People who work at home put in more hours every week than their salaried counterparts and face more interruptions. If you work at home, it is likely you have less time for regular workouts. To stay or get in shape, you need to find opportunities to increase your activity while you work.
Balancing Work with Exercise
A common misconception if you work at home is that you should have plenty of time to exercise and stay (or get) in shape. However, self-employed people statistically work more hours every week than their salaried counterparts do, and face many more interruptions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, even salaried employees who work at least part of the time from home reportedly put in an extra seven hours every week. Factor in the lack of even minor exercise most in-office workers get – delivering reports to the boss’s desk, or running down to the water cooler, for instance. The truth is, if you work at home it is likely you have less time for regular workouts.
That does not mean you should throw in the towel and break out the chocolate. Rather, you need to find opportunities to increase your activity while you work. You will be pleased to learn there are simple steps to accomplish this. In addition, not only will your waistline improve, but your productivity as well.
Work Out While You Work!
Start where you sit. Swap your comfortable office chair for an exercise ball. The instability of the ball improves your balance and circulation and works your core muscles. By switching from a chair to an exercise ball, you can burn up to 350 extra calories every day. Do the math. Every ten days you could lose a pound just sitting.
Set a timer or schedule an appointment in your calendar application. When the reminder pops up or the timer goes off, get up and move. Walk your dog, do a few crunches, or run up and down the stairs a few times. Repeat every hour or two. The exercise benefits your body and your mind, increasing the blood flow to your brain.
Look for ways to move just a bit more each day. If you have more than one bathroom in your home, resolve to use the furthest one. Wear a pedometer and count the number of steps you take in a typical day. Aim to put in at least another 250 each day from now on. Up the number periodically until you have reached the recommended 10,000 per day.
Learn some exercises you can do while you work. Turn on some music and squeeze your glutes to the rhythm. Roll your shoulders frontwards and backwards while reading emails. Rotate your head from side to side while sending a fax or waiting for a report to download.
By instituting these small but important actions into your work at home routine, you will be well on your way to a healthier, more industrious you.
Stay in Shape When You Work at Home
If you work at home, you probably put in more hours every week than your salaried counterparts while facing more interruptions. To stay or get in shape, you need to find opportunities to increase your activity while you work. This series will show you how!
