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Work at Home? 10 Ways to Stay Healthy

stay-healthy-at-home-585Having a home office and working from your casa may seem like a perfect dream. You have no boss popping up behind you. No coworkers to interrupt you with the latest office gossip. No donuts to avoid. But, working from home—with all of its perks—also presents some unique challenges when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle or losing weight.

From temptations in your fully stocked fridge and pantry calling you, to the mindset of always being ”at work,” to having a schedule that’s almost too flexible (yes, there’s such a thing), working from home can make staying healthy difficult in some ways. Here’s how to stay fit when your home doubles as your office.

Healthy Work-at-Home Tips

1. Beware of where you sit. One of the great perks of working at home is that you can work where you want to, as long as you have a laptop (which many work-at-homers do). At a desk? At the kitchen table? In bed? On the couch? Outside on the patio? Yep, you can pretty much set up your home office anywhere. But, you’re still sitting on your duff, and possibly more inclined to stay sitting because you have few work-related reasons to stand up and move. Plus, where you’re sitting at home is probably more comfy than your usual office chair and, therefore, more appealing to sit in for hours on end. So, choose to sit in a chair that’s less comfortable and requires better posture than a recliner. Sitting on an exercise ball is a great way to make your workday a little more active. You could even consider investing in a treadmill desk or a standing desk, where you don’t sit at all!

2. Set a timer. For those who don’t have a treadmill desk or a standing desk, make it a point to stand up and walk around at least once every hour. Studies have shown that sitting for long periods may lower your metabolism, hurt your heart health and even increase your risk of cancer. Boo! One easy way to sit less is to set an automatic timer on your computer or phone to alert you once every hour. As soon as you hear that alarm, stand up and get moving for a couple of minutes. You can do jumping jacks, walk the stairs in your home, stretch, do some yoga poses, take the dog outside—whatever you like to do. Just move it! Making it a priority to get up and move once an hour will help your health and your weight-management efforts, and it’ll even give you an energy perk to help you get more done in that home office of yours.

Click here for more healthy-working-at-home tips! —Jenn

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Comments

4 Comments
  1. Ivori says:

    OhMyGosh ! I actually do #7 Monday thru Friday =D
    I work from home and do have a treadmill , so I decided yesterday that I will walk 5 miles, 5 days a week.
    I walk with intervals of light jogging, for 40 minutes to reach 2.5 miles. I wanted to break up the 5 miles into two parts ; half in the morning, half in the afternoon/evening to coincide with my favorite TV Show 😉

  2. Great tips! I work from home and switched to a standing desk last year. I love it! It definitely helps keep me more active throughout the day. I also recently adopted a dog and she is a huge accountability partner when it comes to taking breaks and walks during the day. 🙂

  3. Jonny Wood says:

    Hey Jenn,

    Thanks for addressing this topic. I can relate to it since I, too, work from home and am having back problems.

    I have to say, this is the first time I`ve heard of standing desks, they seem quite interesting. Can you suggest any affordable sites where I can check them out, and possibly make the purchase?

    Thanks again Jenn

    1. Jenn says:

      Hi Jonny,

      Unfortunately none of them are really that cheap, but you can make your own at home. Check out this cool article for how: http://iamnotaprogrammer.com/Ikea-Standing-desk-for-22-dollars.html.

      Hope that helps! 🙂

      —FBG Jenn

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