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economist sunlsuntribune wellness saturday april 8 2006 19 you can do it with a little effort and dedication employees experts agree by michael power staff writer gail vallance knows the benefit of making a few- lifestyle changes the employee at cybermation in thorn- hill has coordinated the weight watchers at work program at the software company every wednesday at lunch she and fellow colleagues some times go walking and she tries to take the stairs at least part way to her seventh floor office she also makes an effort to eat well at the office my top drawer is the snack drawer she said ive got toasted almonds and granola bars in there every little bit helps by doing that every little bit she has lost 18 pounds since october the challenges ms vallance faces in keeping fit are similar to those faced by office workers everywhere as more of us sit behind desks for longer periods of time and with snack machines within close range of many office cubicles waistlines are at risk of expanding along with the number of hours were working so whats a busy office worker to do a goodfirst step is to get up and move once in a while said shirley wheatley an occupational health nurse at markham stouffville hospital we recommend people take regular breaks at least once an hour she said this can include walking around the office stretching those hardtyp ing wrists or just resting a pair of eyes that have been locked on a comput er screen all morning ms wheatley said if youre sitting for long long periods of time its really important to do that she noted ms wheatley encourages employees at the hospital to make sure the monitor screen chair and phone they use are positioned com fortably a practice known as ergonomics whether office equipment fits an employees size arid sitting style makes a difference to overall health shesaid if theyre in a bad posture it can lead to all kinds of injuries especial ly for sedentary workers she noted weening yourself off junk food gets easier if you bring healthy snacks from home ms wheatley said it may even be possible to have healthier snacks put into office vending machines employees can talk to whoever is responsible for the food on site and see if they cant get them to pro vide healthier choices in vending machines she said youre never going to get rid of the pop and chips but maybe theres room for another vending machine that has healthier choices eating a proper breakfast will help prevent vending machine temptation said lora nedkov a sales manager for the weight watch ers at- work program and like weight watchers adher ent gail vallance ms nedkov said she keeps healthy snacks such as cherry tomatoes and bags of carrots on hand during work hours right by my desk she said i always have something right beside me so i can avoid the snack machine office workers can also keep a container of water at their desks to keep themselves hydrated and ensure they get the recommended six daily glasses ms nedkov said any exercises or stretching rou tines that can be done at a desk will help break the daily routine of sitting staff photomichael power still she added getting up and moving a bit or simply pausing to take a breath can improve how you feel at work ms nedkov said people think if they go away from their desk for five minutes they will miss something but you need to exercise your brain too she said if you really wanted to i suppose you could put a dumbbell under your desk those interested in weight watchers at- work program can call 1866atwork heres how to make it happen walk cycle or inline skate to work replace your coffee break with a walking break organize a lunch hour walking program at your school or office convince colleagues to start lunch with a quick walk take a fitness class during your lunch break if you cant find one nearby start one at work going to a restaurant or running errands at lunch shop and dine locally so you can walk to your destination encourage everyone to take a stretch break during meet ings suggest a walk and talk meeting set the agenda thert discuss it while you and your colleagues power walk on local pathways accept a fitness challenge create a team of colleagues and enter a 5kilometre run and train together before or after work to stay motivated use stairs instead of eleva tors stand while talking on the telephone walk down the hall to speak with someone rather than using the telephone stay at hotels with fitness centres or swimming pools while on business trips work out before or after work to avoid rush hour traffic or drop by for a noon workout schedule exercise time on your business calendar and treat it as any other important appointment and get off the bus a few blocks early and walk the rest of the way to work or home as for nutrition if your work place has a microwave oven you may find frozen foods offer an easy and quick way to get your meal but keep in mind some of these suggestions from the american dietetic association look for frozen dinners with less than 15 grams of fat and 800 milligrams of sodium add a salad or vegetable since frozen meals tend to pro vide less than one serving of vegetables and add a glass of skim milk or yogurt to increase calcium wwwstayinginsliapecom wwwtakeonesteporg here for opinions im not responsible for your children weve sunk so far into the nanny state syn drome that weve even got conservatives dumping billions of dollars into child care with the tory plan thats 1200 for each kid per year while the loopy liberals and out-to- yorkregion com it clicks home lunch ndp are screaming for a national subsi dized daycare plan more billions the grits and ndippers are even threaten ing to topple harpers minority government if they dont get their way sound like spoiled brats throwing a temper tantrum to me what has the lefties in a lather iyouii find the rest in johns blog on yorkregioncbrh read john slykhuis in the right in our blogs section