5 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism After the Holidays
Admit it, you ate a few more desserts than planned over the holidays. You could be feeling a little bloated, sluggish, or exhausted. Your body just underwent a major dietary change, and might need some help recovering.
Reynolds and Reynolds provides access to a gym for all employees, and most locations feature workout classes on-site during the week to help associates stay in shape. It’s easy to fit a workout in over the lunch hour, or after the workday is done.
Improving our health is not limited to mealtimes and the gym. There are multiple things we can do during the workday to give our metabolism a boost. We asked the Health and Wellness Coordinator at the Dayton location, Kim, what she recommends. Here is what she suggested to help get over the post-holiday slump:
1. Drink LOTS of Water
Her first suggestion was to drink as many liters as half your body weight. For example, someone who is 140 lbs should drink 70 oz. of water a day. Don’t put the water bottle down yet – if you’re exercising, you should be drinking more than half your body weight to keep from getting dehydrated.
2. Eat Avocado
Attention all guac lovers! Eating one half or one whole avocado per day can increase your metabolism. Who doesn’t want to burn a few extra calories while sitting and creating spreadsheets or working on projects?
3. Stand Up
Stand every half hour, or get up and move around for at least 2 minutes each hour. Spread out the tasks involving visiting other departments to help keep yourself moving. You could also watch the clock, and stand while working for the last few minutes of every hour.
4. Make a Change
Have you been doing the same workout routine for the past few months? Mix it up. Incorporate strength training exercises in your cardio routine, or vice versa. Your muscle memory could be preventing you from losing those last few pounds. By mixing up your routine, you’ll be challenging your muscles to work a little harder.
5. Pack Your Lunch
By packing your lunch, you will ensure healthy decisions and avoid the temptation to eat unhealthy food. Also, you won’t need to make a last-minute run between meetings to get fast food.
The post-holiday slump happens to the best of us. Do your best to stay awake and alert during the day, even when your feet feel like dragging. With some extra effort, you’ll be fully recovered in no-time.