Staying Fit and Improving Energy when Working from Home

Working from home can be healthier than working in an office. You get to skip the high calorie, high fat foods that coworkers bring in, as well as fast food lunches. You’re not subject to the colds and sneezing and germs that your coworkers spread around the office. You may even have more opportunities to get up, walk around, or incorporate and exercise routine into your day. But working from home can bring its own set of health challenges. Here are some things to consider if you work from home.

First, make sure you’re eating balanced, healthy meals – and eating throughout the day. Without outside reminders, you may get wrapped up in your work and forget to eat. You end up raiding the refrigerator late at night, or cobbling together high fat, unhealthy meals when you finally get hungry. Avoid this by planning meals, just as you would if you were working outside the home. Have a menu for each day that includes actual meals – either breakfast, lunch and dinner, or several smaller meals spaced throughout the day. Make sure you get to the grocery shopping before you run out of food, and prepare your meals in the morning or the night before.

Aim for the daily recommended requirements on the food pyramid, including the proper share of fruits and vegetables. Fruit or vegetable juice, or fruit smoothies, can help to meet the requirements when you don’t have a lot of time to prepare food.

Skip the seven cups of coffee or other caffeinated drinks, and replace some of them with water. Make sure you get as much water as you can during the day. Eight glasses is recommended, but if you can’t do that, just have as much as you can. Incorporate some healthy juices into your day, too.

Take a multivitamin, and check out other supplements and herbs to improve energy. Check with your doctor first to make sure the supplement is healthy and won’t interfere with other medication you take or health problems. Avoid anything with uncertain ingredients, the kind that show up in the news later, like ephedrine and ?.

Another problem with working at home is that you may get away from your desk less often than you would in an office. Without coworkers to visit, there’s often little motivation to leave your desk. Take frequent breaks to walk around or just stretch. Try to work in an exercise routine into your day, either at a local gym, or just aerobics or cardio activity. Go for a long walk, tune into an exercise video, dust off the old treadmill. Read Get Fit and Stay Motivated using your Home Office Computer for ways to make your computer part of your fitness routine. If you don’t have the money for gym memberships or expensive equipment, Your Frugal Fitness Portfolio can help you find ways to work out on a budget.

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Make sure you get enough sleep. This can start by having a set schedule and routine for each day. Sometimes it’s difficult to separate work from home when you work from home, which can lead to working late into the night. Establish a cut-off time for work. End your work day with an evaluation of what still needs to be accomplished, and write it on the calendar for the next day instead of trying to squeeze out a little more work.

For some, working at night seems like the only option, especially if you have small children. Try to get at least some of your work done during the day, while the kids are occupied with other activities. If you stay up late, consider getting up earlier instead. You may be fresher and more productive in the early morning than at the end of the day, when you’re tired.

Once you’re sure that you’re eating balanced meals, getting enough of your daily recommended vitamins, getting good sleep and exercising, it’s time to reevaluate your health. Still feeling fatigued, low on energy, or just plain exhausted? Get a physical. There are many underlying health issues that can cause energy levels to drop. They include thyrioid problems, chronic fatigue syndrome, adrenal problems and fibromyalgia. If you’re having trouble focusing or getting work done, it could trace back to a legitimate health problem. See you doctor for a full physical exam.