A lot of things took a bad turn during the coronavirus pandemic. However, for many working citizens across the globe, the privilege of working from home came as a boon. People who are working from home are able to work at their own pace, in their comfort zone and also save a lot of money by minimising commute.
Furthermore, working from home helps working-class people to spend more time with their family and friends. This is particularly a blessing in disguise for those couples who have infants and small children to take care of.
However, working from home also comes with some downsides for many people. Somewhere along the lines of flexible work hours, being in the comfort zone and relishing the love from the family members, you might not take time for yourself to focus on your health. Dedicating time to work out can be a pain, and even the sleep cycle may be hampered quite often.
Here are our top five tips to help you stay healthy and fit while you work from home.
1. Follow a Good Morning Routine
Having a proper morning routine is essential because it helps you set the tone and mood for the rest of the day. When you start a day with good vibes and enthusiasm, the rest of your day will also follow suit.
Waking up early and getting ready to take on anything that the world throws at you will uplift your mood and boost your confidence. A good morning routine always starts by waking up early in the morning, preferably between 6 to 7 am, without slogging out of bed. Then, brush your teeth and drink a full glass of water to feel fresh.
Before you take a bath or eat something, it is a good practice to stretch your muscles by doing some yoga. If you are more of an active person, then going for a run outside is a great activity to do early in the morning.
After this short morning workout, get yourself a drink, preferably a fruit drink along with breakfast foods rich in antioxidants to vitalise your body and mind.
2. Dedicate Time to Workout
Homework is to kids, what working out is to adults: full of procrastination.
It can be easy for your mind to trick you into laying back in your couch or bed with a bag of chips thinking about all the exhausting things that you will have to do the rest of the day or about everything you have done. However, the lesser-known truth is that working out in the open air or even in your home goes a long way in not only keeping you fit and active but also relieves you of the stress you might have accumulated throughout the day.
You do not have to spend long hours in the gym like bodybuilders, but a good 30 to 60-minute exercise or workout session for 5 days a week will certainly help to keep your metabolism high and mind fresh.
However, keep in mind that you would need to allocate a specific time for your workouts every day. You should avoid hitting the gym at 6 am one day and at 6 pm the other. Maintaining consistency will help in tuning your body’s natural clock.
However, keep in mind that you would need to allocate a specific time for your workouts every day. You should avoid hitting the gym at 6 am one day and at 6 pm the other. Maintaining consistency will help in tuning your body’s natural clock.
3. Take Time in Clearing and Cleaning Your Workspace
Most people spend long hours working in their dedicated study room, and by the time they exit, the room would be a complete mess with cans and bottles of juices, drink and chips packets.
Hence dedicating at least 10 to 20 minutes every day to keep your workspace neat and tidy will tremendously boost your productivity and will also motivate you to work more.
If you are having trouble in cleaning up your workspace or if you are just not being motivated by the feel of your working area, then you could try replacing some of the furniture like your study tables to a more ergonomic one. Getting unique study tables, like the Wakefit Sage study table, will help you work more efficiently by helping you keep all your working items like files, gadgets and other stationery segregated. This will, in turn, make you feel more relaxed and even enthusiastic when you sit down to work.
4. Always Maintain Proper Sitting Posture
Since we are on the topic of working for long hours, it is imperative that we also discuss one of the most underrated and undermined point — the sitting posture.
Since you might be on your chair for long hours every day, it is crucial that you know about the benefits of having a proper sitting posture.
A good sitting posture will help to reduce the strain one your body and also improves the health of your spine. A poor sitting posture can cause cramps, muscle aches and joint wear and tear, which in the long run could get aggravated, in turn, becoming a cause for huge concern.
If you search the internet on articles about proper sitting posture, you ought to be bombarded with mathematical formulae and number regarding head tilt, angles and more. But most of us definitely do not carry around mathematical instruments to check our sitting posture.
Hence, to keep it short and simple, a good rule of thumb is to avoid slouching too much, getting an ergonomic chair and study table for all your work, keep your feet flat on the ground and resting your back to the chair, a cushion or a backrest.
5. Maintain a Healthy Sleep Cycle
When you work from home, it is easy to get carried away by movies and TV shows. Many people binge watch TV shows so much that they spend most of the nights sleepless and before they know it, it is time for them to report to work or join a meeting online.
This impacts the sleep cycle very badly and also affects your morning routine. Being sleep deprived has very negative consequences on your body, some of which are:
- Pain in the eyes.
- Dark circles.
- Poor focus.
- Decreased concentration.
- Lower attention span.
- Reduction in productivity.
- Tiredness.
- Stuttering.
- Irritation.
- Weakened immune system.
Hence, sleeping well is a very important aspect for a healthy, fit and productive lifestyle. Typically, 8–9 sleep hours is ideal for your body and mind. If you are having trouble sleeping, it is better that you check your mattress and your bed once instead of jumping onto sleeping pills that might unnecessarily mess with your system.
A very popular option among people who find it difficult to sleep well or those who have frequent body pains from improper sitting posture or working out is an orthopaedic sleeping foam mattress for better sleep.
Above all, do not forget to have a disciplined nighttime routine, just like your morning routine.
Conclusion
You have read everything from waking up to going back to sleep to maintain a healthy and fit lifestyle while working from home. How many of these do you follow already, and how many were new to you?
If you just learnt about some of these habits do not forget to check out the Wakefit products that can help make your lifestyle better by providing comfort at affordable prices and making sure that you stay fit through the quarantine!
