One of our most challenging environments to stay healthy is at work, because unless you work at home alone (which has its own challenges), you can’t completely control your environment. If you work with other people, they’ll bring donuts for meetings, leftover birthday cake, leftover halloween candy, baked goodies, you name it. And then some of us have to contend with taco trucks, vending machines and other purveyors of crappy food.
So how do you stay on track? Here are 5 tips that have worked for me:
- Make a rule: You don’t eat the junk food at work. Period. Not one taste, nothing. Why? Moderation is hard to come by. If treats are an option, even if you don’t give in you’ll obsess and make yourself miserable. Tell yourself you’re just not the kind of person who eats that food.
- Avoid it. If one of your coworkers has a candy bowl you can’t resist, ask to meet at your desk. If you can get somewhere without passing the break room, do it.
- Push it away. I’ve literally moved cookies down the hall away from where I’d see them. And… someone moved them back! So, I moved them even further away. This time those cookies didn’t find their way back. If someone brings donuts to the meeting, push the box down the table away from you. And block your view with a cup of tea.
- Imagine it to be totally disgusting. That’s not cream cheese for those bagels, it’s rancid Crisco. Those chocolate chips? Bugs. Make it less than desirable in your mind, and you can stop thinking about it.
- Make a deal. If all else fails, make a deal with yourself. Have some gum, drink some tea, and tell yourself if you still REALLY REALLY want it after 30 minutes, you can have a limited amount of it. But you’ll have to track it. With any luck, it will be gone by then.
- Bring your own food. I always have oatmeal, canned soup, etc so I can’t use the excuse that I’m too busy to get food.
Remember, it’s not a treat if it’s every day. Even if you can’t control everything about your environment, you can control your responses and prepare yourself.
