Can working from home be detrimental to your waistline – here are some facts to take into consideration when working from home – and some ideas to keep you motivated.
1. Your less mobile – walking around your house will use up a lot less calories than heading out to work. There may also include a walk to and from the office that you might miss out on too
2. Your free to roam around the kitchen – making frequently visits to the fridge or the goody cupboard whenever you feel a little peckish
3. Nobody to motivate you other than yourself
4. No structured breaks/lunch hour planned – could be tempting to graze throughout the day
5. You may feel lonely – which could encourage emotional eating
Okay, so if you’re at home all day you need to set yourself some serious rules and regulations and stick to them to keep yourself on track.
• Firstly, I would advise you get up and get dressed straight away before heading down to start your day. Being sat around in your comfy PJ’s all day wont motivate you at all.
• Make sure you keep good posture when sitting at your work station – don’t be tempted to slouch - and suck in those stomach muscles to help keep your core strong
• Ladies let’s not forget our pelvic floors too…!!!!
• You could also try clenching (squeezing and releasing) your bum cheeks intermittently – this may help strengthen your butt muscle whist your sat working. It won’t have the benefits that squats will have but it’s a start
• Just because we cannot see them hidden way under the table let’s not forget about our ankles – Rotating your feet will help improve the flexibility and mobilityof your ankles – by straightening your legs whilst doing this will also increase blood flow. Sitting down can hinder the flow of blood to your legs, so it is important to get up and stretch your legs regularly
• Make sure you drink plenty of water – it has been said that more often thirst can be mistaken for hunger. Keeping hydrated with help to keep your brain working well and may help stop you overeating
• Make sure you stick to mealtimes and are not tempted to graze throughout the day – this can we very calorific…!!!
• Set yourself a challenge to get up and do 5 minutes of exercise every hour – this could be hoola hooping – squats – running up and down the stairs - star jumps – exercise bike or cross trainer if you have one. You can choose whatever exercise you like as long as you keep up a good pace. By doing this over 6-7 hours you will hit your 30 active minutes a day – which is proven to have significant health benefits
• If the view of the fridge and goody cupboard is all too tempting – you could always move your workstation into another room away from the kitchen (if physically possible)
• Some people may prefer to set aside a structured break in their day rather than taking 5 mins out each hour. If this is the case you could plan a brisk outdoor walk or jog to get the blood flowing and give you a good dose of fresh air.
• Count your steps – this rule shouldn’t stop because you’re not going outside your front door. Still aim for 10,000 steps the national guidelines to improve health
The most important thing to remember, is to keep as active as you can….!!!!
Taking time away from your laptop will give your eyes a well-earned rest, help with blood circulation and will stop you getting a numb bum…!!!!!
Even if you work in an office – most of these tips can still be applied throughout your day.
So, don’t become a workstation couch potato – utilise your time and breaks wisely and do something beneficial for you.
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