Want to Stay Healthy During Busy season? Do this!

It's that time of year again! Accountants far and wide are working on year-end closes, audits, and IRS deadlines and let me tell you it is not healthy for many of them. After many years of working with accountants inside and outside of public accounting firms, I can tell you that weight gain and other unhealthy habits really sneak up on accountants. Held is something that I take very seriously, and you should consider taking it seriously as well. Today, I'm going to share with you three easy to follow tips to keep yourself healthy during these busy times. Let's jump in! 

Get Your Steps In!

The unhealthiest thing about the modern professional workplace, especially those who stare at spreadsheets for many hours a day, and especially those that work from home, is simply being sedentary. Getting 10,000 steps per day is quite possibly the best thing that most accountants can do for their own help because it's something that they wouldn't do otherwise. My recommendation is to get yourself a treadmill or walking pad for your home or office that you can use to make up these steps either after work or during meetings. Outside of the locking pad, be sure to take regular breaks during the day and walk around. The difference between 5 to 10,000 steps and less than 1,500 steps is astounding. 

Stay Hydrated!

Staying hydrated is not only beneficial for your general health, but it will also help you not make mistakes while working those long busy season hours. Everyone's hydration targets are different depending on their size, but you should prioritize drinking enough water during the day. Make it easy for yourself by having one or more filled water bottles ready for you to drink whenever you need them. Additionally, staying adequately hydrated can help reduce the amount of food you are eating in a given day. You might find yourself drinking other fluids like coffee or energy drinks but do your best to make sure the vast majority of your intake is regular water. 

Schedule Your Meals!

During busy season, it's very easy to lose track of time while you're staring at work. This can lead to missing meal timings and snacking throughout the day. A common issue that I see with this is that people don't understand how much food they're eating when they are snacking. Since it's spread so much throughout the day, it's very easy to eat a lot of food without noticing. To keep this from happening, I recommend you schedule or prepare your meals in advance, including your snacks, especially if you go into an office where food will be provided for you. 

Out of all the accountants I've met, I have not met one that could benefit from any one of the above three pieces of advice when it comes to their health during busy season. My advice is to implement each of the three tips above one step at a time, starting with the one that is the hardest for you because it'll probably have the biggest impact on your life. Now get out there and start being healthier!