Ways To Stay Healthy While Working From Home

*This is a collaborative post on ways to stay healthy when working from home

Most peoples working environment has changed for good. For most office-based workers the idea of working from home was an occasional treat. And usually for a specific reason like someone was coming to fix the boiler, or your car was at it’s MOT. But 2020 changed that for good and most of us were working from home 5 days a week for quite a long time.

Even though COVID is still around everyone has been told they can go back to work as normal. But the working world has a new ‘normal’ and it’s unlikely many of us will go back to working in an office environment five days a week ago. Companies have realised that people can affectively work from home at least some of the time. And offering it gives people a better work life balance eliminating long daily commutes and being away from loved ones all hours of the day.

There are a lot of pros and cons of working from home, but one thing is it likely leaves you less active. Going into an office meant you had to do an element of walking when commuting, from car parks and around buildings larger than our houses. But doing 4,000 steps on an office day seems like a dream compared to how little I can do when working from home. The walk between my bed, office desk, toilet, fridge and sofa are minimal. And that’s why it’s so important to find ways to stay healthy when working from home now it’s commonplace.

Ways to stay healthy when working from home

When I used to go into the office at my old job pre-pandemic I was lucky to have access to a work gym. Quite a few times a week I’d head into work early and do a class before heading to my desk. It helped me exercise first thing, but also avoid the traffic by leaving the house earlier. Being at home you don’t have to worry about the commute time so it’s easy to get into bad habits. But if you’re working from home for part or all of the week for good it’s time to get into some good habits.

Try using a standing desk

A standing desk may be exactly what you need to promote healthiness as you WFH. Standing has lots of positive impact on your body including burning calories, boosting blood circulation and tackling low blood pressure. This is because standing up encourages basic movement and stops you sitting static. Movement is important in activating key muscle groups and your metabolism.

Standing also improves your posture as when you sit your back takes on the C shape. Standing encourages the natural S shape and helps engage and strengthen your core muscles. Also I don’t know about you but taking certain phone calls or meetings standing helps to improve my confidence and positivity. This is because standing improves oxygen flow to your brain and releases endorphins.

You can get a standing desk that asks as a full desk that is adjustable in height when you want to sit or stand. Or you can go for a Yo-Yo DESK MINI that sits on top of your existing desk to convert it to a standing desk.

Stay healthy when working from home with a good chair

As I mentioned above sitting for long periods can cause your spine to be in unnatural positions. But if you are sitting down for longer periods make sure you get a good comfortable and supportive chair.

Some of us began the pandemic using dining table chairs or the sofa, but it was quickly swapped out for a proper office chair. A proper office chair provides pelvic and lumbar support which means your back muscles will become less stressed.

Take a break from your desk and screen every hour

When you’re working in an office chances are you’ll get up from your desk throughout the day from walking to meeting rooms to grabbing a coffee or heading to the canteen. When you’re at home meetings are done from the same spot as where you work. And the distance for amenities like food and drink is likely to be closer.

As you would have a screen break every hour to give your eyes a rest, you should take a break from your desk as well and get up. Even if it’s just a quick walk round the house, or doing a quick household task it gets you up from your desk and away from your screen.

Exercise or get outside at lunchtime

One of the best ways to stay healthy when working from home is to utilise your lunch break for movement. Moving away from your computer to go and sit in another part of your house and watch another screen isn’t good for you. But taking some time to get your heart rate up and encourage your body to move is really important.

You could head outside and go for a walk or run. You could do a cardio class, or lift some weights. Whatever fits with your exericse routine and you enjoy works. I have a Peloton Bike and try to do a ride, and then a strength workout most lunchtimes.

How do you stay healthy when working from home?

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