4 Work Habits That Are Making You Sick (& How to Stop Them)

Eating lunch at your desk, never taking a day off - these good-girl practices are actually bad for you, experts say.  Here's how to do better!

Scary but true: A batch of new research shows that the little routines women think make us superstar employees are actually risky for our health, says David Ballard, Psy.D., of the American Psychological Association.  

Please - break these four habits immediately!

1. SHOWING UP SICK

It has a name - presenteeism - and experts say it's an epidemic among women.  "We tend to say, 'Getting the job done is the most important thing. So I'll just ignore that I'm feeling like crap,'" says Elizabeth Lombardo, Ph.D., author of A Happy You.  But pushing through an illness just means you may be sicker longer.  And never head to the office if you're running a fever or felling achy, "both signs that you may be contagious," says Saundra Dalton-Smith, M.D., an internist in Anniston, Alabama.

2. SITTING STILL ALL DAY

Did you know that you burn an average of 124 fewer calories on the job every day than a woman in the 1960's would have?  Work just isn't as active. And staying glued to your chair all day is a recipe for health disaster.  It can lead to weight gain and raises your risk for heart disease and diabetes.  Try walking to coworkers' desks instead of emailing, suggests Toni Yancey, M.D., a health professor at UCLA. (And if it's 6:00 PM and you haven't moved since morning, consider some gym time on the way home.)

3. EATING AT YOUR DESK (my biggie, laurie)

In a recent study, people who were told to use a computer during lunch not only had trouble remembering what they'd eaten, but actually ended up eating about 125 calories more later in the day than those who didn't work through lunch. "If you don't pay attention to a meal, it's almost like it never happened," says Lisa R. Young, Ph.D., author of The Portion Teller Plan.  Don' let lunch amnesia happen to you!  Run outside to get something - or at least take 15 minutes to savor that sandwich.

4. BEING TOO PLUGGED IN

Fielding calls and emails after hours is more stressful to women than men, research shows, because we feel guiltier about being out of the office. Set boundaries about how much you'll be available.  "Otherwise, collegaues will note that you will email back at 9:00 P.M.," say Jessica LeRoy, clinical director of the Center for the Psychology of Women in L.A. "If you must write an email at night, consider saving it, and hit 'send' in the A.M.  

-  published in Sept 2011 Glamour Magazine by Nicci Micco