Fit for Life - Chew on This

Submitted by Cheryl Metheny

Finding time for healthy choices at work seems almost impossible. Many lunch breaks are spent "running" errands, resulting in a fast food selection for our meal. Think back to some of the same principles you used when preparing lunch for your child to take to school – quick to prepare, easy to eat, attractive, and most important nutritious and satisfying.

Include ready-to-eat fruit and vegetables with low-fat meat and/or cheese choices on whole grain bread. Fresh fruit or vegetables may give the meal a nice crunch or a soft texture – variety in color, texture and or flavor will help satisfy our taste buds and be pretty. A thermos of vegetable soup or chili with whole grain crackers, low-fat cheese and ready-to-eat fruit or fruit juice to drink may warm up a cold day. Remember to pack the napkin, spoon, straw or other important utensils.

Plan your shopping list to include specific items that are easy to include in your lunch:

• fruits and vegetables that can be prepared in advance for an easy "grab and go" in the morning
• individual servings of water or 100% fruit juice chilled and ready
• pack tomorrow's lunch portions from tonight's leftovers while cleaning up the kitchen
• keep a few plastic knives and forks, spoons and napkins in your desk, car or briefcase for emergencies

Plan for the week and you may find lunch or snack becomes easier, less "fast food" and more nutritious!

"In Motion"
Use your breaks to your advantage. Take time to enjoy good weather with a brisk walk outside, around the building, block – whatever fits your setting. If you cannot get out due to the weather, try taking advantage of the stairs and hallways, use a sturdy straight chair not on wheels for chairs exercises, try Office Yoga or meditation. Any of these might help vary your routine and decrease your stress. Alternating your activities can keep you from becoming bored – it is also another way to work on increasing your strengths. If you know you upper body is not strong, you can try using a few minutes from those rainy day breaks to build muscle buy using light weights (soup can, water bottle or and actual weight). You could even make your own small hand-weight to use while walking on break, or to the restroom. Just remember if you are making your own weight using a water bottle, the 16 ounces of water is a measure of volume and not weight, you need to weight the bottle and whatever you use as fill to make sure you have appropriate weight. You can slowly increase the number of times you repeat the exercise or increase the weight. Try to Move More, everyday!

Reprinted with permission from DHS January Fit for Life.