Before getting an office job, both myself, and my co-writer Peon, played a lot of sports.  Things have changed a little bit since those days (although I could still beat Peon in a friendly game of basketball any day), and it’s not as easy to stay in shape.  It took me a year and a half - and a start on a round belly - to figure out that I had to take control of what I was eating and make time to get, and keep, in shape. 

Recommendation number 1 - get a membership to your local gym and go in for some personal training if you haven’t worked out before, because they know way more than you do. I know you think you know how to lift those dumbbells, but you don’t.  Another one I recommend is to sign up for some sort of competition and tell everyone about it.  This is effective because not only do you pay the money to register and become invested in it, but by telling your friends and co-workers, you’re locked in because nobody wants to say ‘I gave up on it’ (AKA - I’m a little sally).  Also, if you’re trying to spark an office romance, it helps if that person thinks you’ve got some type of athletic ability other than hot dog eating.

As much as I wanted to join a gym for those first few years of my office career, I was traveling and that made it difficult to do so.  So, instead, I started doing some simple things to help keep my belly in check and try to keep a little bit of that “athleticism” around. Below are a few things that have helped me and my co-workers.

1. Get up and walk around
Get up and walk around roughly every half hour. As much as I know you want to stay in your cube, it gives you a chance to stretch and will give your eyes a break from staring at your computer screen…and turning into a blood thirsty speed typing zombie.

2. Watch what you eat
It sounds easy enough to do, but let’s be serious, not many people actually do it.  If it has a calorie label on it, just turn it around and look.  For example, if you eat a pretty healthy lunch – which doesn’t mean not animal styling your burger - you might take in about 500 calories in total. The other day I went to the vending machine and got some peanuts, and the tiny bag was 420 calories.  I just threw them in the garbage. Ain’t no 420 calorie nuts going in this machine.

3. Snack during the day
It’s hard to make it through the day without getting the munchies – I’ve been there.  Instead of going to the vending machine to get some chips, try bringing in some almonds or fruit to satisfy your hunger without adding to your waist line.

4. Work your abs
This is the only way to try getting washboard abs while sitting in the office.  First sit properly in a chair designed for good posture.  Next, during the day try contracting your abdominal muscles and holding it for 15 seconds, or longer, depending on how easy it is for you. If you don’t feel a difference, you’re doing it wrong – or still eating those damn vending machine peanuts.

5. Cut out the cola
As much as drinking soda is the staple of most office employees (oh how I do love my Jolt), this is an easy one to cut out.  Instead of ordering a soda to drink, try lemonade or an iced tea, which contain much less sugar.  These small changes yield a lot of positive results in the end.  And for those times you just need to have a carbonated drink, keep some of the zero calorie sodas within reach.  As much as you think they suck, they don’t. So just do it, fatty, because they’re better for you.

It’s tough to stay in shape while working an office job every day – I know because I’m as lazy as the guy next to you - but hopefully these tips might help.  How do you stay in shape while being in the office for more than 40 hours a week?