Since the start of the pandemic, many of us have had to adapt to a new way of working, whether that is a full telecommuting role or a hybrid work model. The benefits of working from home are plenty - no commuting costs, avoiding the rush hour, a better work-life balance and staying tucked up in your cosy, warm house for the day! However, working from home does come with a price - we risk falling foul of an enforced sedentary lifestyle. Inactivity can have many negative consequences for our health, such as obesity, sleep problems, high blood pressure and an increased risk of certain chronic diseases.
Staying active is important for both your physical and mental wellbeing, helping to boost your productivity at work and enhance your concentration. Your health is not something that needs to be compromised now that you are working from home. There are many easy, fun and exciting ways to incorporate exercise into your telecommuting routine and here we will highlight a few.
Plan Exercise Into Your Day
You are more likely to stick to your daily exercise goals if you plan them appropriately into your day. We can all find a few spare minutes here and there to get active. It may be during your coffee break or a brief 5 minutes in between meetings. Whatever time you have spare, use it wisely! Plan your exercise times around your own personality and energy levels. If you are not a morning person, then an early morning run is probably not the best idea! Although a bit of exercise may be all that is needed to pick you up out of that mid-afternoon slump.
Take some time at the start of the week to pencil your workout times into your diary. Be sure to update your work calendar so that your colleagues don’t schedule an important meeting during your exercise sessions.
Get Up And Moving
Even if you are fit and active the rest of the time, spending 8 hours a day stuck at a desk is not good for anyone. Take regular breaks away from your desk and use these to get up and moving. If you set a regular reminder on your phone or smartwatch, you won’t forget. You could use your break to go and put a load of washing on, run the vacuum around, or go and grab a healthy energy-boosting snack.
Be Creative
When exercise is enjoyable, you are more likely to stick to it. While working from home can seem isolating at times, we are very lucky to have so many digital tools at our fingertips. If you search for exercise apps on your smartphone, you are bound to find some that appeal to you. You should also check out YouTube as there are countless exercise videos available that cater to everyone's tastes and abilities - from yoga classes to HIIT routines. The best part is many of the workouts that you find are available for free! If you want to make your exercise time more social, you could consider setting up a team workout session on Skype. This way there will be no clashing of schedules as everybody will be exercising at the same time. By keeping your whole team active, your productivity will go through the roof!
Make Use Of What You Have
One of the benefits of going to the gym is the vast array of professional equipment at your disposal. Don’t worry if you haven’t got any gym equipment at home, just make use of what you have got. Lots of workout routines can be done with no equipment at all, or using only your body weight for resistance. No equipment is required to get outside for a quick run or a nice relaxing stroll. If you want to start out with a bit of strength training, there are many household items that you can use in place of weights, such as a couple of cans of beans or a bag of sugar. If your bike has been stuck at the back of the shed for a few years, dust it off and take it for a quick spin.
Try Some Desk Exercises
If all else fails and you simply can’t afford to take time away from your desk, then have a go at some simple desk exercises. A quick search of the internet will give you all the information you need to get started. Put your phone on silent and turn off your computer screen to give yourself some uninterrupted time. Desk exercises, such as shoulder rolls, head turns and arm circles can help to relieve any tension that builds up in your muscles throughout the day.
Enjoy Your New Active Lifestyle
Start the year as you mean to go on and make some small lifestyle changes to keep you fit and healthy. Your work life will benefit and so will your personal life. While working from home may take some getting used to, there are plenty of ways to embrace it and keep moving!
