Over the last 12 months most of us have had some sort of experience working from home. Even if it was something you had never done before 2020, as soon as the pandemic hit, many of us were forced to say goodbye to the office, and hello to working from home. One of the biggest downsides that many people have found over the last year is that working from home means we are a lot less active than we used to be and our step count has taken a huge hit. But do not worry, working from home does not have to limit your activity completely, so here are our top tips on how to stay active while working from home.
Keep to a schedule
When working from home it can be far too tempting to completely forget about your usual schedule. When your bed is so close to your desk, it’s easy to let the usual routine of showering and breakfast start to fall apart.
However, if you want to keep some sense of normality and try to stay active then it is crucial that you stick to a routine. By scheduling in what time you are going to start work, eat dinner, and participate in exercise you will find it much easier to keep your body fit and active. If you leave it to chance, the likelihood is that you’ll reach the end of the working day and decide you’re too tired or you don’t have enough time, and you’ll miss out on that crucial physical activity.
You will find that sticking to a routine will also help you to juggle the pressures of working from home and limit any potential damages to your health.
Spend time outdoors
With no commute to the office and the temptation to go from your desk at home to the sofa to binge watch Netflix, working from home means you may find yourself spending a lot of time indoors.
But you will find it a whole lot easier to stay active if you spend time outdoors. Not only will this help keep you fit and active, but spending time outdoors is a great way to switch off from work. When spending more time outside remember to wear the right type of walking socks to keep your feet comfortable and pain-free.
Plus, exercise releases those incredible endorphins that boost your mood and productivity. So by getting outdoors and moving your body, you’ll have a positive impact on your mental wellbeing, and productivity at work, as well as your physical wellbeing.
Move your body at least once an hour
When working in the office we would often use nipping to the printer or going to make a cup of tea with your colleagues as the perfect excuse to stretch our legs and catch up on office gossip. But this often isn’t the case when working from home.
Therefore, we recommend that you get out of your chair at least once an hour to keep your body moving and to help you get those steps in. You will find that a break away from your desk can also help to boost your concentration too! When you get up and move around, you’re also limiting your chances of getting blood clots due to inactivity. You can also help prevent blood clots during the working day by using compression socks.
Moving away from your desk can range from using your lunch break to do a full HIIT workout, standing up to make a cup of coffee with the help of your little coffee mate, or walking up and down some stairs in your home or apartment block for five minutes.
By following our top tips and advice, you can enjoy working from home life while also staying active and enjoying time outdoors.
Very good advice, thank you. It’s easy to get caught up in things at the computer and forget about taking a break to move around.
Though having to retire due to ill health now I did work from home in the past and found it much easier to take regular breaks and keep focussed than I did when in the office. In the office there is sort of herd behaviour effects you psychologically making more difficult to take a break when needed, at least for me. Of course there are others who seem take a lot of breaks chatting at other peoples desks.