going to fail you one way or another. To me it felt like I was slowly losing my sanity (because gym is life).
So I have decided to share with you -my office working friends -what I believe you diet should look like to help you make the best out of your bodies and deliver better at work!
7am:
To kickstart your metabolism it is recommended to have breakfast before 8am. Rushing out the door with little more than a coffee starts the day on the wrong foot.
Best breakfast options: yogurt, fruit, muesli, eggs, baked beans, toast, avocado or even a liquid meal drink that you can have as you are rushing to the office.
Avoid: Syrup based coffees, banana bread, muffin or anything that is high in processed carbs and sugars.
10am:
I often feel hungry a few hours after my breakfast and that's a good sign, as it means my body is burning fuel efficiently! Now is a good time to have some yogurt and fruits and maybe a cup of green tea. Actually research has shown that up to 3 cups of green tea a day has been shown to slightly increase metabolic rate.
1pm:
This is when things can start to go wrong. If you haven't eaten enough for breakfast you will notice that you start craving sugar and will snack on fatty, sweet foods. To avoid that make sure your lunch includes a good amount of vegetables and protein. Many people grab something quickly that doesn't have the nutrients or bulk to fill them up.
Best options: Tuna, salmon or chicken salads with beans or grainy bread, chicken with vegetables and maybe some pasta to fuel you up.
Avoid: Plain supermarket ready to eat sandwiches, or vegetable soup.
3-4pm:
Your balanced lunch should allow you to stay satisfied until mid-afternoon. I am against eating just to avoid hunger and believe in eating when hungry more (hungry doesn't mean hangry or starving). So if you are feeling peckish at this time here are you best options: nut-based snack bar or nut spread on wholegrain crackers. You can even have a low-fat hot chocolate
Avoid: Bar of chocolate, slice of cake, crisps, doughnuts.
7-8pm:
People always say have dinner early, which is great but from personal experience I don't think it really works unless you go to bed early because honestly if I eat at 6 and sleep at midnight then I will be hungry again by 9/10 if my metabolism is working well! So please eat with enough time to digest your food before bed, but not so much time that you'll need a second dinner. Dinner should be light.
Best options: light grilled protein source, vegetables and a salad.
Avoid: pasta, pizza or any high processed, high fat and high carb foods as they will cause indigestion and can disturb your sleep.
Try these tips out and share with a friend who you think needs them and let me know how you get on!
Happy Healthy Living,
The Gymcess x
