It’s fairly easy to stay consistent with your health and wellness goals when you’re two steps away from fresh produce in your fridge and your Peloton bike at any moment in the day.
But what happens when it’s time to go back into the office? Where communal kitchens are stocked with the latest sugary snacks and mid-day coffee runs are the norm.
If you’re worried about how to maintain the healthy habits you picked up working from home as you return to the office, don’t be! Here are 5 tips for employees like you who want to stay consistent with your healthy lifestyle as you transition back to working in person.
1. Prioritize sleep
The biggest shift you will make as you return to working in an office is to your sleep schedule. That commute to and from work? It’s starting up again! Make sure to account for this when you set your morning alarm.
If you’ve picked up some stellar sleep habits during the pandemic, you may be worried about adjusting to a new sleep and wake-up time. Give yourself time to adjust to your new schedule, even if you’re waking up only 30 minutes earlier than usual.
As you know, adequate sleep reduces emotional eating and can help protect against physical and emotional stress.
2. Fuel yourself with functional snacks
Avoid the 3 PM slump with foods that boost your brainpower and energy levels.
You may be used to taking quick trips to your kitchen to make a healthy meal when you get hungry. That luxury isn’t possible in the office.
So, how will you keep those cravings at bay? Stock your cubicle with delicious wellness snacks that taste as good as they make you feel.
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be hard even when you’re not working from home. You can find high-quality foods made with functional ingredients that make it easy to choose over more sugary snacks. You don’t have to sacrifice flavor for taste!
3. Listen to your body
Speaking of sacrifice, if you deprive yourself then all you’re going to want is what you “can’t” have. Give yourself a break when you need it (or allow yourself to indulge in a handful of cookies here and there).
If you find yourself overstimulated being around a group of people again, give your body and mind a moment to rest. You can do some light stretching or step outside to clear your head.
Since you’re commuting to the office again, be sure to give your body extra love. Don’t think just because you’re on the move that you don’t have to keep up with this one!
Remember, you want to ease back into life in the office, so give yourself time to do that.
4. Recruit a friend or coworker to keep you accountable
If you find keeping up with your workouts or healthy eating habits isn’t as easy as it was when you were working from home, you can always lean on a coworker or friend for support.
Maybe you noticed how easy it was to find time for movement when you worked remotely. Now, it seems impossible to find an extra 30-minutes in the day. A good friend is just the person to call to give you a pep-talk when you’re feeling unmotivated.
Or, if you’re tempted to get off track with your health goals, a trusted coworker can remind you why you started in the first place.
5. Give yourself grace
In the end, life is still full of uncertainty. With that comes additional stress and anxiety. This is the perfect time to give yourself grace and remind yourself that this transition period won’t last forever.
You may feel a sense of loss not being around your family when you go back to the office all day. You might worry about how to interact with your coworkers after only seeing them through Zoom for a year. You could even be concerned with how productive you’ll be after working alone for so long.
Take things one day at a time and give yourself time to adjust. Those healthy habits you built up over the past year at home? It will take more than returning to the office to get you off track for too long!
Did you enjoy working from home or are you ready to be back in the office surrounded by your coworkers? Maybe a little bit of both?
No Comments