Environmental Sabotage

Food for thought: How influential do you think your environment is on your waistline?

Commercials and marketing are well known to influence our grocery purchases. Drive past a restaurant at dinnertime and wait for your mouth to water if you need proof. You may find yourself out of self-control and in the drive-thru line. The smells and sight of the foods we are exposed to through our day can absolutely influence our health, waistline and can derail the strongest of wills.

Did you know that America’s vending machine industry earned $21.6 billion last year, according to Vending Watch magazine. There are 7.1 million vending machines in the United States (the most in the world) and 100 million Americans use them each day, the National Automatic Merchandising Association reports. Approximately 55.1% of vending machines are located in office or manufacturing buildings.

With that in mind, are you exposed daily to the temptation of a vending machine, nearby fast food or candy jars during your day? And how is that exposure, or your environment, affecting your will power and health? Would you think about junk food if you did not walk past it regularly at work?

Now that you are thinking about the 100 million times vending machines are raided daily, try the following tips to eat well at work or when faced with unwanted temptations.

1. Avoid the temptation. Stay away from vending machines, break rooms with pizza, cake and candy jars. Limit your exposure.
2. Eat breakfast. Going to work hungry will not promote weight loss, but may endanger your co-workers. (Hunger also affects work performance)
3. Ask your co-workers and family for support. Create accountability, and influence others to eat well also.
4. Bring your own food. You will be more likely to bring what you have, rather than spend money.
5. Be a creature of habit. Eating the same thing is easier on your budget and pants size than avoiding coffee shops and quick shops.
6. Leave your money at home, or in the car. If you don’t have it, you can’t spend it.
7. Offer substitutions. If you have a candy jar, replace it with fruit. Similar to, “build it and they will come,” strawberries will be eaten up, just like candy!

Have Questions?

Campbell County Health's Wellness works to reduce health risks and promote overall wellness among employee groups and individuals across the northeastern Wyoming region. To learn more about Wellness, please visit www.cchwyo.org/Wellness or call 307.688.8051.

Rachel Wilde, PBT, CPT, MA, works at CCH Wellness as a Technician and Phlebotomist