Unfortunately, telecommuting can lead to a more sedentary life. Hello, quarantine 15!
But, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to stay in shape.
In fact, it’s easier than ever to learn how to stay active at home with the availability of free fitness resources online. While it may take discipline and a bit of motivation, a hearty dose of willingness can keep you and your employees active — even when working from home.
When you’re sitting at your computer all day long, sometimes it’s hard to break away and out of the work groove to get movement in. However, sitting has become the new smoking and can cause health issues like back pain, weight gain, eye strain, and more.
If you’re looking for some ways to get creative with staying fit, check out these tips on how to stay active at home — no matter your current fitness level.
Read on to learn why it’s important to stay active, how often you should be active, and ways to get up and move when you don’t work in a traditional office space.
Why it’s Important to Stay Active (Especially When You WFH )
When you’re working from home (and we’re in the middle of a pandemic), it’s essential to keep yourself as healthy as possible. Part of that includes daily movement. Exercise is also an excellent way to keep your mind healthy, your immune system strong, and your stress levels low.
Since researchers have uncovered that sitting too long is the equivalent to smoking 1.25 packs of cigarettes daily, it’s essential for computer workers to be mindful of moving. If you sit for too long each day, it puts you at higher risk for health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
To stay healthy, adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity weekly, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Luckily, getting in your daily stretches, steps, and sweat sessions isn’t as hard as you may think. Below we uncover just how to do it.
How to Stay Active at Home During the Workday Tips
There’s no need to tether yourself to your computer as you get your 9-to-5 grind done. You can move around while working at home. Besides, taking active breaks boosts creativity, refreshes your outlook, and rejuvenates your energy. Plus, most states mandate you take breaks, so you might as well take healthy advantage of it!
Even if you had to give up your gym membership, you don’t need to give up working out because you’re working from home.
Give these tips and tricks a try to keep yourself active while you work:
- Move every hour - If you've been known to sit for hours on the computer immersed in a work project, consider setting a timer every hour. This will serve as a reminder to get up and move — whether it's taking a walk to the mailbox or doing a quick stretching routine.
- Wear workout clothes to work - When you know you don't have a video meeting scheduled, consider wearing workout clothes to your home office. That way you can fit in mini-workouts throughout the day or simply get to your workout faster once you clock out. No need to change; no excuses.
- Buy the bike - If you've been eyeballing a bike on your neighborhood’s Facebook garage sales page, it's time to go buy it. This goes for any piece of fitness equipment — rowing machines, weight benches, etc. — that you’ve been interested in. If you can get it, buy it and consider it an investment for your health!
- Garden - Enjoy the great outdoors? If you have an extra-long lunch break, consider getting outside and gardening. It burns calories, provides fresh air, and offers much-needed vitamin D from the sun.
- Try indoor workouts - Snowed in? Not a fan of the cold? Then stay inside and get your sweat session in. You don’t need a full-sized gym or even equipment to workout. You can pull up a variety of free fitness resources on your digital device for inspiration.
- Work on your laptop - When you work on your laptop, it makes it easier to move from place to place. Set a timer and plan to pick up and move every hour. As you move to your new work station, lunge your way there. Or, plan to take it downstairs and then upstairs on your next break. Note: This only works if you don’t have to move a ton of paperwork and books along with you, too. Otherwise, it’s a productivity hindrance!
- Walk during calls - Take advantage of meetings that can be done over audio instead of video. If the weather is nice, grab your headphones and phone and head outdoors for a walking meeting. Just be sure to mute yourself if a loud car zooms past or a construction site is buzzing.
- Explore yoga - Not only does yoga offer great opportunities to stretch your spine (a must after sitting at your computer!), it can help stretch your mind, too. Yoga focuses on breathing as much as the physical movements, which can make it an ideal stress reliever throughout the work day. Plus, you can do a few movements here and there as you take breaks.
- Take the dog out - Don’t just open the back door and let Fido do his business. Get out with him. Lace-up your sneakers and go for a walk. Even if it means going down several floors of an apartment building — take the stairs for a higher calorie burn! — it gets you out and moving. Plus, your pup will love it, too.
- Buy a standing desk or treadmill desk - If your company can swing it, see if you can get a standing desk or a treadmill desk option. A sitting-to-standing desk offers two options so there’s no need to stand all day. A treadmill desk almost guarantees you’ll get in your steps daily!
- Opt for stairs instead of the elevator - If you live in a multi-floor building, opt for the stairs every time you go out. Sometimes this isn’t practical, of course, but when you take the stairs, it offers a great cardiovascular mini-workout.
- Add an under the desk pedal machine - There are tons of options for portable pedal machines. It keeps you moving without even thinking about it. Plus, it costs less than a traditional bike. A portable one is nice because it can be used when you’re not working, too. Watching t.v.? Move it into the living room and pedal away!
- Use what’s available - Last but not least, use what you have on hand. Don’t wait until the treadmill comes in to make it a priority to be active during your workday. If you want to strength train but are waiting for weights to arrive, lift soup cans or water jugs instead. Try bodyweight exercises. Dust off your kid’s jump rope. Run outside with your kids. Get creative and use what you have around you to be active.
Stay Home, But Stay Active and Healthy
Even if the new company policy says you have to work from home, that doesn't mean you have to be inactive. Don’t let working from home be an excuse to sit all day long!
Remember, as you try these tips, you can modify them to what works best for you. Bodyweight activities don’t mean you have to do push-ups off the floor if you hate getting down. Try them angled off the side of a table or the wall instead. Be creative with your approach to being active.
And while you’re at it staying active, try these healthy habits to maintain your well-being:
- Drink plenty of water - Yes, you may need to go to the bathroom more, but staying hydrated is essential to good health. It flushes out toxins and also keeps the brain fog away.
- Find an accountability buddy - It can be your coworker, your best friend, or even your spouse who is working from home. Anytime you need a little push, check-in with your accountability partner.
- Keep temptation where it belongs - If you can't be trusted with cookies, keep them at the store. When you work from home, it’s easier to grab snacks and munch mindlessly while you're working at the computer. Only have healthy snacks on hand. Keep the temptation of junk food at the store and don’t bring it home!
As working from home becomes increasingly more normal, encourage yourself and your teammates to keep active. Sure, the changes in switching work environments can be stressful and disrupt normal life and workout routines, but you can get back to it. Above all, do what works for you. We hope the tips above help you uncover favorite ways of how to stay active at home while you’re remotely working.
What are some of your favorite ways to stay active while WFH? Let us know in the comments below!
