Will Driscoll reveals 11 easy changes to make your daily routine more active when working from home, to start the new year with a healthier lifestyle.
There was a time when working from home was a novelty, but nowadays it’s become the norm for many of us. Whilst most people have opted for a hybrid working solution, there are those for whom remote working has become a full time, permanent option. This shift in working habits also brings about a shift in lifestyle; gone are the days of heading to the gym on the way home or hopping on your bike to tackle the commute.
Working from home has brought with it a more sedentary way of living, even a stroll to the staff kitchen for a catch-up can no longer help you clock up your 10k steps. With the new year typically a time for shaking off the excesses of Christmas, how can you get fit and move more during the at-home 9 to 5? Here are 11 ideas, some obvious and some less so, to help kickstart your health drive at your home office.
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Stand up at your desk
Standing for an hour can help you burn between 100 and 200 calories. This is compared to just 60 to 130 calories when sitting down. So ditch the comfy chair and increase your basal metabolic rate just by standing up.
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Walk and talk
If you need to take a call, do it whilst walking around your house. A quick ten minute wander whilst you hash out the finer details could kill about 25 calories, more if you make it a power walk.
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Just dance
The workplace can be a great space for getting social. But can you turn on your favourite tune and dance like no one is watching? Set yourself a timer, say every two hours, and then crank up the volume and bust out your best moves. Not only does dancing tone and strengthen, it’s a great stress reliever too.
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Reassign your time
Working from home has the bonus of no commute, and not even having to get dressed if you really don’t want to. Use this extra time to do a morning or evening workout. There are loads of at-home apps like Fiit or The Body Coach, and lots of free videos on YouTube. You can shed as much as 360 calories in an intense HIIT workout and start or end your day with all those endorphins.
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Step to it
If you live in a house then make the most of your stairs. Each time you have to use the bathroom, run up and down the stairs three times first before making your final journey. It will take seconds but, with the average house having 12 steps, your step tally will increase by 72 every time you nip to the loo.
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Gain weight
Weight training is a great way to stay in shape. Use the money saved on petrol or train fares to buy some dumbbells. Put them in a rucksack and every time you pop upstairs, go for a walk or even just stand at your desk, you can wear them to increase your non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). And don’t forget the backpack when you pop to the shops for even more active minutes.
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Housework is healthy
We all do it, put a load of washing on or stack the dishwasher in between meetings. It’s one of the benefits of being at home. Make housework work harder by incorporating some core fitness moves into it. Squat every time you put another item of clothing into the washing machine or make mopping more vigorous by including some lunges. A standard hoovering session burns about 120 calories, so imagine how many more you could rack up if you threw in some star jumps?
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Lean lunch
Making your own lunch needn’t be a chore. Use the time to jog on the spot whilst you wait for the microwave or make yourself a sandwich. If the extra cardio doesn’t get your heart racing, trying to avoid getting mayo everywhere as you hop from foot to foot definitely will do.
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Hold that thought
Research suggests we do some of our best thinking whilst focussing on mundane tasks. If you’re analysing a tricky report or trying to solve a work problem, do it whilst holding a plank for as long as you can. Planking is one of the most effective abdominal workouts so your stomach and your mind might both get a workout.
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Room for improvement
You might have been lucky enough to have had your own office but most people all share the same space at work. Now you’re at home you’ve got the run of the place. Make each room a designated zone, whereby each time you walk into it you have to do an exercise. So, if you’re heading into the lounge to eat breakfast, stop and do ten push-ups first. Need to grab something from the bedroom? Only after 15 glute raises please.
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Don’t resist
Resistance bands are really inexpensive. Instead of sitting idly on your next Teams chat, have a resistance band around your knees and do some exercises whilst touching base. And every time someone says a cringey office phrase, hold the stretch for a bit longer!
EZ Shopper stocks a range of standing desks to help home workers improve their health this January. Their full range can be found here.
