8 Health tips for those with desk jobs!

I am neither a health nor a fitness expert. Neither am I a freak whose in the gym everyday after work to ensure I have that 6, 8 or family pack. I am just a simple guy working in a desk job. So what’s the big deal? There are millions like me, aren’t there? Yes, there are.

But my post is about health. It’s about the fact that we need to put our health over and above the work we do. If we don’t maintain good health, how will we work? The need for this post has arisen from personal experience as well as seeing people around me suffer.

So I have made a list of health tips one needs to keep in mind in order to last long in life. Obviously for those who aren’t too bothered about lasting long enough or feel we don’t need to bother what happens in future, they can ignore the post. –

1. Maintain a correct posture – So many of us tend to bend in front while working on our laptops / desktops. This results in our back not being correctly aligned with the back of a chair. And therefore pain in our spinal cord and buttock muscles arises. The pain can be so bad that one may not be able to walk, sleep or even sit properly.

2. Don’t sit on the chair for more than 30 mins at a stretch – So many of us tend to work without taking a break for hours on end. Whether its a meeting or a deadline to meet, whatever the reason we don’t get up from our chairs for a long time while in office. Sometimes we get up to have lunch or drink coffee / tea. But if we don’t do that either, we end up sitting the whole day. And that’s not good news.

3. The 20 / 20 / 20 rule – Who cares about one’s eyes when he / she is busy working, right? Wrong. If one can’t see what he / she is supposed to, there will be no work to do. And that’s why washing eyes very regularly to prevent them from drying is very important. After every 20 mins, one should also look 20 feet away for 20 seconds to keep the eyes refreshed.

4. Avoid tea / coffee and any caffeinated stuff – Tea and coffee companies seem to thrive based on their sales in corporates across the world. There are thousands who survive during their time in offices only on these two beverages without having food or water. And that’s what is a sign of a future health disaster. Instead, drinking 2 liters of water per day is a much healthier option.

6. Avoid oily foods and those rich in cholesterol – Burgers, Pizzas, Subs, Sandwiches…Sounds tempting? I am sure it doesn’t sound so tempting to your heart and blood pressure levels.

7. Eat all your meals – Whether its having to attend an important meeting or an important phone call or not feeling hungry at all, there are so many of us who tend to miss their meals while at office for different reasons. But does one realize that missing meals could be really unhealthy for ones life? If one doesn’t realize that fast enough, disaster is waiting to strike.

8. Walk wherever and whenever possible – Sitting in AC offices and traveling in AC cars, many of us nowadays seem to be having a strong aversion to walk because we sweat or get tired quite easily. But if living longer is our goal, we should make it a point to walk wherever and whenever possible. Whether its climbing four floors everyday to reach your cubicle or walking from office to your house, walking is one of the best exercises to keep you healthy.

As my father once said “Your boss and your company will love you and your work till the time you are fit. The day you become unfit, people won’t bother even if you work your heart out. Everyone wants a fit employee.”

With the lifestyles we have today, the future looks really bleak. But all is not lost. We need to tinker with the habits we follow for our health, otherwise it could be curtains sooner rather than later.

Note: This list isn’t exhaustive. Feel free to add more in the comments below.