How To Stay in Shape While Working From Home
Now that you're spending a lot of time at home working, it can feel like that there isn’t enough free time to stay fit. Working from home has given us more time than ever to feel your best.
Schedule Your Exercise
It’s vital to set up an at-home workout schedule. If you plan out which exercises you want to do each day, you’ll be more likely to follow through with them.
Stick to your workout schedule in the same way you do with your work schedule. If you fail to work out on a particular day, there should be some accountability. In the same vein, reward yourself if you complete a specific number of days in a row.
If you really want to dedicate yourself, invest in a treadmill or some other workout machine. Doing so will open up so many more options for home workouts and maybe even inspire you to stay on track since you’ll want to give your new exercise machine a spin.
Use Your Breaks Wisely
Both the previous ways to stay in shape while working from home focused more on the fact that you don’t have your daily commute anymore—extra time you can commit to yourself, rather than letting work gobble it up.
Use every break you're legally allowed to take. Step away from your desk every hour. You can use this time to stretch, walk around a bit, or even fit in a few pushups or another easy-to-do exercise. Whatever you choose will help get the blood flowing and give you a short mental break from your work.
Consider a Standing Desk
If you like the idea of standing up to keep yourself from remaining sedentary for too long, consider investing in a standing desk. Most models come with an adjustable lever in case you don’t want to spend your whole workday on your feet. Regardless, it’s an excellent way to change up your routine and improve your health.
Unfortunately, a standing desk may not be in the budget—or perhaps you’re unsure if you’ll even like it. For those who are on the fence, there are ways to turn your standard desk into a standing one. We have a selection of adjustable wooden laptop stands, which come in many sizes to fit your desk or setup.
Exercise While You Work
This one depends way more on what your job entails, but it is equally viable. If your position involves more talking on the phone than typing, why not do that while you’re doing some yoga or walking on the treadmill. Whatever exercise you do, make sure it doesn’t impede your work, but it’s not a bad idea to kill two birds with one stone.
Another thing you can try is holding an active meeting—a meeting with a coworker at the local gym or someone’s house while you work out. You can even conduct one while going for an afternoon walk. These are ideal for one-on-one meetings, but you can hold them with up to three or four people. It may be a little unconventional, but it’s an interesting thing to try that will help you and others do something active together.
Change Your Diet
We know that our final tip on how to stay in shape applies regardless of where you work, but we want you to use your at-home perks to your advantage. When you are in the comfort of your own home, you can eat foods that you might not bring to the office for fear of judgment from coworkers. In your home, whatever you bring to lunch is your business and no one else’s.
Being at home also gives you more time to make foods that you would never be able to make in the office. If a new, healthy dish takes over 30 minutes to cook, you could prep it in the morning before work, pop it in the oven on your 15-minute break, then eat it during your lunch once it’s ready. Your options are close to limitless while at home, so don’t squander this opportunity.
