Exercise offers so many important benefits that it should always be part of your weekly routine. Of course, we all know that exercise can help you stay slim and fit. But, do you also know about all the other great results of exercising? Daily physical activity reduces stress and can help you sleep better two things that are especially beneficial to busy at-home workers and business owners. Fitness helps keep you healthy and has been linked to reducing the risk of some diseases and to warding off depression. Researchers also believe that strength training can help prevent osteoporosis. If that still doesn't convince you to get moving, then keep in mind that exercise also improves self-esteem, increases stamina and ultimately helps you be able to do continuous work for longer.
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Create a routine. It's easy to get a little loosey-goosey with your routine when you work at home. You'd never show up late or improperly dressed to an office job; when telecommuting, however, you might be tempted to roll out of bed at the last second and work in your pajamas, or skip your usual lunch workout at the gym for some daytime TV. While this can be OK every now and again, it's best to have a routine when it comes to your health and fitness. Try to get up and get ready for your day just as you would if you were leaving the house to go to the office. Schedule your lunch break and try to quit working by a set time. And definitely schedule—in pen—half an hour to an hour of time to work out each day. With all of the temptations at home, it's best to have a routine that you follow day in and day out.
Set boundaries. One thing that many telecommuters do is overwork. Because you don't have a commute, it's easy to begin your workday earlier, work through lunch (there are no co-workers there to remind you it's lunch time!) and not stop until the sun goes down. But overworking and not taking time for you can be detrimental to your health, your well-being and even your work performance. Not to mention that when you don't break for meals and mindlessly at your desk, the calories can add up—fast. Set some rules, such as:
- Don't work on weekends unless you absolutely have to.
- Don't eat at your desk (or in front of your computer) so that you can focus on your food and fullness signals.
- Log your hours to keep yourself honest about how much time you're actually spending working.
Schedule time for working out. When you work at home it's so easy to work around the clock. To help avoid this think of yourself as having a traditional "office job". In most "office jobs" when you go home for the night you leave work behind and concentrate on personal things. Even though going home for you may simply be walking down the hall, you need to set boundaries in order to find time for you.
During working hours, take several 5-10 minute breaks and run up and down the stairs (or even just walk). This will also help rejuvenate your mind.
Choose your ''office chair'' wisely. 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? On the couch? In bed? Outside on the patio? Yep, you can pretty much set up shop 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 comfortable than a typical 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 chair. 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!
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 decrease your metabolism, hurt your heart health and even increase your risk of cancer. 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! 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 a mental and emotional boost to help you get more done.
- Sitting in front of a computer can be hard on your body, especially your posture. So, find a comfortable place where you can occasionally stand to do your computer work.
- It's not necessary for you to find 30 continuous minutes for working out. You'll get just as much benefit if you break your exercise into small chunks. Try 10 minutes before you start work, 10 minutes at lunch and 10 minutes after work (re-read # 1 above if you just said you have no "after work" time).
- If you don't won't to spend a lot of time in the kitchen but still want to eat healthy, cook large portion meals on the weekend that you can freeze. Then simply defrost and warm for dinners during the week. This saves you the time of having to make dinner and you don't have to compromise calories as you would if you instead opted for take-out.
- One great advantage of working at home is that you can workout over your lunch hour while never leaving your office plus you don't have to pack your workout clothes and toiletries to take with you to work. This saves you travel time, which you can instead spend on grabbing a healthy bite to eat. And, if you don't have any face-to-face meetings scheduled, then you don't have to worry about looking perfect after your workout.
- If you haven't already done so, invest in a good hands-free headset for your phone. This is a great way to multi-task because your hands are free to do other things while you concentrate on your conference call. You can even do some simple (but worthwhile) exercise moves. Some good choices are squats, tricep dips, lunges, wall push-ups, etc.
- Keep healthy snacks available for when you need an energy boost or simply just need something to chew on to help you get through some tough work. Don't forget to keep water on hand and sip some all throughout your day.
- Purchase an exercise stability ball. While there are dozens of great toning exercises you can do with the ball, it's also beneficial to simply sit on it. Try sitting on it instead of a chair for even short periods throughout your day. This will help build your core strength (your trunk area).
- Don't forget the importance of stretching. Take a couple of minutes every hour to stand up and stretch your entire body.
Wear workout clothes and tennis shoes. Working at home means that you can pretty much wear what you want, when you want. So why not wear clothes that make you feel like moving more? A few mornings a week (or every day if you wish), put on your best workout clothes and lace up those tennis shoes. When you're dressed for the part of being fit and active, you're more likely to act it out!
Have craving-busters on hand. Though you might be too self-conscious to open a bag of M&Ms and devour them in an office, you can overeat without anyone noticing when you work from home. If you're prone to ''secret eating,'' working at home can be tough. So, instead of fighting cravings (we all have them!), be smart about keeping healthier options on hand. If you're a chocoholic, try sipping on some sugar-free hot cocoa. If you're craving salty foods, pop some low-fat popcorn. If you want a creamy treat, enjoy some non-fat Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey. Also, be sure that you're truly eating according to your hunger—and not just eating because you're stressed, bored or lonely while working at home.
Get an accountability buddy. In a regular office, you have the support and camaraderie of your coworkers each and every day. But when you're working from home, you just don't get quite as much interaction—even if you're on the phone a lot. So find a friend or other telecommuter who is interested in being healthy, and make a pact to keep each other on track. Whether it's calling him or her when you feel like eating out of stress, or reaching out when you need someone to virtually high-five when you worked outl, the buddy system works!
Make the most of your situation! Working from home gives you more control of your schedule and your time. So, as long as your boss is cool with it, work an hour earlier so that you can make that Zumba class that always fills up at 5 p.m., or take a slightly longer lunch to put a healthy meal together in the slow cooker for dinner. When you're super stressed at work, take a 10-minute break to do some yoga or meditation. Make your schedule work for your healthy lifestyle!
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