Is Your Job Causing You To Gain Weight?
Does your job description state that weight gain is part of your position? Did you choose an employment position that will expand your waistline? A CareerBuilder study exposed the horrifying results that 55% of workers consider themselves to be overweight, and 41% have gained weight at their present jobs.
And it is not just the increase of a pound of two. Of those who say they’ve gained weight,
• 59% gained over 10 pounds
• 30% gained over 20 pounds
If you would prefer to believe this data involved only a hand full of corn-fed Midwesterners, you may be stunned to learn that this investigation into the gluttony of Americans was done as recently as 2014 and involved in excess of 3,600 full-time workers. Experts express that we should not be shocked nor stunned by these findings. We toil in a work environment where we are more complacent sending an email to our co-worker in the next cubicle than walking over to their desk. It is common sense, they say, that professions encompassing high stress levels or long hours behind a desk naturally reveal a higher percentage of workers increasing their wardrobe size.
The research disclosed that weight gain at work often comes from a combination of:
1. Poor eating habits added to readily-available junk food
2. Not being able to fit a workout into a busy schedule. In fact, 10% of desk jockeys confessed they do not engage in any type of exercise, except for trips to the vending machine
Some of these are reasonable justifications for pounds creeping on to our soft bodies. But some explanations are just ridiculous and completely avoidable. For example:
• 17% said it is impossible to avoid the temptation of the office candy jar and that “workplace celebrations (potlucks, birthdays) got in the way of their healthy eating (guess someone is forcing cake down their throats)
• 70% of office laborers admit to snacking continuously throughout their work hours
• 8% say they eat lunch out of the vending machine at least once a week due to time constraints
The list of the most serious offenders are… (usually, we would tell you to sit down when you examine this list, but in this situation, we encourage you to take a stroll around your office to rid yourself of excess calories).
• Administrative Assistant (69%)
• Engineer (56%)
• Teacher/Instructor K-12 (51%)
• Nurse Practitioner or Physician’s Assistant (51%)
• IT Manager/Network Administrator (51%)
• Attorney/Judge/ Legal Professional (48%)
• Machine Operator/Assembly/Production Worker (45%)
Clearly, the corner office may come with some health drawbacks. To secure a hearty environment at your place of employment, visit Monster.com. This global job search site provides politically correct tips on how to politely obtain information during an interview on a company’s policy for lunch breaks, overtime and overall wellness. After all, we are confident that you do not want to become plump or corpulent as your career advances.