RMN'S Blog
Tips for New Associates to Stay Healthy
Health has become a major concern in the United States in recent years. With cancer, heath disease, diabetes, and obesity on the rise in this country, the want and need to live a healthy lifestyle has become a desire that can be easily achieved. However, if you are starting out as a new associate in the legal profession, learning to live a balanced life can seem difficult to achieve. Here are tips for how to stay health as a new associate:
Make a workout schedule that you will most likely stick to.
What most people don’t understand is that working out after work is not best for everyone. After a long day of work, and maybe even putting in overtime, you may be too tired to go to the gym or class. Map out your schedule, and figure out what works best for you. Maybe Fridays during lunch or Sunday mornings are great for you. Also, you don’t have to exercise for a long time; 30 minutes is a sufficient amount of time to get your heart rate up and feel the benefits of exercise. Having a set exercise schedule is key to keeping your body active, relieve stress, and healthy overall. Don’t have time to go to the gym? You can work out at home also.
Don’t make office snacks and dinner cause your downfall.
When you work late, you tend to snack on anything available, high in calories, and order comfort takeout food from the fastest delivery service. To avoid this from happening, order dinner before you are hungry; you tend to take your time and make more wise food choices then. Also, make a list of healthy snacks and takeout options and keep the list in your desk so you are always reminded of them. Try these 10 healthy office and quick office snack options. We love number 4!
Add a little green to your life.
A quick and easy way to add more vegetables and vitamins in your diet is to drink green juice. Green juice is a fresh pressed juice that is green in color due to kale, celery and parsley, and is full of nutrients. One cup of green juice can include calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamins A, C, E, and K, as well as plenty of needed fiber. It’s a quick option to get a lot of vitamins in your day while you sit at your desk. Here is a great green juice recipe.
Look at the clock before you reach for the caffeine.
Lawyers are known for having bad sleep habits and problems, which in turn is blamed on stress. Although stress can be a major contributor to restless nights, so is caffeine. When you work late at night, your body releases enough cortisol and adrenaline to keep you awake, and adding an extra cup of coffee or Red Bull further escalates the problem. A good rule to follow is to avoid caffeine after 3pm. This includes coffee, energy drinks, chocolate, both green and black tea, and soda.
Take time to breathe.
When your day starts to get stressful, take some time for yourself to step away and breathe. Taking long, deep breaths has been known to release tension, elevate your mood, and improve circulation. Controlling your breathing also means you take control of how your body is reacting to a stressor. So, take time to do some deep breathing exercises. Here are some breathing exercises to try that can help you relax in 10 minutes or less.
Being a new associate in a law firm or starting out your legal career can be a big change in your life, and can cause bad habits to escalate. Start picking up on good, healthy habits to incorporate into your life to keep you working and living at your best.
