YOU spend about a quarter of your life each week at work. That’s a ton of time spent sitting. Maintaining that type of sedentary lifestyle isn’t doing your waistline any favors.

    Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do at the office to both reverse the effects of an office lifestyle and lose weight at the same time. Follow these tips, and you could end up seriously whittling your waist — while getting paid to do it!

    1. Never power up with soda

    It’s tempting to gulp down a diet soda to get over that mid-afternoon slump. But don’t do it! A University of Texas Health Science Center study found that adults who drank diet soda experienced a whopping 70 percent increase in weight circumference when compared with non-soda drinkers. Plus, aspartame is shown to raise glucose levels to a point where it’s converted into fat.

    2. Eat lunch at lunchtime

    Spanish researchers found that obese women who ate their lunch after 3 p.m. lost 25 percent less weight than those who ate their lunch earlier in the day. Even though both groups ate the same foods and the same amount of calories, the early bird diners lost five pounds more. Scientists believe that waiting to eat until you’re starving may spark cravings for more food later in the day.

    3. Chew gum

    We typically don’t recommend chewing gum since it might make you bloat, but chewing gum during the workday gives you more than fresh breath. A 2009 study published in Physiology&Behavior found that gum chewers were more alert and experienced reduced anxiety, stress and salivary cortisol — a stress hormone that increases fat cells, leading to increased fat retention, especially around the belly area.

    4. Take the stairs

    This is an obvious one, but you may be surprised how much weight you can lose by doing it. You have a file you need to deliver to the 15th floor, but your office is on the 10th.

    Use the stairs instead of the elevator, and you’ll burn twice as many calories as you do walking. According to the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, a 150-pound person could lose about 6 pounds per year just by climbing up two flights of stairs every day.

    5. Sit on a stability ball

    Swapping out your desk chair for a stability ball will help you strengthen your core and burn more calories at the same time.

    According to Jill Koegel, a sports-certified registered dietitian, sitting on one of those big sports balls during your workday can burn up to an extra 100 calories a day.

    6. Schedule your workout sessions

    Whether your calendar is free or busy, go ahead and block out certain times for either early morning, lunchtime, or after-hours potential workout sessions. Treat your appointments like a real meeting and get your butt to the gym!

    7. Bring your lunch

    Think you know how many calories are in that fast-food meal you grabbed during your lunch hour? A 2013 study published in BMJ found that the average takeout meal ordered by adults contained an average of 836 calories.

    Spend part of your weekend meal-prepping for the week ahead. Opting for a 500-calorie meal during your lunch break can save you more than 300 calories over the average grab-and-go meal — a difference of 1,500 calories for a five-day workweek.

    8. Balance your salad

    Salad is a popular lunchtime choice, but don’t just fill up with a bunch of greens that will make you hungry again by your 3 p.m. meeting. For a salad to be filling, it needs protein (chicken, eggs, deli meat) and fiber (beans, avocado). To maximize flavor, pair sweet (tomatoes, apples) with sharp (onion, olives) and savory (meat, cheese). Plus, a salad needs crunch; nuts and raw bell peppers are your best bets.

    9. Keep healthy snacks handy

    To make it easier to eat lower calories and avoid stuffing your face when you’re starving, always keep your desk, car, and purse stashed with healthy snacks. Raw almonds and bananas are two of the easiest. Whatever you do, do not hit up any vending machines!

    10. Stash some chia seeds

    Since you only need a sprinkling, a packet of chia seeds can last forever — and be an easy way to instantly add nutrition to your at-desk breakfasts or lunches. “Chia seeds are chock-full of heart-healthy omega-3s, fiber, protein and calcium,” says dietitian Sarah Koszyk. “Chia seeds are easily absorbed by the body, so they’re very nourishing and satiating.”

    11. Keep the sweets out of sight

    Reorganizing your pantry’s top hits could translate into serious calorie savings, according to researchers at Google. A study published in the Journal of Marketing found that people are more likely to overeat small treats from transparent packages than from opaque ones.

    12. Swap out your morning coffee for green tea

    Coffee might give you a caffeine jolt in the morning, but green tea can supply less jittery energy — and plenty of fat-burning qualities. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found teas — including green teas — contain catechins that boost fat oxidation. Plus, Taiwanese researchers found that the 1,100 people they studied over 10 years who drank green tea had 20 percent less body fat than others who didn’t drink it.

    13. Take a 2-minute walk every hour

    You think you may walk a lot at work, but very rarely is anyone walking through their office for more than 20 seconds. Try timing yourself the first couple of times you walk for one minute to develop a couple of options for your walking routes. A recent study in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology found that a two-minute walk every hour can offset the effects of too much sitting.

    14. Guzzle water

    Are you really hungry, or are you actually just thirsty? A study in the journal Physiology&Behavior suggests people inappropriately respond to thirst over 60 percent of the time by eating instead of drinking. Even if you’re not hankering for a thirst-quencher, preloading meals with calorie-free water can shave hundreds of calories from your daily intake.

    And if plain water sounds boring, you can add some practically calorie-free fresh citrus to create a health-boosting detox water.

    According to a study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, drinking 17 ounces of water increased the metabolic rate of participants by 30 percent.

    (SD-Agencies)