Artboard 3

Become a Member

Take the Free Passion & Purpose Challenge!

GET INVOLVED!

Join the Mastermind

STOP Saying These Phrases if Your Want to Grow Your Business

Watching Your Competition Won't Help You Grow

My Morning Routine for a Successful Workday

10 Business Tools to Transform your Productivity

podcast episodes

MOST downloaded

CHECK OUT OUR PODCAST!

I'm Kelly - the founder of She Is Fierce! and your host on our blog featuring stories and wisdom from fierce women all over the world! 

Fierce Living

The Power of Peppers for the Career Woman

< back to blog home

The Power of Peppers for the Career Woman

 

I feel like I don’t have the time or the motivation to be healthy. I work 9.5 hours a day, commute for two hours every day, and can’t function on less than seven hours of sleep. The few hours I have to myself, I don’t spend cooking or exercising. I spend it glued to my couch watching Game of Thrones, a show full of fit and pretty people. Every healthy moment I have is driven by accidental happenstance, minimal obsession with taste, and an in-grown fear of losing all my teeth.

That being said, I love when my natural tastes just happen to be chalk full of health benefits. My current healthy food of choice: chili peppers. I love sprinkling chili pepper flakes on my food, garnishing it with chili paste, smothering it in hot sauce, or sautéing foods with fresh or dry chili peppers. Give me Kung Pao chicken over ice cream any day. Peppers are objects of great power.

 

Power Behind Pepper

The power behind the health benefits of the pepper is a chemical found within the chili pepper called capsaicin. According to The Power of Capsaicin, written by Cincinnati Medical Laboratory professor Joel E. Mortensen, a chemical called capsaicin found in the white pithy area of all chili peppers can be utilized to regulate weight and to ensure happiness.

 

Weight

Weight is not a career woman’s friend. As a college student I walked and biked everywhere in my size four jeans (four in teens). These days I go from sitting in my car to sitting at a desk in my size nine jeans (still in teens). Yes, I’m still slim, but obesity is a slow insidious beast. According to a survey conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 27.6% of US citizens were obese in 2013. The OECD projects that 40% of the American population will be either overweight or obese by 2020. If career women desire to keep their trim figures, we need to start eating healthier now.

Chili peppers can be an ideal first step towards maintaining or achieving a healthy weight. Capsaicin when ingested jump-starts your metabolism by “increase[ing] the production of stomach acids that stimulate the digestive tract.” Once the stomach acids are at work, your body can begin cleansing all of those fatty foods from your system at a more efficient rate. An increase in metabolism can decrease weight gain. An increase in metabolism coupled with a new exercise machine, now that can do far more.

 

Happiness Bug

Happiness at work can be an up-hill battle. Mindless work, long hours, the inability to use your skills, and aggravating co-workers can all lead to personal un-happiness that starts at the job and seeps into your everyday life. That un-happiness quickly leads to career women becoming disengaged with their jobs. Being disengaged could affect your efficiency, your attitude and your ability to earn promotions. According to an infographic created by Ohio University called The Benefits of Happy Employees, 29% of employees in the US are not fully engaged at work.

Overcome by the work blues? You might want to dab some chili sauce onto your lunch. Once eaten “capsaicin causes the brain to release endorphins.” An increase in endorphins lead to a temporary sense of euphoria. The increased endorphins levels remain in your body for several hours; three to four hours of pepper triggered euphoria will be just enough to carry you through the rest of the day with a skip in your step.

 

Incorporating Chili Peppers in Your Work Life

Being healthy, and being healthy at work are two different beasts. Most companies do not have a fully stocked kitchen that will allow co-workers to create healthy meals from scratch. Fear not. You can still benefit from the health benefits of peppers at work with these fool proof methods:

  • Create your favorite pepper infused dishes on Sunday night. Heat them up for lunch.
  • Keep a supply of chili pepper paste, hot sauce or red pepper flakes on hand at work.
  • Keep a stock of salsa in the fridge at work.

And as you dive into this mouth-watering, spicy meal, remember water is not your friend. If you can’t handle the heat, keep a supply of bread, milk, or orange juice on hand. And remember, the heat may be deliciously uncomfortable, but you’re eating it for your health!

 


Samantha Stauf, She is Fierce! Contributor

Samantha Stauf

When Samantha Stauf isn’t writing business and career articles, she’s browsing the internet for spicy recipes. She can be found on Twitter.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.