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7 ways to lose weight at work

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7 ways to lose weight at work

According to Dubai's health authorities, half the population of the UAE will be obese by the end of 2016.

Published: Tue 12 Jan 2016, 11:00 PM

Updated: Thu 14 Jan 2016, 2:30 AM

  • By
  • Curated by Nida Sohail/ Web Journalist

According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2010 and the Arab Burden of disease publication it had been found that obesity is the leading cause of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY) in the UAE and the third leading cause of death.
Dr Altrabulsi from Zulekha Hospital had performed almost 60 fat loss surgeries since the launch of the bariatric surgery centre in September 2013 till June 1,2014.
He also said that he had seen obese patients as young as 18 years olds suffering from diabetes and hypertension.
As accentuated by the WHO, the problem of obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally. It is responsible for the death of at least 2.8 million people.

Keeping all these fretful occurrences in mind we've come up with a few 'do-able' ways for you to lose weight at work. Take a look at what they are and don't just limit them to reading alone.
1. Be sure to chew some sugar-free gum
This may be considered as an extremely bad habit, but it certainly has some boggling health benefits. As shape.com suggests, chewing some gum is known to reduce stress which can prevent you from emotional eating. According to chewinggumfacts.com, this habit reduces one's craving for sugary and fatty foods, which will have you lose all that extra flab in no time.
What more, scientists have also found that chewing gum can have you burn at least 11 calories per hour and also improve your memory. Get a box-full to grace your work desk this very minute!

2. Laughter is the best medicine
Well it sure is, especially when it comes to attempts at trying to lose weight at work. Breaking into a laugh in the middle of a corporate meeting might just get you fired, but indulging in some at your desk might go a long way. As per the data from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, you can burn up to 40 calories by laughing for about 10 to 15 minutes in a day.
So, remember to share that WhatsApp joke with your colleague during lunch today!

3. Fidgeting at workplace
Now this is something that you must have been seriously warned against at school, and more so by your parents. But there is no harm in fidgeting a little to stay fit, even if it means doing so at your desk. As per one of the studies conducted by the Iowa State University, it was found that people who tend to fidget a lot, move around or walk a little at work ended up burning an additional 300 calories compared to those co-workers who remained glued to their seats for long hours.
If only our class teachers were aware of this, we never would have spent those precious academic hours remaining punished in the school corridors.

Obesity facts by WHO (Recent global estimates)

It was in 2014 that more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight and over 600 million people were obese.
Secondly, about 13% of the world's adult population (11% of men and 15% of women) happened to be obese in 2014.
 

4. Don't be a couch potato
Sitting is new smoking. Isn't it? Fairly so, as sitting has been found to be the most evident cause of obesity in modern times. So standing at your work instead of sitting at it might be an excellent idea. According to zentoffitness.com, standing at the work desk boosts one's energy levels, tones the leg muscles, improves the workers posture and surges the metabolism like nothing else.
In a back pain study by Stanford University, it's been found that the workers who stood at the desks were 78% more likely to report lesser body aches than their sedentary colleagues.

 As per a statement published in the dailymail.co.uk, Dr Stuart Biddle, a Professor of Physical Activity & Health at Loughborough University says that simply by standing and walking for five minutes in every 30 of an eight-hour working day - an hour and 20 minutes a day, an average adult could burn over 2,500 calories over one month.
Appallingly healthy isn't it?
Dr Stuart Biddle also says that 'Even if you exercise for at least 30 minutes  on most days, you are still storing up health problems from being sedentary too much. The message is clear - move more and sit less!'
5. Water: The miracle drink
According to a study quoted in time.com, it has been found that drinking 16 ounces of water before any meal can help you lose more weight than otherwise.
With reference to another German study quoted on totalbeauty.com, it has been seen that drinking warm water throughout the day has been seen to increase ones metabolic rate by about 30 per cent.
So, the faster your metabolism gets to be, the more calories you burn and the fitter you get.
The new you is just a bottle of water away.

6. Say goodbye to emails and phone calls
This might be slightly difficult to do, but will go a long way in getting a little if not a lot of exercise. Walking up to your colleague to get some work done, discuss minutes of a meeting of just talk about what you don't like about the boss might get you move around a little.
And what more a walk up to the 'gossip central'- the pantry might just do the trick too!

Did You know
  • People happen to gain an average of just 1g of extra body fat a day.
  • One of the craziest diets ever invented to lose weight is the 'Tapeworm Diet'
  • Stress is one of the main culprits for weight gains.
  • Sniffing vanilla helps in overcoming sugar cravings 
(Sources for facts: Realbuzz.com, weightlossresources.co.uk, readersdigest.com)
7. Exercises you can do while sitting down
If you're stuck in your seat for extended periods, you can still do exercises to stretch and move your body. (Source: Prevention.com)
Chair Dips

 Arm Circles

Leg Extensions

Oblique twist

Seated Press-Ups

Knee Tucks

Chair Slide

Chest Squeeze
 
According to the European Association for the Study of Obesity the number of obese people worldwide has doubled up since 1980. This fact might scare you a little but the fact that weight gain and obesity is preventable might motivate you to stay fit.
So what are you waiting for, you should have taken the above mentioned steps, by yesterday!
 (With inputs from a Khaleej Times story)



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