By Jessica Lim

Youth in their first year of college often worry about gaining pounds, also known as the freshman 15.

But even at work, there is the 'cubicle bulge'. How it starts: A time-pressed, desk-bound job that leaves the worker little time to exercise.

As most people will spend a third of the next half century at work, this lifestyle can be a real problem.

That is why a lot of investment has been made by companies and the Government to encourage healthier living during those nine-to-five hours.

Companies, for example, that organise both sports and physical activities for their employees are eligible for a Workplace Health and Sports promotion grant of up to $10,000.

The Health Promotion Board has also put workplace health top on its priority list.

Up on its website is a list of caterers for dishes prepared with less oil, salt and sugar - a healthier option when organising that office function.

The government body also launched a new website last year to dispense health tips to working youth - from dietary advice to guidelines on organising workplace health programmes. There are also tools for self-assessment like the body mass index and calorie calculators.

When it comes to the day-to-day working life, I think the trick is to start small.

One often overlooked area is the office pantry - or in my case, what we call the TUP, short for The Usual Place.

This is the round table 3m from my desk where yummy and sinful food magically appears.

Most offices have a version of the same thing. It is where people forage for snacks to bump up blood sugar levels - several times a day. It is where birthday, promotion and celebratory feasts are held.

TUP is evil.

Every day, tantalising aromas waft from it. One day, it could be Krispy Kremes specially brought in from the United States by well-meaning colleagues sharing their overseas spoils. Another day, it could be home-baked apple crumble from the generous colleague with a passion for baking. Yet another day, it could be trays of leftovers from the function downstairs.

A banker friend of mine has no pantry to speak of. In its place: A snack machine with chips, candy, biscuits and canned drinks.

When asked if anything healthy was stocked in his larder, he replied: 'Is green tea considered healthy?'

I do not think there is a point in making a big fuss over providing corporate gym memberships or health screening sessions for employees if companies ignore the very place where work, for better or worse, feeds our over-eating habits.

I say raid the pantry and take control of what goes in it.

Perhaps youth should take the first step.

A suggestion: Start a small pantry area with your cubicle mates and stock it with muesli, granola bars and trail mix.

If that works, it might start a trend. Who knows, before long the human resource department might catch on too, and may even pay us for it.

After all isn't that what company welfare is all about?

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 30 June 2008.