Staying Healthy While Working From Home
By Donna Stark
I have a couple of friends that have recently made the transition from working in an office to working at home. When the opportunity opened up for them, they were both very excited about it at first. They thought that having more freedom at home, they would have more time to work on their health goals. So they made great plans to exercise more and eat healthier every day, and they really did believe their life would suddenly become “super-healthy.”
Somehow, their healthy workplace at home hasn’t quite been all that they dreamed it would. Although they love what they do and the flexibility that comes with it, they didn’t end up with the healthy lifestyle they imagined. Exercise was pushed aside for household chores and those healthy lunches? Well, they turned into repetitive trips to the pantry for chips and coffee.
Health Tips for Home-Based Work
Working from home offers many benefits but you do need to be very intentional with your days. In other words, you don’t want to get too comfortable. Sure, you can probably get away with keeping your pajamas on, but you may want to consider the following tips to ensure you are meeting your health goals.
- Drink plenty of water - Steer clear of your children’s fruit punch or the sodas in the pantry and keep a glass of water by your side throughout the day. In addition to staying completely hydrated, drinking water will help to increase your energy levels and your focus.
- Keep moving - Getting in extra movement during the day is important for your overall health as well as the health of your spine, and since you don’t have the temptation to run to your coworker’s desk for the latest afternoon gossip, you have to be intentional with fitting it in. So take a walk around the block or climb your stairs when you want a break.
- Eat healthily - Since you don’t have to rush out the door to beat the traffic you can probably afford to take the extra time to eat a healthy breakfast. You can also skip the fast food lines and save yourself some money by making a nutritious lunch at home. As for snacks? Keep plenty of fruits, veggies, and other healthy items prepped and ready to eat so the desire to grab that handful of chips is lessened.
- Stick to your fitness routine - It is easy to become distracted and obsessed with household chores if you are constantly looking over your laptop and cursing the dust on the shelf. Have the family pitch in on weeknights and weekends so that you aren’t tempted to replace your exercise with laundry duty.
Focus on Health so You Can Focus on Work
It doesn’t take big, sweeping changes to maintain a state of good health while working from home. Just spread some of your work focus on your overall wellness so that you can be highly productive and “super-healthy” every day!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Pooler, Ga.