Return to Office Playbook: Healthy Edition
Back in the office? See what you can do to keep your healthy lifestyle in the office!
It’s May of 2022, and many of us have been asked to come back into the office by now. While some jobs have converted to be full remote, we see the hybrid model becoming an even more popular option for companies across the nation.
If you are one of those who has (or will be) returning to work in person, I’ve pulled together my best strategies for maintaining a healthy lifestyle while going into the office. Many of us have adapted to the work-from-home lifestyle, and have to re-learn habits to set us up for success. So feel free to use this as a launching pad to help with your transition back, or to mentally prepare you for whenever that does happen (if it does.)
1) Stock the Snack Drawer
This sounds like it could be a dangling temptation during the workday, but similar to pre-packing snacks for travel, this allows you to have clean options on hand. If you are eating well-rounded, nutritious meals, you’ll likely be less “snacky”, but sometimes it happens! And planning ahead with staples in your drawer is key!
The goal when stocking up your snack drawer is to pick snacks that have quality ingredients, minimal preservatives, and will support blood sugar balance. This means prioritizing protein, fat and fiber to avoid sugar crashes and cravings. If your healthy snack drawer is stocked with Larabars, granola bars, or other foods that are high in carbohydrates or sugar, a sugar crash is almost guaranteed - hello, 3pm tired spell. We want clean energy to get us through the work day, not something that is going to drain our energy! Here are some ideas to get you started:
Pantry-item snacks that support blood sugar balance: protein bars such as Bulletproof or No Cow, clean beef jerky such as Epic or Chomps, nuts, protein powder packs, & peanut/almond butter packs
Hydration: LMNT electrolytes, Ultima electrolytes, or Nuun tablets depending on your taste preferences
Antioxidants: Amazing Grass Greens Powder - Antioxidant Berry flavor & green or herbal tea (Pique is a clean instant tea brand that can mix into hot or cold water)
Coffee: Four Sigmatic coffee packs with option to add a serving of collagen, and/or a serving of MCT oil or powder (I prefer the Bulletproof instant mix powdered creamer which has a good blend of healthy fats and a little bit of fiber)
2) Create Consistency & Start Your Morning the Night BEFORE
This is difficult to get used to at first, but if you are doing a hybrid and only going in the office a few times a week, try to stick to the same eating and sleep schedule throughout the week in order to work in sync with your circadian rhythm.
You can also set yourself up for success for the mornings by doing as much prep as you can the night before. Set an alarm Sunday-Thursday night for 1 hour prior to bed time to prep for the next day. Make it easier on yourself and layout your workout clothes, and prep your breakfast, supplements, and lunch. Mornings are so much smoother when you aren’t racing against the clock and everything is ready to go for you!
3) Strategically Map Out Workouts Based on Office vs WFH Days
If you are a high-achiever at work, you may deal with a lot of stress from deadlines, requests from others & pressures you put on yourself. Now take that and add on the stimulation from being in the office after being used to working from home for the last ~2 years. It can feel like a lot!
We want to keep stress management top of mind and not over-burden your body with high-intensity workouts on top of a stressful/busy workday. You can strategically make your busiest work days ones where you do yoga, walking, or something low-intensity to get in your daily movement. Then schedule your high-intensity workouts on your less-intensive work days or over the weekend. This will give your cortisol a break and keep your body from always feeling like it has to be in first gear.
4) Move Your Body Throughout the Day, Not Just During a 1-hour Workout
This concept applies to both at home AND in the office. It is so incredibly easy to become sedentary when working a desk job. You could look at the clock and not realize 3 hours just went by. Continuous movement throughout the day is a much more effective strategy than getting one intense workout in and being sedentary the entire rest of the day. Find creative ways to add in walks, take stretch breaks, or use your standing desk if you have one. For the ladies, keep a pair of comfy walking shoes at your desk in case an opportunity arises to do a walking meeting! Speed walking down the hall in heels is definitely not ideal.
5) Managing Office Temptations
Going back into the office usually means more opportunities for culture, gathering, celebrating… and a lot of times, that involves food. Especially when it is a social event, it makes it so easy to consume unnecessary sugar you weren’t even thinking about it in the first place! What do you do when there are department breakfasts, catered lunches, happy hours, or bake-offs?! You don’t have to be a robot; I want you to have the freedom to enjoy the special moments!
When you are deciding if you should reach for those breakfast tacos your boss brought in, check in with yourself. Even by taking a moment to ask yourself if this food is “worth it” rather than mindlessly reaching for it will allow you to make a more intuitive decision. If you find yourself temped, but don’t want a sugar crash, reach for an alternative in your snack drawer! (See #1 above.) Evaluate what is “worth it” to you and don’t stress when you do partake.
6) Watch Caffeine Intake!
At home or in the office, this maybe an unpopular suggestion, but a valuable one. Overall, the more caffeine you intake, the more cortisol you release, which can lead to long term stress & low energy. This will also make it difficult to burn fat, and could disrupt sleep at night. The later in the day you have that cup of coffee, the higher chance you will have your mind running at 10p when you are trying to fall asleep. If you don’t want to give up your morning coffee ritual, I hear you. To lower the cortisol impact, drink your coffee after breakfast, or add in a protein and/or fat to your coffee such as collagen or MCT oil. You can also try switching to decaf, or make something lower in caffeine like a matcha or Four Sigmatic instant coffee which has half the caffeine.
While there may be an adjustment period as you get used to going back into the office, just remember it is a test-and-learn cycle. If you find it difficult to maintain healthy habits when going into the office, give yourself grace, reflect, and plan for next time. Before you know it, you’ll be an office-health-pro!
If any of these strategies resonated with you or you have found other strategies to help support a healthy lifestyle while back in the office, I’d love to hear about it! Comment on my latest IG post or send me a DM!
-Lauren