Don't pack on the pounds behind your desk!

An Australian research found that people who sat at their desks more than six hours a day are nearly twice as likely to be overweight than those who sit for less than 45 minutes a day.

It's no secret that sedentary jobs (and lifestyles) have contributed dramatically to the obesity rate for the past 20 years. A study conducted by the University of Chicago in 2001 found that a worker in a sedentary career may end up with a body mass index 3.3 units higher than someone in a highly active job. That would mean - if you are 5'5" your weight would go from 140 pounds to 155 pounds (a 15 pound weight gain)!

Now that you've heard the bad news, here's the good news:

5 Ways to be proactive in an inactive environment:

1. Be sure to eat. It's easy to go through your day of meetings, e-mails and phone calls only to discover that it is 3:00pm and you haven't ate since breakfast. Your body needs energy to get you through the day. Make it a priority to have a healthy and tasty meal - along with 1-2 healthy snacks.

2. Do the opposite. Compensate your sedentary workday by doing the opposite - exercise. Join a gym, take an early morning walk or run, or find time for fitness fun with your family. Buy 1-2 pieces of home exercise equipment that will allow you to exercise no matter what the weather.

3. Don't involve food. Chances are, your friends and co-workers need help on their muffin tops (you know, that bulge around your belly that hangs over your pants...muffin top) just as much as you do. So, try some new activities that don't revolve around food. Organize bi-weekly volleyball games, walk during lunch, or play a quick round of mini-golf after work.

4. Vary your routine. We all have them - those daily rituals, like heading upstairs to the cafeteria for a mid-morning latte and muffin. You can still have those items...but make it sometimes, not all times.

5. Lose the technology. Modern advances are great, but don't miss opportunities to get up and move around. Deliver that memo in person, sit on a stability ball at your desk to improve your posture, part at the far end of the parking lot for a brisk walk to your building. You'll be surprised how quickly minor changes can improve your energy level and help you get fit.

STAT Alert!
One in five Americans are obese; three in five are either overweight or obese. But sitting at a desk doesn't have to mean you'll be just another statistic! Incorporating these simple strategies into your workday will bring you one step closer to being a healthier, more energetic you.

Author's Bio: 

After graduating college from Winona State University, Mindy was offered a masters level position at a Cardiovascular Clinic & Medical Center as an Exercise Physiologist and Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialist. There, she ran stress tests measuring my patient’s heart rhythm and cardiopulmonary fitness from athletes to people with severe heart problems. She also monitored outpatient exercise programs and performed heart screenings at a Women’s Heart Clinic. It was a very high stress occupation – but Mindy took great pleasure in educating her patients on nutrition, exercise and living a healthier life.

After her husband, Andy graduated Chiropractic College, they moved to the Brainerd Lakes area and opened their practice – Telic Family ChiropracTIC. Mindy worked with him for the first year and then decided to get back into the things she loved – exercise and health – but didn’t want to work in a high stress clinical setting. It was then that Mindy received information about one the top Nutrition schools in the world – The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in Manhattan NY affiliated with Columbia University. One year later, she became a Certified Holistic Health Counselor accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners’. Her and her husband strive to live their lives as natural as possible and bring harmony and balance into our lives; and she wants to teach her clients how to do the same.

Mindy opened her practice in August of 2007 – Amplify Life and that is just what she wants to do – Amplify your life to make it amazing!

This is a unique approach. As your Holistic Health Coach, she is your personal advocate for living an energized and passionate life. Whatever your concerns are, her job is to help you find which food and lifestyle choices will work best for you and the life you desire. When diet changes, everything changes. What you eat literally becomes your cells, blood, tissues, organs and even your thoughts, decisions and emotions.

Mindy will take you through a process that produces changes in your food choices, physical activity, and lifestyle at a pace that is comfortable for you. Her programs produce lasting results and you will gain resources and tools you can use for a lifetime. This approach is different; it is based on you as a YOU-nique individual.

This approach is not about acquiring more self-discipline or willpower. It's about personally discovering what nourishes you, what feeds you and ultimately what makes your life extraordinary!

Learn more at: www.amplifylife.net