Is Your Job Making You Fat?

Going to waist

Americans have never been so well informed about the health ramifications of being overweight, and yet we’ve never been so heavy. The Center for Disease Control just released these staggering statistics: 67% of Americans are overweight by 10-30 pounds, 25-30% of overweight Americans are obese, weighing more than 30 pounds over their ideal weight.

Everett Koop, the former surgeon general says obesity related illnesses kill more than 300,000 Americans annually and $238 billion dollars are spent each year on health care costs to treat obesity. Overweight people also run a significantly higher risk of: Heart disease, Diabetes, Cancer, High blood pressure, Breathing problems, Arthritis, and Gall bladder complications.

Ultimately we are each responsible for our weight, waistline, what we put in our mouth and whether we choose to exercise. Yet it’s helpful to look at forces that work against our battle of the bulge: there may be several lurking in your workplace right now!

Heed these six warning signs to discern if your job is making you fat

1. You work at a cubicle, tied to a desk, under florescent lights

“Desk Potato” is the label slapped on today’s office workers and other sedentary employees. Fewer people are exerting any real physical energy during their workday (no, moving the mouse doesn’t count). The equation is depressingly simple: when incoming calories exceed energy output, the end result is extra pounds.

If you work under artificial lights all day, you’re probably suffering from lower levels of serotonin, the brain’s mood-calming neurotransmitter. This can lead to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), depression, insomnia, frequent headaches and may result in addictive behaviors such as overeating.

2. Your job subjects you to the two worst kinds of stress:

Relentless: The stress never lets up and you never get a break. There’s always twice as much work at the end of the day than when you started. This kind of pressure causes a build up in the stress-related hormone cortisol, which promotes abdominal fat. You crave salt, sugar and fatty foods to counteract the tension.

Lack of control: You name it, you don’t have control over it: your schedule, deadlines, who you work with, the type of projects you take on, etc. As you try to calm yourself, you might be reaching frequently for ‘comfort carbs,’ since carbohydrates stimulate the production of serotonin, your mood-calming neurotransmitter.

3. Under-employed

If your job is too small for your spirit, and your talents and creativity are not tapped, you turn to food to fill the void.

4. Work leaves you exhausted

Eating a big meal then falling asleep on the couch is not what we need, yet millions of us do this because we come home too tired to see friends, too tired to work out, even too exhausted to walk the dog.

5. You sleep less than 8 hours on a regular basis

You stay late, go in early, work split shifts or miss sleep because you are worrying about work. Cumulative sleep deprivation can result in weight gain because your tendency is to turn to sweets and caffeine the next day for a quick energy fix. Experts now agree that sleep might be just as important to weight loss and maintenance as diet and exercise.

6. Consistently lunching at your desk or skipping lunch

Almost a third of American workers are scarfing down food while toiling away at their desks. We feel deprived, so we nibble mindlessly the rest of the day and into the evening.

So how do I find a job that doesn’t pack on the pounds?

Face reality. Make a list of all the harmful side affects of your job. If the list is long and/or serious, consider switching jobs or careers. The average American will have had 8-10 different careers by the time they retire. It’s OK to switch.

Visualize your dream job. Be specific. If you can dream it, you can live it.

Get support from friends. Networking is still the name of the game. Tell your friends specifically how they can help. Expand your career horizon by trying one new experience each week.

Take a class. Volunteer. Interview people or job shadow those who work at jobs you find intriguing, then…

Honor your energy. If it feels good, is energizing and you love it, it’s a yes! If it feels bad, is draining and you hate it, it’s a no!

Listen to your intuition. Trust that the small, still voice of wisdom within. You do have the answers.

Seriously consider self-employment.

Tired of the glass ceiling and not afraid of hard work? Then release your entrepreneurial spirit and start your own company.

Meanwhile...

Drink more water (8-10 glasses a day)
Add steps. Park further away and walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Get a walking or exercise buddy.
Brush your teeth at work after lunch to help resist afternoon snack attacks.
Limit snacks to healthy veggies you bring from home.
Chew sugar free gum or suck on sugar free candy.
Join a club and find something you enjoy. Pack your workout bag and go before or right after work.
Design a new reward system that doesn’t involve food.
Don’t skip lunch. Resist the temptation to eat at your desk.  -- Stressfree Living

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