Is Your Job Preventing You from Losing Weight?

As you work at the task of losing weight, you want to be sure that you are considering all relevant aspects. So many of us tend to focus on what we’re eating and how we’re exercising, but weight problems can go much further than that.

What is Preventing You from Losing Weight?

The stress that we lead or the activity level that we engage in on a daily basis can most certainly be a factor. If you feel as though you are having a hard time losing weight, then it may be time to look at the big picture. The type of lifestyle that you lead overall can greatly contribute to your body composition, which affects your efforts to lose weight and change your body.

Look at the Lifestyle Created by Your Job

You may wonder just how your job can have any relationship to your ability to losing weight in the first place. We think of a healthy lifestyle in many different ways, but usually this focuses on aspects such as the foods that we eat. If you have a job where you sit at a desk for a long time and don’t get any activity, that may be a big contributor to your weight gain.

It may even mean that you aren’t able to lose weight as quickly. This means that fat not only has nowhere to go but also accumulates more easily in problem areas such as your belly or your glutes. Just getting up for short breaks and incorporating some activity can make a huge difference!

If you’re wondering about the impact of your unique job, consider the following factors:

• Does your job environment encourage junk food consumption? Are there doughnuts in the break room or is birthday cake often served?
• Does your job keep you on the go without a set time for a lunch break?
• Does your job keep you standing or sitting for several hours at a time, or the whole day for that matter?
• Is your job highly stressful, leaving you feeling exhausted by the time you head home?
• Does your job involve shift work or are you on call 24 hours per day, interrupting your sleep?

These are only some of the influences a job can have on your lifestyle that may be preventing you from losing weight.

Aiming for an Overall Healthy Lifestyle

One aspect of your job that may prevent you from losing weight may be the stress associated with your work. You may have noticed that stress was a factor in the questions above.  If you are constantly under pressure or have a great deal of anxiety, then this too can contribute to weight gain. The more stress that we feel in our daily lives, the more that this can lead to weight gain. You may have a hard time losing weight, or you may just find that the pounds pack on more easily. There is a very real connection between our jobs, the stress they bring, and our overall health and weight profiles!

After all, stress is exhausting.  It wreaks havoc on our mental wellbeing when we experience it to a chronic degree.  This can make it difficult to have enough energy to keep up a physically active lifestyle.  It can also interrupt our sleep, which can slow down our metabolism and promote food cravings. Both of those factors can be detrimental to a healthy weight loss effort.

Take a Closer Look

When you look at your job and your health, be sure to consider the opportunities your job offers for a healthy lifestyle. Try to pick a job in which you are happy, and always incorporate short breaks of simple activity. When you are active and happy and free of stress, you know that losing weight will happen much more easily. This is all tied to a healthy lifestyle overall, so be sure that you are thinking about every aspect of your wellbeing. Your job is a big part of your life, so you need to be reasonably happy and stress-free as a top priority.

Sound impossible?  Perhaps the job market in your field is tough right now or you love your job despite the stress it entails.  If this is the case – and it is for millions of us – it’s time to take a closer look at our job life and our home life.  If your job is extremely stressful, make a specific effort to take on coping and stress-busting activities at home. This doesn’t just mean TV time – though a little bit doesn’t hurt.

Consider meditation or a yoga class (or video). The difference they make is astounding and the differences in the brain can be measured on an MRI. If a lack of activity is your challenge, go for a walk first thing in the morning.  Fifteen to 20 minutes can make a big difference to your physical and mental health and by doing it first thing, you won’t find your schedule so full that you feel you can’t fit it in. It’s already done!  Whenever you can, pack your lunch from home so you can avoid take-out and processed foods.  If you don’t have time for a whole meal, bring a lunch made of smaller snack-size portions that you can eat on the go.