Keys to Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle When Working 9-5

Work-life balance is hard to maintain. That idea is pretty much common for all of us 9-5 workers. But if I may be permitted to share a controversial opinion, then I’d like to stress that health and satisfaction shouldn’t be available only to those privileged enough to survive without 9-5 drudgery. 

A healthy diet is essential to a healthy lifestyle and this is true just as much if you’re stuck in a 9-5 work routine or if you’re a boss that chooses his or her own work timings.

Following are some tips that can help you maintain energy levels to excel at your job and for general upkeep of your mind and body:

Morning walk

The benefits of physical exercise and walking are hard to ignore. Starting your day with an activity as healthy as a 30-40 minute walk can set the perfect tone for your entire day, leaving you feeling refreshed and at the top of your game. 

The fact that exercise is correlated with lower blood pressure, risk for diabetes, and also has the effect of reducing stress levels makes it a non-negotiable for all office-goers.

Rest

Modern work cultures seem to be designed around the idea that rest is undesirable. We’re conditioned to feel guilty for something as basic and essential as getting rest because the worth of the modern man is determined by his productivity and usefulness. It’s high time that such ideals are shattered, so we can as a society focus more on our actual lives, passions, and dreams beyond what we can offer at our workplace.

Good rest is important because it is crucial for our health. It is commonly accepted that everyone needs at least 7 hours of sound, uninterrupted sleep every night. Even if you’re a workaholic and work assumes the greatest importance in your life, rest is still essential in order to maintain optimum energy levels needed to be productive. 

A comfortable mattress is one of the easiest ways to sleep better and give your body the perfect rest it needs. This list of best mattresses recommendations can help you find a decent mattress for sleeping better.

Breakfast of champions

Common wisdom suggests that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And it makes sense. Your body wakes up every day after going through a period of starvation throughout the night. The energy requirements are therefore the highest during your waking hours, which is why a breakfast composed of a healthy, nutritious diet is essential. 

Avoid the urge to skip breakfast. If you’re one of those hustlers that wake up before a few minutes of the start of your shift, try waking up a little earlier to make time for a quick but healthy breakfast. Your body will thank you for it.

Stay hydrated

Your balance doesn’t just need solid foods; fluid intake, especially in the form of water, is just as important. A lot of the natural regulation processes of the body are supported by hydration and having at least three liters of water a day. 

Avoid smoking

Cigarettes consist of thousands of harmful chemicals. It is an unfortunate fact that cigarette consumption has become so pervasive across cultures, contributing to dozens of serious illnesses including cancer, cardiovascular, and respiratory problems. 

A healthy lifestyle cannot allow for any amount of smoking. If you’re a smoker, quitting cigarettes should be on the top of your list of things to do in order to transition to a more healthy way of living.

Fix unhealthy habits

We all develop bad habits along the way. The trick is to shed these before they become a permanent feature of our personality. For instance, if you don’t brush at least twice a day or can’t go a day without having soda, these are some habits you should consider changing for a start. 

It’s important to think deeply about your habits and introspect. You can even make a list of habits and then categorize them into good ones and bad ones. This helps you become more self-aware, allowing you to identify and control your less desirable proclivities while reinforcing the better aspects of your lifestyle.

 Stress management

Contemporary life is deeply imbued with stress, competition, and pressures. The psychological effects of stress can be debilitating and have a far greater impact on your overall health than you might want to assume. 

Having said that, it’s impossible not to feel stressed. The world is vast. Good and bad things happen together in endless permutations, and there is very little we can do about the larger forces of nature and society at play. But while we may not be able to control everything outside of us, we can still control how we react. 

All of stress management is about controlling our reactions, perspectives, and coping behaviors. Use your agency and will to your advantage.

Recreation and Balance

This point is related to the previous one but it’s no less important. It is easy to forget the simpler pleasures of life when submerged in the daily hustle of work-life. But taking out time for yourself is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. 

We weren’t born to pay bills until the end of our lives. There is much that the world has to offer and while hard work is always admirable, a life of balance is characterized by a healthy space for recreation and following our passions outside of the scope of work.

Final Thoughts

The busy life of an office-goer is sure tough. But the tougher something is, the greater strength and energy you need to overcome it. This is why it is crucial for people living the 9-5 life (which is almost all of us) to focus on their health and lifestyle first and foremost for a more fulfilling life and even better productivity levels at the workplace.