How to stay active working from home

Working from home may sound like a dream. You get to take calls from your sofa, avoid sitting in traffic and stream a movie in the background while working. But working remotely, as many of us are doing this year, can lead to sedentary life if you aren’t careful.

You begin your day sitting in front of your computer and before you know it, it’s the end of the day. You haven’t moved much throughout the day. If you are lucky, you got up to get something to eat. But you most likely took your lunch or snacks back in front of your computer somewhere in the house.

However, with some creative thinking, it is possible to remain active when working from home.

Here are a few tips to help you get moving:

Get up every hour

Being sedentary for long periods is not good for your overall health. Set a timer to remind you to get up and move for a few minutes every hour.

Many smartwatches and apps can be configured to ring once every hour or prompt you if you haven’t taken a certain number of steps. When it goes off, get up to walk up and down the stairs, or even do some quick jumping jacks to boost your energy.

Change of scenery

Look for reasons to stand up and move. Can you take your call or video meeting outdoors with you? Is it possible to move it out to the porch or take a stroll around the neighborhood at the same time?

Walking has been shown to improve mood, stimulate creativity and enhance focus.

Get up for food

The simple act of cooking something at home or at least moving to a different room to eat forces you to get up and walk around more.

Schedule it

Stick to a routine that includes your regular exercise. Whether it’s an early morning workout to kick off the day or a post-work jog on the treadmill, building exercise into your day can help you stay on track.

Add a workout from home

You don’t have any fancy gym equipment at home? No problem. Sit-ups, push-ups, yoga and other types of exercise can be done without any equipment. Walking or running requires nothing more than a pair of good sneakers.

And simple household items such as a bag of sugar, cans of soup or a bottle of laundry detergent can be used as weights if you’re starting out with strength training.

Stream your workout

You can find a number of workouts online. Many trainers and instructors have moved their classes online especially because of the pandemic. Gyms also have opened their platforms to allow for online classes.

This can be a great way to stay motivated and vary your routine. If you normally go to exercise classes, see what your gym is offering online. Here are a few apps that were offering free fitness classes for a short period of time.

Use a jump rope

A jump rope s a great way you can get your jumps in and get your heart rate up with this minimal type of at-home gym equipment that stows away in any drawer and can come with you on a trip.

Try this quick jump rope interval workout between calls or meetings. The intervals can be as short or as long as you need them to be.

Don’t make it difficult

Incorporating movement into your day while working from home will help you mentally and physically.

Find something that works for you. Just ensure you are moving at different parts of the day.