Cubicle Life vs. Healthy Life

It’s the common struggle. Working a desk job, no doubt, can easily turn into a very unhealthy life. You are trapped in an office for 8-9 hours or more a day, with lots of stress and very little movement. And once you are out of your corporate cage, you have lots of other things to do, which a lot of times takes away from setting up our lives to be healthier ones.

(there are at least 5… 6 if you count the picture of my dog, named R2)

I know from personal experience how difficult it is to work in an office. Many times there are cake and candy and other unhealthy meals and snacks that can throw you off.

And of course, there is the obvious. There is VERY little movement involved. Here are some things I have done to help me personally. Mind you, I don’t have any children (unless you count the four-legged one that poops outside), so I definitely have a little more freedom I would say than a working mother. However, maybe some of my routine will help you!

Waking up – I wake up later than I really should. I take my showers at night, so that I can sleep in more in the morning. I have to be at work at 8:00 am, and with a 15 min commute, I roll out of bed no later than 7:06 am.

Morning Routine – i roll out of bed, get dressed, maybe curl my hair, maybe toss it in a bun, yell at my boyfriend to get in the shower, makeup, brush my teeth, deoderant, mini dance party in the bathroom (my boyfriend likes to play music while he showers and make Adam Sandler impressions “CONDITIONER IS BETTAH”) take the dog downstairs to poop (but really to chase birds and bark at people on their bikes), and then run upstairs, yell at my boyfriend we have literally 1 minute to be in the car, and then pack my lunch/snacks for the day.

Lunch/Snacks/Breakfast – These days, I really have to set myself up for success. Since I live and die by Fresh & Easy, I shop there for my week (every Sunday). I try to bring my breakfast option in on Monday, and keep it in the break room. Usually it’s English muffins with blackberry jam, or whole wheat waffles. (Play around with this option, we have a toaster, so I capitalize on that, however, some places don’t, so things like oatmeal are good if you at least have hot water or a microwave.) I also try to keep some sort of fruit available to grab while I am running out the door. Usually a banana or an orange, to compliment my breakfast carb.

For snacks, i try to have a light yogurt around (my favorite is the yoplait light key lime pie, however, Greek yogurt is good too), some fruit, or vegetables (carrots, cucumber and hummus, heck yes), and maybe some whole-wheat eatwell cheese crackers for when I’m feeling saucy!

For lunches, I pretty much stick the Fresh & Easy Eatwell frozen meals (they are actually really good), but when I am feeling tired of that, I will go get a salad or maybe soup, or a sandwich. But I am ALWAYS sure to pre-count the points on those if I know it’s different from my typical routine. I will also pair my lunch with fruits or vegetables, and I ALWAYS am drinking water. If I ever splurge, it’s on coke zero…. but water is less-cancerous, sooooo…….

After Work – Now that I have my new gym membership, I hit the gym immediately after work. It is about 2 blocks from my office, so I just walk over there. I purposely changed gyms for the convenience factor… It truly is WAY more convenient, and I am definitely more likely to go.

After that, I walk the 2 blocks back to my car, and go home to take my dog outside to go potty (and chase more birds), and then we promptly jump back in the car to pick up Jeff.

Evening Routine – I try to hop in the shower (if not before dinner than after), then cook dinner which is usually something I had pre-planned and shopped for that previous Sunday. I usually get my recipes from different recipe blogs on the internet, and then save them all on Pinterest where it’s easy for me to access later.

Then, I serve dinner, and snuggle with my boyfriend and my dog while trying to make it through ALL of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I usually wrap the night up with something made by SkinnyCow, and then maybe putz around on The Sims 3.

And that is a typical Erin day. I really try to keep my routine as healthy as I can, because I DO spend so much time sitting. Walking at lunch helps, and working out after work helps too. Eating healthy is VERY important though. Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym, after all. ;)