All you can eat: Our work

...

Updated November 2, 2012

All you can eat

Our culture is a 24-hour buffet of supersize fries and 2-for-1 pizzas. No wonder it's so hard to pass on seconds. Here's how you can take control and avoid the fat traps

By Diane Peters

First published in Chatelaine's May 2003 issue.

Our work

We work hard. But modern jobs--clicking on a computer, working on an assembly line or operating a cash register--make you stressed and tired, not fit. According to a 2001 Health Canada report, the number of people working more than 50 hours a week has actually doubled within the past decade. Tally up your commute and unpaid work (kids, house, parents) and you're left with little time for exercise or making homemade healthy meals.

Our workplaces aren't helping either; they often keep us glued to a chair all day and surrounded by a network of fast-food chains. We're conveyed throughout our downtowns by elevators and escalators because stairwells are often locked or poorly lit. And while business owners know we're happier if we're fitter (Health Canada declared in a 1998 report that active people can cope better with workplace stress and are more efficient workers), few workplaces maintain a gym or have amenities such as showers, change rooms or bike racks. Even if you have access to a fitness club, inflexible work hours may make lunchtime workouts impossible. "When people are stressed or time-strapped, staying healthy drops as a priority," says Veronica Marsden, president of Tri Fit, a Mississauga, Ont., consulting firm that helps companies set up fitness and wellness programs.

Fight back
Max out your lunch break Walk, swim or take a fitness class over lunch. Ask your boss for an extra 15 minutes--that you'll make up later--so you can eat, too.
Organize a fit workplace Form a walking club; set up stretch breaks every morning; recruit a fitness instructor to teach a weekly class in the boardroom; get a group discount at a local gym.
Advocate for a healthy workplace program Tell your boss that fit healthy workers take less time off, have fewer accidents and are generally happier, according to Health Canada. Contact the National Quality Institute (1/800/263-9648), which sets standards for healthy workplaces.


		Intro
		Our genes
		Our homes
		Our work
		Our supermarkets
		Our restaurants
		Big fat lies
		Big ideas


		The great health resolution
		The joy of eating


		Quiz: What kind of eater are you
		Lower fat meal plan
		Daily eating log
		Guide to serving sizes
		Healthy meals in our Recipe File


		Talk fat in our Nutrition + diet forum

The very best of Chatelaine straight to your inbox.

Chatelaine

Chatelaine celebrates, inspires, informs and empowers. We know that Canadian women contain multitudes, and we cover all of the issues—big and small—that matter to them, from climate change to caregiving, Canadian fashion and what to cook now.

Copy link

The cover of Chatelaine magazine's spring 2025 issue, reading "weekend prep made easy"; "five delicious weeknight meals", "plus, why you'll never regret buying an air fryer"; "save money, stay stylish how to build a capsule wardrobe" and "home organization special" along with photos of burritos, chicken and rice and white bean soup, quick paella in a dutch oven, almost-instant Thai chicken curry and chicken broccoli casserole in an enamelled cast-iron skillet

Subscribe to Chatelaine!

Want to streamline your life? In our Spring 2025 issue, we’ll show you how—whether it’s paring down your wardrobe, decluttering your messiest spaces or spending way less time cooking thanks to an easy, mostly make-ahead meal plan for busy weeknights. Plus, our first annual Pantry Awards.