The modern work ethic – A disruptive discovery

Sanjay shouted: “Reena please stop the grinder, I’m in a meeting”. Reena responded back: “If I don’t get this done now, then there will be no dinner tonight. I have a class to conduct in 15 minutes. Deal with it!”  Meanwhile, Rohan squealed “Papa the internet is not working. My tab is also outdated”. Sound familiar?

We have all endured a part or all of this in our lives, over the past 2 or so years. Work has changed completely and brought with it new (and unknown) challenges. All along, we had to, of course, also make sure that we stay healthy.

One of the fresh challenges for staying healthy is our diet. We may have started eating more and exercising less. This has led to unnecessary increase in weight and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Why is a nutritious diet and lifestyle necessary? Especially NOW?

It has become so important that we take special care of our health, especially when we need all the immunity that we can garner. On the one hand we are grappling with our work schedules while on the other, our diets.

There are still no clear guidelines as to what could be termed as healthy eating. No one seems to be sure about specific foods that necessarily improve our immunity. Some food types are promoting themselves in the garb of immunity, but there are no verifiable evidences to support their claims.

Recently, CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) shared some tips in this regard. At the heart of these tips lies the many practices that allows us to avoid and / or prevent us from getting infected by COVID-19.

Popular portal “Eat This Not That” released an article recently that emphasized what one must eat and why. These tips are a great start in understanding the way we adapt to the new normal. Some of these are not that difficult to exercise.

How to maintain a balanced diet while still working (whether from office or home)?

The best part about eating is that it need not be boring at all. The tips are only there to help us identify what’s best for us.

We took a cue from celebrated chef Jamie Oliver and looked up some of the tips he shares for healthy eating. His piece on 10 healthy eating tips is essential reading. We found 5 things that one can do for maintaining nutritious eating habits. Here they are:

• Eat freshly cooked food – Avoid eating processed food or ordering from restaurants. Freshly cooked food contains essential nutrients that are highly beneficial for our bodies.
• Avoid supplements and adopt whole foods – Instead of eating supplements, try and eat whole foods (e.g. almonds, cashew nuts etc.) that are rich in vitamins and minerals.
• Learn ways to handle stress – Simple ways of handling stress could be to meditation, exercise and yoga. Avoid binge eating (Well! If you are binging, it could mean that you are stressed!)
• Add fruits & vegetables – Make sure to add lots of fruits and vegetables in your meals.
• Stay hydrated – Often when we are deep diving into something, we tend to forget drinking water. Stay disciplined in drinking water for staying hydrated.

A healthy diet is necessary to stay fresh and active during the day. Good sleep, adequate time for leisure and relaxation are equally important. A balance of all these will help you live the best version of you.

Do share your own tips / ways that are helping you stay alert in your work times