The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : You can watch your weight even while at work

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

You can watch your weight even while at work

K. Satyamurty

Many information technology companies are paying attention to their in-house health clubs

BANGALORE: Many people are unable to keep fit as they are tied down to their office desks for most part of the day. However, some are able to and can be an example to others.

K. Suresh (34) says he prefers to take three flights of stairs rather than use the lift as he feels he is too young for the "middle age spread around his waist". He also frequents the office gym.

In fact, many Information Technology companies are now beginning to pay more attention to their in-house health clubs than to their canteens and coffee machines.

For Savitha (27) getting back to work after being a stay-at-home mother for two years was not as difficult as getting back into the clothes she wore during the earlier stint at work.

Getting new clothes would have been easier, she says. "But I wanted to show young people at the office that I could be as trendy as them," she adds. She takes hourly breaks from her computer screen to do some simple stretches and finds enough time at home for abdominal crunches and exercises to keep slim. Office canteens too are opting for health foods. Catering companies say they have almost stopped serving "naans" and are serving "phulkas" and oil-free rotis instead, on request from the managements and staff. No rich gravies either and dessert is usually fresh fruit minus the cream. Coffee and tea are also served with sugar substitutes. Nutritionist Malathi Nayak says office-goers should not miss breakfast but have a light lunch instead. "The body needs nutrition after a night without food and you need that energy to cope with the first few hectic hours at work. Lunch is important but if it is too heavy (because you are hungry after having had no breakfast) work will suffer in the afternoon," she says. She suggests a serving of fruits and salads at lunchtime with enough carbohydrates in the form of oil-free rotis or plain rice.

Business lunches are risky for the weight watcher. Though they go by the misnomer of "working lunches", there is always the tendency to impress clients or business partners by ordering the most expensive items on the menu, which are invariably loaded with calories.

"With the rising cost of medical reimbursement and health insurance, companies are waking up to the need for preventive healthcare. It also helps them keep their employees in good health which has an added advantage in terms of productivity," says management consultant K. Panduranga.

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