DAVID KIRSCH IN A NEW YORK MINUTE

Sitting at a desk all day really can make your ass as wide as your Herman Miller. But more importantly, it can be detrimental to your health.

Research indicates that the body starts to slow down in as little as 30 minutes and that sitting for long periods, decreases our metabolism, shuts off our fat burning enzymes, and can even lead to clogged arteries and heart disease. Some researchers say that constant sitting can be as bad for you as smoking!

If you didn’t have motivation to get your butt moving at work, now you do. The good news is that people who get up and move once or twice an hour can prevent these things from happening.

Here are three sure-fire moves to keep your blood flowing and your butt cheeks from bulging. You can do them anytime, anywhere including right near your desk or while you’re on the phone. Let’s go!

Good Mornings
Start upright, feet shoulder-width distance apart, hands behind your head. Keeping your core engaged, hinge at the waist keeping your back flat. 15-20 reps.

Hip Extensions
Stand, with both hips facing forward. Resist the urge to turn. Put one hand on a wall or chair for balance. Put your brain in your butt cheek as you lift right leg back – heel first. Extend as far as you can without turning your hips. Repeat with left leg. 15-20 reps.

Plie Squats
Start with your feet wider than shoulder-width distance apart and turn your toes out. Keeping your weight in your heels and your knees turned out, squat down and then up. Repeat. Turn it up a notch by lifting your helps us as you squat. 15-20 reps.

While at work, try to take exercise breaks every hour. These breaks can be as simple as getting up to speak to a colleague in person rather than emailing them, or getting a headset and doing your butt-burning moves while talking on the phone. And who says meetings have to be done sitting down? Why not take them on the road or to the stairwell? You can turn your one-on-ones into a walking meeting. You never know what great ideas you’ll come up with!

You can find more moves for your lower half in my Butt Book.

To keep your metabolism revved up, you need to fuel it about every three hours. That means eating a meal or snack five times throughout the day, ideally, between the hours of 7AM and 7PM.

Since roughly 10% of the calories you consume are used to fuel digestion, eating more frequently is the most efficient way to keep your body energized.

Here’s a typical day of Ultimate Eating:


I can’t overemphasize the importance of breakfast, of consuming the bulk of your calories and carbs before 2PM, and sticking to my healthy snack options.

My five-meal-a-day-plan will prevent you from getting hungry, and put a stop to your cravings and bingeing. It’s the perfect set up for weigh-tloss success!

Get more on my five-a-day meal plan in The Ultimate New York Diet.

Researchers now know that your body burns roughly 40 more calories per meal if your meal is high in protein compared to one that’s high in carbohydrates or fat. Studies also show that people that ate high protein such as eggs for breakfast also ate fewer calories at their next meal.

High-protein foods tend to cause a slow, even rise in blood sugar, whereas carbs cause blood sugar levels to spike. The slower your blood sugar rises, the less of the hormone insulin your pancreas must secrete to clear the sugar out of your blood. Among other things, insulin triggers fat storage and feelings of hunger. This is why you feel hungry not long after eating a bagel, even though the bagel contains roughly 400 calories. On the other hand, consume 400 calories of egg whites (roughly 14 egg whites!) and you won’t feel hungry for hours!

My definition of a smart breakfast? Egg white omelette or a Whey Protein Shake

Don’t deny your body the breakfast it needs. I know it may seem like skipping this meal is a good way to cut calories or to save time, but research shows that breakfast eaters are more successful at long-term weight loss than those who skip breakfast. Why? It jumpstarts your metabolism and prevents you from overeating later in the day.

Have work projects, errands or family obligations caused you to skip workouts? Have you missed meals or succumbed to sugar and carbs to keep you afloat? Then, you’ve got to stop, and get back to the business of taking care of you.

Don’t kick yourself. Know and believe that you can get the body you want in the time you have and on the budget you have. It can be done. The key is to confront your excuses and have strategies in place for busting them.

The Ultimate New York Diet is a book I wrote to help people with busy, multitasking lives -- people who want to be at the top of their game when it comes to their careers and their bodies.

Does that sound like you? If so, stick with me because over the next several days I’m going to share some of these strategies for success.