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January 23, 2017 0 Comments

5 Crucial Ways to Stay Healthy When You Work From Home

Eat right

Health begins with healthy food! Make things easier on yourself by purchasing good, quality food and leaving the less ideal treats for special occasions or after work hours.  When you make “healthy eating only” your sole option during the workday, it becomes much easier to stick to a healthy eating plan.

Snacks are encouraged, but ensure that they’re snacks that will keep you energized and productive, not napping by 3 PM.  It’s incredibly helpful to make a weekly list that includes a meal plan, snacks to purchase, and meal ingredients.  This helps you to factor in the times when you’ll be eating away from home, as well as stick to a budget and menu plan.

Professional help

Part of health is maintaining your body in alignment.  You can work on your posture, make time for stretching or yoga, but sometimes you will need outside help.  Since working from home typically features desk jobs, you can be prone to neck and back pain and tension.

If you’re struggling with pain even after looking into ergonomically correct furniture, it can be helpful to consult a chiropractor, physical therapist, or your family doctor.  Ensure that you’re doing everything you can to maintain your body’s structure while you work from home!

Dedicate your time

It’s important to factor exercise into your day, and when you work from home, you have more flexibility as to when this occurs.  If you prefer morning workouts, you have a bit more time to get that in.  If you’d rather wait until mid-afternoon, this typically wouldn’t be an issue.  The important part is that you make time for it!

A dedicated exercise routine keeps you healthy, as well as helps you to make up for all the time you spend seated.

Focus on the mental

Mental health is just as important as your body’s health!  While working from home is convenient, it can be isolating if you aren’t careful.  Do your best to get out, talk to others, and stay social.  Additionally, participate in activities that keep your mind sharp as well as calm, such as puzzles or meditation.

Another part of mental health is keeping work separate from home, which is always a challenge in a home based career.  Shut down your work after a reasonable amount of time, and don’t turn “work from home” into “work all the time.”

Move when you can

Exercise may be a dedicated 30-60 minutes, but movement is also key!  This includes getting up and moving during the day as unstructured exercise.  Stretching is also good for all the sitting that the job entails, and it keeps your blood flowing and your mind sharp.

Set your alarm clock for every hour or so, and take that time to do 3-5 minutes of stretches, dancing, walking in place, or any other activity that keeps you fresh and active.

Staying healthy includes the mind and body, and factors in your mental and physical health at the same time.  When you work from home, you have benefits and challenges to staying healthy.  Take the steps above to ensure that you’re being your best, healthiest self in your home based career.

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February 2, 2016 0 Comments

3 Tips for Work From Home Health

You might think that a home based career would be better for your health, and it can be – if you do it correctly! It can actually be easier to eat less healthy foods and continue to work all the time when you work from home.  To avoid mental and physical burnout, focus on the tips below for your best health from home!

Stop on time

Mental health is just as important as physical health when you work from home! It’s important to stop working at a certain time most days, or rearrange your schedule so that you’re working a certain number of hours per day.  When your work is just your laptop, it can be tempting to continue work throughout your whole day and night, but that mental break is so important.

Separate work from home and keep yourself mentally strong and focused by shutting down your work each night.  Just as an employee in a traditional office would go home at the end of the day, you should do the same!

Establish a routine

Create a workout routine that is sustainable for you and your lifestyle. Often times, we start out with overly ambitious goals of working out at 4:30 AM, but if that doesn’t suit your body, family, or work schedule, this isn’t an option.

Whether you choose to leave the house for fitness classes or the gym, or simply a strong practice at home – keep at it! We stay healthy when we commit to a routine that’s enjoyable and doable.  Set aside time in your day, just as you would any important meeting, and make fitness a priority in your day.

Keep it healthy

When you work from home, it’s even more tempting to search the fridge every hour.  Just like you’ll be creating a fitness schedule, keep your eating on a semi-regular schedule as well.  If you find you’re an unhealthy snacker, only keep healthy foods in the house.  Set yourself up for success, and keep meal times and foods on a schedule that keeps you feel energized.  This also helps you avoid eating all day, which can lead to weight gain and low energy fairly quickly!

On the other side of the equation, be sure you’re eating enough to keep your energy up! Since oyu don’t have the bustling energy of an office or in-person employees and employers, it’s important to keep yourself going to stay motivated.

Create mental space in your day, establish a sustainable fitness routine, and plan to eat healthy when you work from home – these tips will ensure that you’re in your best shape mentally and physically in your home based career!

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October 5, 2015 0 Comments

How to Take More Steps Working From Home

We all know how bad sitting is for our health. There have been numerous studies and anecdotes about the health risks and potential for disease from a lifetime of sitting. Hitting 10,000 steps per day is ideal, but even if you can add several thousand steps to your sedentary day, you’re helping your long term health in a major way.  

 

If you work from home, most of your time is likely spent seated – but don’t fear! We have compiled some actionable tips for you to get in those necessary steps while still working an office job.

 

Get a Fitbit

 

By now, you’ve probably seen and heard of fitness trackers. They’re worn on your wrist, and they’re able to track workouts, steps taken, calories burned, sleep schedules, and much more.

 

This is a great device for those who don’t want to use a cell phone pedometer all the time, which is helpful since they are small and not overly noticeable on your wrist.  It also allows you to be hands free!  It’s inspiring to set step and fitness goals via fitness trackers, and there are several options out there to suit everybody’s needs.

 

Click here for a comparison of some of the most popular brands and styles.

 

Keep it Simple

 

If a fitness tracker seems a little too intense, you can always go the old school way – a simple pedometer.  These will run you approximately $5-15, and they clip on your clothing.  This is a great option for the home based worker, since you’re likely not seeing many people throughout the day, nor do you have to wear fancy clothing.

 

Pedometers can be set to work with your age, weight, stride, and more, making them a handy fitness tool that’s just a bit less high tech than a fitness tracker.

 

Dance

 

Dancing is just as good for getting in those steps! Along those same lines, any 5-minute and 10-minute workouts you can fit into your day, the better. You can turn on your favorite radio station or create short playlists for your walk (or dance) breaks.

 

Anything that gets you moving will contribute to your overall health and increase those steps, which is the ultimate goal.  If you go this method without counting steps, take a few 5-minute breaks per day to keep the momentum.

 

Walking Workouts

 

There are several walking workouts available on YouTube and for purchase at sites like Amazon.com.  You can walk any distance from approximately 1-5 miles, taking 15-minutes per mile. This is a great option in the winter, or if you’re not able to walk outside in a desireable area.

 

Try to fit in a walking workout or two just to increase those steps as a follow-along option.

 

Get Outside

 

The best option would be to get outside for your daily steps! If you can take a short walk on your lunch break, that’s an ideal time to rest your mind and invigorate your body.

 

Your walks don’t need to be fancy or even incredibly quick, simply aim for a set period of time (or a set number of steps) and stay consistent!

The key to meeting your step requirement and staying healthy is to keep moving.  Take breaks throughout your day to dance, move, or walk – all excellent ways to fit in your steps and keep your body healthy.

 

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