On Your employer is trying to kill you.
There are systems in place at work that will kill you unless you take direct action.
Am I stretching it a bit? Here’s what I mean.
Most people who work in an office environment are expected to be at their office or cubicle desk for the preponderance of the day. A couple of ten minute coffee breaks. An hour for lunch if you’re lucky. But most of the time they want you at your desk.
And that means sitting. Being sedentary. A lot. And that sucks.
Yes, you can set an alarm and get up every few minutes. You can take walks throughout the day. But that could lead to a reprimand about not being a ‘presence at your desk’.
You could even ask your employer for a standing desk. Some companies are totally cool with this. And then again, some are not. As little as two years ago when I was in the office environment, my standing desk definitely stood out, pun intended. It was the only one among 150 or so employees. But now the standing desk is becoming more common. Good news!
But I still maintain that your employer hates you and wants you dead.
If you work in the office environment, check out the kitchen, break room or staff area.
There’s likely a fridge, a microwave, and that kind of stuff. A vending machine or so. A table, some chairs, a coffee machine. Someone else’s tupperware. You get the picture.
The food found in this room is:
- Processed
- High in carbohydrates
- High in fats
What you won’t find much of unless you bring it? Protein. Particularly leaner proteins.
Most of the time you won’t find the following in the office environment:
- Lean protein
- Unprocessed, whole foods, like fruits and vegetables
- Healthy fats like raw nuts, nut butters, avocadoes, EVOO, EV Coconut Oil, or fish oils
People love their snacks. They like ‘em sweet, salty, crunchy, sour, creamy, and perfectly preserved. Those vending machines in the staff room have potato chips, candy, chocolate bars, sour candy, and soda. But if you’re looking for protein? Or even some fruit or nuts?
Companies like Google, Apple, and LinkedIn have become known for the perks they offer their employees. Open concept work spaces. Recreation and exercise rooms. Even playground slides from floor to floor, interjecting a burst of good old childish fun into the workday.
I wish I had a slide at work! That would be awesome. But despite those fun changes to the office environment, the food in the office skews greatly in the favour of fats and starches. That causes insulin resistance.
The body produces insulin when you ingest carbohydrates (and other nutrients). Insulin allows for the transport of nutrients into the muscle, fat and liver cells. It helps keep blood glucose levels normal and safe. But if the cell has become resistant to insulin, it takes more and more insulin to keep up with the demand. Eventually the system can’t keep up with the demand for insulin, blood glucose levels rise, and type 2 diabetes or prediabetes develop.
If we were all extremely active, our cells would become sensitive to insulin again. Exercise makes the cells sensitive to insulin. But office work is mostly sedentary. Add that to insulin resistance, and you have type 2 diabetes waiting to happen.
And that can be a death sentence.
Which brings me back to the scary news: your employer hates you, and wants you to get a disease that could kill you.
Not really sure why. A healthy employee performs better and costs less in terms of health benefits.
Bad news: The Man is out to get you.
Good news: With a little self-care, you’ll outwit The Man.
It’s easy to circumvent the evil plot. Buy real food, cook that food, and carry it with you. Eat the free treats in moderation. And go for a walk. Every day. That works pretty well for most people. But if you need more help, guidance and want to inject some good old fashioned fun into the mix, come check out a class at Iron Lion Training!
Ron Dykstra
Co-Owner Iron Lion Training Inc.
1485 Dupont, #312, Toronto, ON
Contact us at:
info@ironliontraining.ca
Tagged with: change, diabetes, eating, food, getting lean, life balance, longevity, office, prediabetes, quality of life, type-2 diabetes
