I just got back from a meeting of fellow bloggers and a few women got on the topic of gaining weight. One woman couldn’t figure out why she had gained 20 pounds since she quit her corporate job. Was it depression? Was it an illness? Was it something more? I quickly raised my hand to give my opinion!

When you have an office job, chances are you have to park your car and walk inside.  When you work at home you walk across the living room. When you have an office job you get up to use the copier, the bathroom, get coffee, meet with clients, walk back to your car to go to lunch, etc. When you change to a job like blogging – you rarely get up from your chair and when you do – it’s to walk 10 or so feet.

Let’s talk about snacking! When you have an office job, chances are you either bring your lunch or plan to go out to lunch. Either way you don’t have a fully stocked fridge beckoning you to open it every time you get up to stretch or to take a break. I snack when I take breaks. A handful of pistachios here,  an ice cream sandwich there…..next thing you know you are sitting at your computer for 12 hours a day – snacking and eating all the while and you’ve gained 20 pounds.

So what do you do? Pack your lunch if you have to and only eat the snacks that you bring “to the office”. When you take breaks, walk around the block instead of to the fridge. Spend less time eating lunch and more time walking during lunch hours. You will find yourself more productive with more exercise so it’s a win win!