Fall is revving up, and you might find yourself running around your office like an unbroken pony, trying to keep it all together. After the relaxation of summer, the increased business might feel jarring. But there’s no need to forgo taking care of yourself. These tips that I have for you can be incorporated into even the very busiest of busy schedules, and will help you even boost your health, energy and beauty… while you are at work.
I was thinking about this topic because I had an insanely busy trip to New York City last week. Is it me, or does every trip to NYC get over scheduled and over packed, every single time? I ask myself every time I go there now, “How did I possibly live here for so long?” (I know, so quickly she turned into an LA girl! You might be thinking!).
I had so many meetings uptown and downtown and was in and out of Ubers and taxis and the subway, with barely enough time to even think. Geez. This experience was an excellent reminder to me of one of the top things I get asked about- how do you stay healthy when you are really busy?
Well I have some great tips for you, which are different from the usual “take the stairs sometimes” tips, which are well meaning but so-common-you-ignore-them tips.
Check out my Be Healthy at Work Tips for yourself:
1. Take off your shoes under your desk and roll your feet on a reflexology ball while you work.
At first read you might have wrinkled your nose in puzzlement at this one. But trust me. I have a little blue ball that I got from a local New Balance store for about $15 I think (ta da! Pictured here), and I keep it on the floor of my half infrared sauna that I work in all the time.
The whole time I’m writing or working, I just step on it and roll it back and forth under the soles of my feet. It feels ah-mazing! And according to the Reflexology Research Project[i], this simple type of reflexology helps you de-stress, among many other benefits. It also helps to increase blood flow (via stimulating nerve endings) to the kidneys and intestines, which are key elimination organs to optimize for maximum beauty.
Happy Feet! My feet are very happy when I roll around on my little reflexology ball.
Even on the busiest of days, you can kick off your heels in your office or cubicle, and promote beauty from the inside out from the bottom of your feet where no one can even see!
2. Sprinkle a pinch of nutmeg into your hot drinks.
When I was visiting Sri Lanka a few weeks ago I saw nutmeg, clove and lots of other plants growing in the local gardens!
Keep a jar of nutmeg at your desk and sprinkle this earthy, yummy herb into any hot tea or coffee you drink. Nutmeg is believed to help reduce gas and aid bloating and constipation (another big beauty doozy). You only need a small pinch or so to benefit.
You don’t even need to get up from dealing with your zillion emails you have to clear out to help promote your digestion/beauty… you just need to life a finger (ok two, actually, your forefinger and thumb) and pinch some nutmeg to add to your mug. That’s it!
Note: If you are pregnant or nursing, you might want to avoid nutmeg, as certain other spices, to air on the side of caution.
3. Set your own personal “policies.”
Sometimes, I think my little half infrared sauna as a mini home! I do work in here, eat in here…Maybe I can find a way to nap in here too one day! All these things while I’m flushing out heavy metals that contribute to the appearance of cellulite!
I dislike the word “rules” in general, so let’s say “policies.” You probably have company policies you have to abide by, such as a certain time you’re supposed to get to work, vacation days to take, etc.
Within that structured environment, why not make some personal in-house health rules that you take as seriously as the ones your company makes? For instance, some great health & beauty policies for yourself are that you won’t eat anything at conference room meetings. Period. Don’t even open the door for a nibble of a doughnut to escalate into a daytime of bad eating habits. Just make it a personal policy to stay totally away. Come aimed with a Glowing Green Smoothie ® or a bowl of oatmeal and negate the less than superior offerings that are usually offered at these meetings.
Some other personal policies you make could be that you don’t have more than one cup of coffee before lunch (if you need more hot drinks there is always tons of variations of beautifying tea to try!) or you only eat plant-based lunches. Whatever works for you…but make these beauty policies as “official” as your company policies are (you could even write them out and post them somewhere to make them more tangible), and stick to them!
4. Find the best ethnic restaurants in your area.
Do you eat the same things every day for lunch? Check out veggie, stew, salad and soup-heavy ethnic restaurants which might be “hiding” in plain view right around the corner, where you can fill up (usually pretty inexpensively) with lots of delicious fiber-filled foods. My favorites are Ethiopian (which I just ate today. So many veggie dishes!) and Thai (I tend to avoid Indian in the middle of the day, which can feel heavy).
Chinese could be an option if it has some truly veggie soups (not made with chicken broth), steamed veggies and brown rice. I get the veggie dishes like the stewed cabbage, green beans and carrots (Ethiopian), Tom Yum soup, papaya salad, etc. In my video/written module course The Glowing Lean System I have sample meals plans for all different kinds of restaurants, if you want to check it out for more guidance.
You might just have some hidden gems around that can help you snap out of a continual wheat-ish wrap cycle or the same grilled chicken salad day in and day out. Plus ethnic foods have a variety of different spices and herbs to help kick start your metabolism and entice your taste buds in the most satisfying one. Step out of the lunch box (pun intended!) and open your eyes to what is really around.
5. Carry filtered water.
Office time is a primo time for hydrating. While you are sitting at your desk keep drinking water next to you. Just make sure you aren’t loading up with chemicals from BPA-containing plastic water bottles or tap water!
Get a good filter at home- or convince your company to invest in one (you are allowed to laugh if your company is super cheap and this invites a chuckle! :) ), and carry your water to work in BPA-free containers or a big thermos you pour out from. The bonus? Strong arm muscles from the extra water load! The other side? Clean, excellent beauty water to flush toxins out of your system, support fat metabolism and youthful, supple skin, and luscious hair. Plus you’ll save $ from having to buy plastic bottles every day (and all the much better for Mother Earth to boot).
Hope you enjoyed my tips for you! They are all ones that have worked for me. (I don’t work at a company per se but I do have policies for my daily routine I follow).
You could say Katelyn (our Beauty Detox community manager) and I have pretty unusual work lives that aren’t in traditional offices, but we still apply tips like this to regulate our work days!
Do you have any other great get-health-at-work tips you want to share with us?
I’d love to hear them!
Here’s to a healthier work week. Have a wonderful day…
And see you here soon.
Much love,
Kimberly
[i] Reflexology Research Project.
https://www.reflexology-research.com/index.php/what-is-reflexology/what-are-the-benefits-of-reflexology
These are great tips and cute photos! I wish I could work in an infrared sauna! Maybe someday :)