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5 smart fitness tips for working professionals

December 28, 2014 13:37 IST

For a healthy life, all you have to spare is 30 minutes a day.

Read on to find out how simple habits can make a huge difference to your health.

How to stay fitAs an entrepreneur or working professional there is always a sense of panic, stress and meeting deadlines.

Everything around us that is work related takes priority.

We tend to forget that our body and mind is going through immense exhaustion and stress to keep up with our schedules to become successful.

So much so we end up eating at odd hours, eating unhealthy, with no time to exercise, with no time to drink enough water and of course as a result getting less sleep.

Being an entrepreneur myself, I know where you come from and I know the slogan 'We got to do what we got to do' will repeat itself.

I can see many of you nodding heads and saying "Oh yeah, she reads my mind".

So how do we tackle all this mental stress and body strain?

As you read ahead, you probably will nod your head and say many of the things listed below are definitely possible and within your reach.

Being a fit professional means eating right and also getting the right amount of exercise for the day.

I am not going to be telling you to get sleep or get a vacation; those are things that our body will do if we set a few basic things right into our routine.

1. Get 30 minutes of exercise everyday

For most healthy adults, experts recommend at least 30 minutes if physical activity a day.

Thirty minutes a day, five times a week is an easy goal to remember. Don't you think?

Exercising helps in pumping more oxygen into our system; which in turn helps in rejuvenating cells and making you feel refreshed in both mind and body.

So what can you do in 30 minutes?

Cycle to work, run, walk, practice yoga, climb stairs, create fitness playlists on YouTube videos or simply hire a personal trainer.

And if you are training by yourself, get a device that will push you to meet your targets and make you walk up and down even during your conference calls.

And one more tip -- take the stairs at your home and office whenever you can!

2. Start your mornings with warm lemon water

The way you start each day is incredibly important.

Starting your day with warm lemon water and a dash of salt brings in multiple benefits to the body and mind according to Ayurveda.

How to make it?

In a glass with 200 ml warm water, add in a juice from one lemon and a pinch of salt. Give it a stir and drink it first thing in the morning.

How does it help?

Lemon water helps in flushing out toxins from our body. It aids in digestion and encourages the production of bile.

It helps reducing pain and inflammation in joints and knees as it dissolves uric acid.

It helps cure the common cold.

The potassium content in lemon helps nourish brain and nerve cells and much more.

3. Start the day with a healthy breakfast

With the hectic work and travel schedules of working people and entrepreneurs, making sure you have breakfast as a priority meal for the day is important.

Packing your breakfast with grains, carbohydrates, proteins and fibre will give you the wholesome nutrition that your body needs to kickstart the day.

Quick 10-minute breakfast ideas

Planned 30-minute Breakfast Ideas

You can find these recipes and many more healthy vegetarian recipes on my site Archana’s Kitchen.

4. Shop, pack and stock healthy snacks for work

Snacking is something we all do when we over work and always reach out for unhealthy ones, because those are the ones that are typically available in the vending machines or the shops near by.

As much as research says that having smaller multiple meals in the day, helps fight lethargy and even keeps the body healthy, we almost tend to forget its importance.

So here is what you can do, that is easy.

Have a couple of canisters on your desk that is packed with some health food bard, or a trail mix.

Set yourselves pop up reminders to make you snack those health food items that you have.

The reminders not only help you eat them on time, they also help you not eat them all the time.

Essentially you will just wait for a reminder to eat.

Isn’t that simple?

Another healthy snack that you can store in the office refrigerator is fruits and raw vegetables.

Cut them in desired shapes, pack them in ziplocks or airtight boxes that will last for about three days and place them in the refrigerator.

Once again, set reminders so you remember to walk up to the refrigerator to get your sources of fruits and raw food.

Simple?

5. Eat healthy at work and when you travel

The hardest thing that most of us find difficult to do when we frequently travel is to consciously eat healthy.

Most often travels are planned. And if you travel often it is very important to take that extra time to find good, simple places that have options for you to eat healthy.

Avoid oily junk foods and try to work on light balanced meals like soup and salads along with a toast or similar options that you would normally eat at home.

Find out your options ahead of time, and figure out the healthiest option that appeals to you.

Start today and stay determined to be fit and healthy.

Photo: Phil Noble/ Reuters

Archana Doshi