That's Fit

I used to work in a pharmaceutical company. Safety measures were a major part of day-to-day functioning at that company. There were signs posted all over and emergency medical stations scattered throughout the campus. We'd celebrate when long stretches of time went by without any job-related injuries.

Now that my work consists of sitting in front of a computer all day, I still wish there were signs about potential dangers posted. Sure, we desk jockeys aren't risking our lives ... but there are potential health hazards none-the-less.

Fitness Magazine has five simple exercises you can do from your desk. Try this routine to help keep your shoulders, upper back, thighs, triceps, and more. Want some more ideas? Bethany has 10 more exercises you can do from your desk.

Blogging is good for the mind and the soul, but don't let anyone tell you it's good for the body. Sure, writing about healthy habits all day long can be inspiring, but blogging itself is a sedentary, solitary task. And if you're a blogger, you're at risk for something called Blogger Bloat -- "a tendency of bloggers and bloghers to gain weight by sitting for long hours in front of computers, snacking on treats! Blogger bloat is a greater risk in the winter, when bloggers tend to choose starchy and comfort snacks," according to this article on Divine Caroline.

Of course, this isn't limited to blogging -- it's something experienced by anyone who spends hours in front of the computer. It could be called writer's waist, typist's tummy or receptionist's rear. Whatever the reason keeping you from getting up and moving around, it's important to find a balance. Avoid blogger bloat and other conditions with these 10 tips.

How do you keep up with blogging and still stay slim?

Compared to a job like deep-sea welding, working in an office behind a desk seems like a pretty safe career move. You might think that there's little chance for injury, but don't forget that there are still are a few dangers: Weight gain from inactivity, depleted eyesight, poor posture, and let's not forget probability of severe mid-afternoon fatigue.

Divine Caroline has some excellent rules for avoiding some of the dangers of the desk job:

• The 20/20 Rule - Save your eyesight by looking away from your computer every 20 minutes for 20 seconds at something three feet away.
• The Floating Mouse Rule - When moving your mouse, move your whole arm instead of just your wrist.
• The Mini-break Rule - take a 30 to 60 second break every 30 minutes -- use this time to take a short walk or do some stretches.

They have even more excellent tips to share ... click here for more info.

Offices in England might soon be invaded by weight loss vigilantes, who will conduct weigh-ins, meetings and nutritional seminars, all aimed at getting employees healthy. Weight Watchers UK has developed a scheme aimed at office workers in the UK, and it's expected that at least 500 companies will sign up for the program, according to this article from The Daily Mail.

Mads Ryder, the senior VP of Weight Watchers UK, says there are a number of benefits of helping employees shed excess pounds: "For the employer it will help cut healthcare costs and cut down on the number of days staff are off sick, and I don't think employees will have a problem with taking part. Losing weight makes you more confident about yourself and improves your ability to do your job." As for how they will go about helping employees lose weight, Ryder says, "We are about changing attitudes to food."

I think this is a great idea, but they should expand it by offering fitness classes as well. Do you agree?

We've all experienced "brain failure," that embarrassing moment when you can't remember something totally mundane and regular -- like how to spell a simple word or where you parked your car. Having a better memory is something pretty much everybody would enjoy, especially when it comes to doing your best at work. Giving your noodle a boost is something you can do in as little as 30 seconds, so there's really no reason you can't fit an exercise or two into your daily routine. Try one of these exercises from Natural Health to get started:

Most of us have one major problem with exercise: Finding time for it. I know the feeling--between working 8-10 hours a day, spending time with family and trying to run a household, it's difficult, sometimes impossible, to find time to head to the gym. My job is no help--being a writer doesn't exactly burn too many calories.

But they key is trying to find way to work exercise into your everyday life. Weight Loss Journal recently revealed 8 ways to exercise throughout the day, including:

• Sucking in your stomach -- it really does help to tone your tummy, and it makes you look slimmer instantly.
  
• Fidgeting. It helps you burn calories throughout the day.
  
• Taking the stairs at work.
  
• Using a desk exercise machine. You can work away while silently pedalling under your desk. Neat, huh?

Read the rest of the tips here, and when you're done, tell us what you do to work in the workouts.

Is sitting at a desk all day making you fat? Fitness isn't out of your reach when you're at work -- you just need to be aware of your abs.

When you go into work tomorrow, take a look all those nooks and crannies in your drawers and cupboards. Chances are, you'll find some surprises: A few candies here, some salty snacks there, maybe with a few cans of soda thrown into the mix? And I know as well as anyone that when you hit that 3 pm wall of fatigue, your defenses are down and you're prone to some unsafe snacking. Don't do it!

Instead, give your snack drawer a much-needed spring cleaning. Don't worry, you don't need to curtail mid-afternoon snacking altogether, but do make sure you pick up some healthy choices. Like?

• Nuts. They're full of protein and will help energize you in the afternoon.
• Dried fruit. Some raisins or dried cranberries will satisfy your sugar cravings and help keep you awake.
  
• Green tea. It's calorie-free and will help give you some much-needed energy.
  
• Dark chocolate. If nothing else tickles your fancy, a little bit of dark chocolate can do wonders for your mood. But make sure you know when to stop.
  

What do you stack in your desk?

I'm a huge snacker. That whole "several small meals" thing is not a problem for me -- I always find time to eat! But what I don't always do is find healthy things to eat, and when I do (all-too-often) end up snacking on something too salty, too sugary, too processed, or too fattening I always end up feeling it later in the day. It's pretty predictable that within a few hours I'll be feeling lethargic and be finding it hard to focus on work, not to mention (oddly enough) I'll be craving even more junk food. It's a vicious circle in the truest sense.

If someone told you that desks (like the one you're probably using right now) have more germs and bugs than bathrooms... would you believe it? I wouldn't have fallen for it before reading this article. Researchers say our desks could accommodate as much 400 times the amount of germs than a restroom.

It's no wonder we work ourselves into sick symptoms -- it could actually be our desk causing the problem! Even though our world is filled with all kinds of microscopic organisms, the place at which you sit and work for hours of the day harbors germs that can make you ill.

Millions of bacteria cover the surface of your desktop. While it's not grounds for hosing it down or living in a bubble, if you engage in other activities like eating or putting on makeup, then it's more likely to trap and spread sick-causing germs. In fact, experts recommend wiping the desk down once at the end of every day with disinfectant wipes. After all, it could make the difference against a small weekend head cold. But who is more at risk for dirtier desks: men or women?

If you work in an office you've no doubt noticed the variety of work spaces people set up for themselves when it comes to desks and cubicles. There are people with pictures everywhere, some have candy bowls everywhere, some have piles of paper everywhere, and some have nothing anywhere (gotta love those uber-organized types!). Have you ever looked around and wondered what all those different work spaces really mean about the people who created them? Or better yet, have you ever wondered what your workspace says about you?

Our jobs are often stressful. But sometimes we're contributing to that stress in small but significant ways that can easily be changed. Here's something to consider: Is your workspace stressing you out?

As a lifelong neat-nick, I never imagined this could happen to me. But it did. I work out of my house and can't afford losing a whole room to an office. I have a choice of creating my space in the family room or the guest room. I had a very tidy corner of the family room carved out, complete with bookshelves, filing cabinet, desk, computer, bulletin board, even my college degree on the wall next to me. It didn't work. My daughter's play room is right next to it. There's a TV in the room. I use the computer to upload and organize family photos and movies. We hang out and play on the floor in there. There are often toys strewn about.

Meanwhile, the guest room was upstairs only being used a few weeks out of the year and beckoning quiet work time with a key component; a door. And there's no TV, toys or other distractions. I have shelves with a few reference materials, pens, a Rolodex, a small filing cabinet, a calendar, a phone and a cool space-saving desktop that attaches to the wall and folds down to give guests more space when they're using the room and the futon is pulled out. I even added a vase full of dried lavender and a small Zen garden to play with during short breaks. It's perfect. I love it. And I'm more productive than I've been in a long time, which adds up to a lot less stress in my life. Your turn.

Remember the good old days, when your mom would lovingly pack you a healthy lunch inside your Smurfs lunch box, complete with some warm soup inside your Care Bears thermos? Yeah, that was a long time ago, but maybe you should consider digging out your old lunch box (wait, scratch that. Buy a new, grown up one.)

What I'm getting at here is The Lunch Box Diet. Developed by a personal trainer in the UK, this diet is simple to follow: Pack your lunch box full of healthy stuff, then allow yourself to graze on it throughout the day. This way, you'll never be ravenous because you'll be filling up on healthy veggies and protein.

Your lunch box should be 60% veggies, 30% protein and 10% fats and dressings. Carbs, even whole grain ones, are only advisable if you have an active job, not if you're a desk-dweller. Sounds simple and effective, don't you think?

Want to know more? Download the eBook by visiting the website.

(via Diet Blog)

Being a writer isn't exactly the most physical job -- I'm relegated to a desk all day, so the only exercise I get is on my own time. This is a far cry from the job I had in university -- I worked for a busy courier company and was constantly walking and lifting. And man, was I ever fit, despite the fact that you never saw me within 50 feet of a gym.

So here's an interesting headline I came across: Sitting at a desk all days is 'as bad for health as smoking.' Really?! But isn't smoking, like, the absolute worst thing you can do for yourself? And sitting at a desk, a thing that so many of us do, is actually worse than that? Wow.

Why? Sitting at a desk all day leads to obesity. But it doesn't have to -- I know sitting in front of the TV is an attractive option after long day at work, but you've been sitting all day! Head to the gym and prove the statistics wrong.

Those who travel long distances on airplanes risk developing fatal blood clots in their legs. The clots, termed Deep-Vein Thrombosis, can be fatal if they break off and travel to the heart or lungs. It's not only travelers who risk this condition, though. A new study out of New Zealand reports that those who work so hard they rarely take a break are at risk too.

This study of 62 patients hospitalized for dangerous blood clots revealed that 21 percent had been on long flights while 34 percent had spent long hours at their desks the previous month. "Long hours" means the workers had been at their desks for more than eight hours per day, with a three-hour period void of any standing. It also includes 12-hour days with one hour void of movement.

Good news. Blood clots can be prevented, by the very thing that keeps our bodies healthy in so many other ways: Stretching. All it takes is getting up and giving your legs a solid stretch every 30 to 60 minutes.

Are you sitting down right now? Well, get up. And give those legs a good stretch.