Just imagine how awful it will be for a techie or a geek (or someone in that circle) to keel over and die just when s/he is about to become famous for an invention.
Horrible, right? Unfortunately, that is where a lot of techies are headed. Let me backtrack, who are techies? They are laptop-wielding enigmas who also have horrible eating habits!
The world has come to love nerds, techies and geeks. One of them gave us Facebook! Unfortunately, a sizeable number of this amazing lot have no regard for their stomach linings.
They eat any and everything just to prevent them from standing up from the laptops. But what good does that do? You overload your system on junk food and down soft drinks that have truckload of sugar in them. As a result, you open yourself to damaged liver, weight gain, abdominal obesity, and the list goes on.
Don’t feel bad, I’m just as guilty. My keyboard has become my dining table where I shovel food into my mouth without taking my eyes off the screen. Sad. Very sad.
Now that we are done feeling bad for ourselves, let’s get to work. First we need to look at what we do that isn't all that healthy.
Sitting at the desk all day
Is there any techie who doesn’t sit at a desk staring at a computer screen for hours? No, there isn't. But it s important to know that sitting is the new smoking.
However, in our case, all we can do is reduce the number of cigarettes we smoke a day, as we cannot actually stop it. We also need to find out what we can do with the fumes already in our body system.
Your skeletal muscles are a big reason why you are able to sit down. But your prolonged sitting puts them at the risk of misalignment, joint stress, growth issues and other conditions.
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Asides from the pain and damaged caused to the body, when you sit for a very long time, you increase the chances of random snacking.
What can you do about it?
Hourly breaks are non-negotiable
You should get up every hour and try to exercise the muscles that have become stiff from you sitting at the same position all day. For lack of what to do, look for an excuse to use the stairs, peep over your colleague’s shoulder, anything just get up and move around
I mean it, move!
Have you found an excuse? You can’t find anywhere to go? Walk in circles in your small space or cubicle. I do this a lot and people stare at me like I’ve gone bunkers, but hey, its my health, my choice.
Go out for lunch
It might seem like a waste of time, but 30 minutes everyday for a lunch break away from your desk might really do the trick. It stops you from snacking on junk all day long. Each time you receive a phone call, walk! Move your muscles.
Water
From now on, water is your new best friend. You might feel lazy getting up to the dispenser all the time, so I suggest you keep a bottle beside you which you can drink from. The more water you drink, the less the urge to snack.
Say No
This one is not hard. As a child, when you went out with your parents and you were offered anything, you know you immediately have to say no. So whenever unhealthy treats are being passed around, please say no and face your laptop.
If you have decided to listen to me and pack your lunch or go out to get it, that lunch should not consist of pastries and sodas. Here are some food that are beneficial especially to the clan of sitters.
Fish: If you love fish, cool! If you don’t, start liking it. They are high in protein, low in fat, and rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Oatmeal: Eating oatmeal provides you with carbohydrates because it is minimally processed. Here are the benefits.
- Decreased Hunger: the only time you snack is when you are hungry. Oatmeals fill you up so you don’t crave meals quickly.
- Fat loss: Oatmeals have been noted to help in fat loss. Try having some.
Fruits and Vegetables: You know at some point these have to be mentioned. They are an amazing source of antioxidants which are essential for the immune system.
Fruits and vegetables supply your body with fiber which it sorely needs to aid proper digestion and nutrient uptake.
If you thought I was going to say get another line of work, you thought wrong. Not when I know techies have the highest paying job.
Start eating and working right. Will you?