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February 2, 2016 0 Comments

3 Tips for Work From Home Health

You might think that a home based career would be better for your health, and it can be – if you do it correctly! It can actually be easier to eat less healthy foods and continue to work all the time when you work from home.  To avoid mental and physical burnout, focus on the tips below for your best health from home!

Stop on time

Mental health is just as important as physical health when you work from home! It’s important to stop working at a certain time most days, or rearrange your schedule so that you’re working a certain number of hours per day.  When your work is just your laptop, it can be tempting to continue work throughout your whole day and night, but that mental break is so important.

Separate work from home and keep yourself mentally strong and focused by shutting down your work each night.  Just as an employee in a traditional office would go home at the end of the day, you should do the same!

Establish a routine

Create a workout routine that is sustainable for you and your lifestyle. Often times, we start out with overly ambitious goals of working out at 4:30 AM, but if that doesn’t suit your body, family, or work schedule, this isn’t an option.

Whether you choose to leave the house for fitness classes or the gym, or simply a strong practice at home – keep at it! We stay healthy when we commit to a routine that’s enjoyable and doable.  Set aside time in your day, just as you would any important meeting, and make fitness a priority in your day.

Keep it healthy

When you work from home, it’s even more tempting to search the fridge every hour.  Just like you’ll be creating a fitness schedule, keep your eating on a semi-regular schedule as well.  If you find you’re an unhealthy snacker, only keep healthy foods in the house.  Set yourself up for success, and keep meal times and foods on a schedule that keeps you feel energized.  This also helps you avoid eating all day, which can lead to weight gain and low energy fairly quickly!

On the other side of the equation, be sure you’re eating enough to keep your energy up! Since oyu don’t have the bustling energy of an office or in-person employees and employers, it’s important to keep yourself going to stay motivated.

Create mental space in your day, establish a sustainable fitness routine, and plan to eat healthy when you work from home – these tips will ensure that you’re in your best shape mentally and physically in your home based career!

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December 28, 2015 0 Comments

4 Tips for a Healthy Home Based 2016

It’s that time of year – resolutions and goals are everywhere! We commit to being the best versions of ourselves in the new year, and one of the items on almost everyone’s list is the health category.

We can always strive to improve our health, and when working from home, health needs to take priority. It becomes easy to sit all day, eat all of the unhealthy foods in the house, and just generally lose sight of a healthy lifestyle.

Take breaks

When you take a break, the result is really dual-purpose – mental and physical. Taking a break gives your brain a break, and you can turn it into a physical break by taking a short walk, getting some fresh air, or doing a brief workout video.

Even if you’re extremely busy, make it a deliberate point to take short breaks throughout the day – 5-10 minutes is all you need to break up the work day!

Schedule fitness

At the top of all resolution lists is fitness! Just as you schedule important tasks to complete, conference calls, and daily to do items, scheduling fitness can really keep you healthy when you work from home.

Know yourself! If you like to get things out of the way, a morning workout might be your best bet. If you need a few cups of coffee to get moving, maybe an afternoon or evening workout suits you better. It’s not important when you do it, but that you schedule it and get it done.  Not only does fitness keep your body healthy, it actually makes you more productive and effective in your home based job.

Mental fitness

Mental health and fitness begins with balance. When you’re working from home everyday, it becomes easy to stay isolated.  Schedule coffee dates and meetings out if you can, and don’t be afraid to throw in small social meetings as well.

Working from home is very different from a traditional office environment, and it’s important to keep a healthy social life.  Maintain contact with friends and family throughout your week, and be sure that you’re venturing out of the house regularly.

Keep it positive

A healthy mind and body is nothing without a positive attitude. Health begins with your attitude, and the more that you can maintain a positive one, the more you’ll be able to accomplish. Think of your positivity as the fuel to your new, healthier lifestyle!

When you combine physical, mental, and an attitude of fitness, you’ll be well on your way to a happier, healthier new year! It’s more important that you factor in healthy habits when working from home, as there is much more opportunity to sit around and eat poorly.  Adopt these simple habits and see a change in your effectiveness and health in 2016.

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June 25, 2015 0 Comments

4 Home Workout Options for Busy Moms

Staying fit while working from home is a priority, but leaving the house to hit the gym can feel impossible most of the time! Between your home-based career, family, and other hobbies, there has to be a better option out there.  Home workouts for busy moms are the answer, and they can be just as challenging, useful, and productive as gym workouts.

While you may be a busy mom, maintaining your health is so crucial to caring for the rest of your family and successfully doing your job. Check out some of these excellent, low cost, effective options to integrate into your home workouts.

Barre3

Barre3 is said to “balance, strengthen, and lengthen the body with moves inspired by ballet, yoga and Pilates.”  While you can go to numerous Barre3 studios across the country, they also offer affordable online videos to complete with just a waist-level surface, light weights, and a yoga mat.  This workout will leave you feeling replenished – not depleted – and you’ll have access to a library of hundreds of videos ranging from 10-60 minutes in length.  Barre3 is best for those wanting a unique workout that gives you strength and cardio without the exhaustion.

There are a few free workouts available and monthly subscriptions start at $10.

Daily Burn

Daily burn describes itself as “the best streaming workouts from elite trainers, available any time on any device.” Daily Burn has everything from kettlebells to cardio and yoga workouts.  They pride themselves on the variety of workouts available on the site, as well as nutrition and general health advice. This program is best for busy moms who want to mix it up daily with some of the best trainers for an affordable price.

You can do a 30-day free trial and then membership is $10 per month.

YouTube Workouts

YouTube workouts are excellent, as you can find many videos done by well-known trainers and they’re free! Some of the best channels are Jessica Smith TV, Blogilates, Tone It Up, Fitness Blender, and BeFit, just to name a few.

These workouts often offer a lot of variety as well, and you can get your cardio, strength, yoga and Pilates without spending any money or leaving the house.

If you want more than what the channels offer, the top trainers often also have DVDs and downloads available for purchase.

FitnessGlo & YogaGlo

FitnessGlo offers everything from Strength to Tabata to High Intensity Interval Training, along with 8-week structured programs to ensure that you’re getting a well-rounded workout program.  You can search workouts by Style, Instructor, Duration, and Level, allowing you to customize your workout on a daily basis.

FitnessGlo offers a 15-day free trial and then costs $12 per month.

YogaGlo is the yoga version of FitnessGlo, offering affordable yoga classes from some of the biggest names in the business.  You can also search this site through a variety of filters, and you have the option of classes that are 5-120 minutes in length.

YogaGlo offers a 15-day free trial and then costs $18 per month.

(Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

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April 1, 2015 0 Comments

How to Stay Social When You Work From Home

The first thing you may notice about working from home is the lack of social interaction! You may be feeling some social isolation. Even if you’re very busy during the day, not talking with others can be tough. This isn’t the case for everyone, as many of us have children, numerous calls, social engagements, and so on, but it’s important to make social interaction a regular part of your daily life.

To avoid the habit of not speaking to others for hours or days at a time, follow these simple tips below.

  • Get Out and About: If you’re able to, try taking your work to a coffee shop or local business with Wi-Fi a few times per week. The change of scenery is always helpful and may make you even more productive! This also forces you to get ready, get out of the house, and arrange the outing into your schedule – all things that may help you feel more likely yourself in a home-based position.
  • Schedule Your Social: Planning social outings and activities becomes even more important without the workplace friendships and opportunities available in a traditional office job. Plan social or networking events at least 1-2 nights per week, as this will keep you from getting bored and lacking social interaction during the day. Often times there are networking events that take place over lunch, so those may be a great option too. Try Meetup.com for networking events in your area.
  • Talk with Friends: When you get a break, try to chat with your friends. Send a text, schedule a quick call, or just chat briefly on Gmail Chat, Facebook Messenger, or any other chat feature. This allows you to break up your day, laugh with a friend, and maintain your social relationships.
  • Interact with Other Home-Based Workers: There are groups, such as the HireMyMom.com Facebook page, that have a large collection of home-based working moms and people. They can offer tips and advice and lend an ear when you might want to chat. It’s a great idea to cultivate friendships among groups like this, since working from home is not extremely common. It’s nice to have someone who knows what you’re going through, and who also understands that social interaction is key to a happy, successful life – especially in the home-based working realm.

So, the next time you’re working from home and feeling social isolation, get out of your chair and onto the phone to call a friend for a chat or a coffee date.

Check out these other great articles about staying healthy as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

(Image courtesy of Serge Bertasius at freedigitalphotos.net)

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March 2, 2015 0 Comments

3 Best Tips for Office Stress Relief

If you work in an office, you likely experience stress on a fairly normal basis! Working from home also brings another level of stress, since you have home items and a family to care for as well.
Finding ways to eliminate your worries and find office stress relief is very important to the health of you and your family. When you aren’t feeling well or you’re overwhelmed, it’s tough for you to be positive and helpful to others.

By acknowledging and taking action with the stress in your life, you’ll be better equipped to handle tough situations down the line. Take care of yourself with these tips for stress management in the office:

Natural Relief

There are a number of new, natural remedies for stress without the side effects or jitters. Bach’s Rescue Remedy comes in a dropper or in lozenge form, and it’s a homeopathic stress and anxiety remedy. This all-natural solution is become very popular, and many people report excellent benefits from using these remedies when stress hits. Another useful tool is to diffuse essential oils or something that smells pleasant, such as lavender, known for its calming properties . Chamomile tea is also very calming for the body and mind, and it’s a great way to boost energy midday.

Get Moving

Exercise has natural stress-reducing benefits that go well beyond the calorie burn. When you work from home, some good ideas would be to sit or do crunches on an exercise ball, use a mini trampoline for breaks, or take a brief walk around the neighborhood. Another great idea is to do some stretches, as this relaxes the body on a deep level. If you’re feeling extra stressed and serious, dance it out! Dancing is a fun way to release tension, and when you’re in the privacy of your own home, you can truly dance like no one is watching.

Schedule It

Schedule a massage for yourself! If you don’t like massages, schedule another treatment or treat that will allow you to relax. Although it can be tough to get out of the office during the week, be sure that you’re giving yourself enough care and attention. When stress hits, we often cater to ourselves last to get it all done, but if you’re not happy or well, this isn’t ultimately helpful to others. Be kind and gentle to yourself – schedule something fun or relaxing every so often to keep yourself balanced and on the right track.

Check out these other great articles about stress relief as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

(Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

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December 22, 2014 0 Comments

5 Ways to Stay Healthy in a Home-Based Job

When you accept a home-based job position, you might envision days of work mixed with lots of movement and exercise. Imagine your surprise when the clock hits 5:00PM each day and you’ve barely moved! This is a common plague among home-based workers, and it’s something that can truly affect your health in the long term.

There are numerous recent studies proving how sitting is bad for our health, and when you work from home, you’re likely logging long hours on your computer. This isn’t really avoidable, but utilizing healthy tips and habits is a great way to ensure that you stay healthy when working from home.

When you’re making your 2015 resolutions, be sure to include these work at home exercises and tips to stay happy and healthy!

1) Stay active throughout the day: It doesn’t have to be anything excessive! Get up and walk around your house or neighborhood, stretch, lift light weights, or run in place for a few minutes. Do this approximately once per hour, and you’ll find that these little bursts are not only good for your body, but good for your mind.

2) Drink water: Working from home has its benefits here! Staying hydrated is key to health – you will avoid overeating and keep your energy high. Set an alarm on your phone or computer to remind you to drink water every hour.

3) Schedule your workouts: Whether you want to work out in the morning or the evening, working from home makes scheduling your workouts much easier. But you still have to do them! Schedule your workouts just as you would schedule a meeting or appointment. Write it down and stick to your plan.

4) Choose the right foods: If you’re used to having junk food around the house, do your best to stop buying it once you start working from home. If it’s in the house, it’s tough to avoid! At the very least, keep tempting foods out of view. Put healthy snacks such as fruit, trail mix, or protein bars out in a bowl, so you’re more likely to reach for them when you need a snack.

5) Take breaks: Mental health is just as important as physical health. It’s great to be productive, but not at the expense of your health. This will only lead you to feeling frazzled and burnt out – not a good combination. Take small breaks throughout the day to step away from the computer, get some fresh air, and relax your mind.
Incorporate these work at home exercises and tips into your daily schedule and start the new year out right.

Check out these other great articles about staying healthy as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

(Image courtesy of Serge Bertasius at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

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October 27, 2014 0 Comments

Maintain Your Home-Based Business & Your Sanity During the Holidays

As a mom and home-based business owner, you probably feel like one of those circus performers who can keep a dozen plates spinning on sticks all at once. It can be challenging from day to day, but most of the time you are pretty good at keeping your plates in the air. However, add the upcoming holiday season to the mix—which, of course, includes shopping, decorating, incoming guests and kids bouncing off the walls with anticipation—and it might seem like those carefully balanced plates will all come crashing down.

Fortunately, we have some work life balance tips to help. With some planning and preparation, you can make it to 2015 without losing your business or your sanity.

Adjust Your Schedule and Your Expectations

Accept the fact that your usual schedule will be disrupted for awhile. Once you’ve accepted this, look for pockets of time during the day and night to fit in shorter spurts of work. For example, if your kids are watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” for the thousandth time and dinner’s in the oven, head to your computer and knock out some emails or invoices. If you are an early bird, set your alarm an hour or so earlier and try to crank out some work before the kids and company get up. If you are more of a night owl, work a little after the kids go to sleep to catch up on some of your projects.

Prioritize and Push Back

Schedule some specific times and activities with your family and guests during the holiday season, and post the calendar in a place where everyone can see it. Whenever possible, schedule things to do during the times when you wouldn’t normally be working anyway—that way, you won’t feel as stressed out about missing work time, and you can really focus on your kids. You could swing by your local coffee shop for hot cocoas to go, and then drive around your neighborhood looking at lights.

Also, try to push back at least some of your work and deadlines into January. Chances are good that many of your clients are also trying to juggle their lives and the holiday season, so depending on what type of at-home work you do, it may be possible to reschedule at least some of it until early 2015.

Shop Online

If your to-do list is already three pages long, you might wonder how you’ll find time to get to the mall to shop. You don’t have to fight the crowds and parking lots to get toys and gifts for everyone on your “Nice” list. Pour yourself a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, put on your comfy flannel jammies, and when the kids are asleep, take care of your holiday shopping online. Walmart always has some great Black Friday deals and it seems like every online retailer offers shipping deals this time of year. If you are planning on sending out holiday cards, you can also upload photos to sites like Snapfish or Shutterfly and order them from there.

With these work life balance tips, you will be able to skate through the holidays having a fun and relaxing time with your family.

Check out these other great articles about productivity / time management as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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February 5, 2014 0 Comments

To Stress or Not to Stress?

Today it seems that no matter who we are or what we do, we have more stress in our lives than our parents or grandparents did. How to relieve stress often alludes us. In order to relieve this stress, it is good to understand what leads to stress.

There are many factors and demands that cause stress in our lives: things such as demanding careers, relationship conflicts, financial worries, health concerns, parenting challenges, legal issues, fear of the unknown and so many others. If that were not enough, the stress and worries these situations cause further diminish our ability to function well and to be healthy. In fact, stress can cause depression, fatigue, irritability, withdrawal, insomnia, appetite changes, headaches, lower sex drive and many other ailments and diseases. Some studies suggest that as much as 80% of all major illnesses are attributed to stress. Take note of that again — as much as 80% of all major illnesses are attributed to stress! It is quite obvious — stress is NOT good for us, and we are wise to get rid of as much of it as possible.

So how DO you relieve stress? First, do you know what things in your life are causing you stress? Think about it and write down those things. Next, go through your list and write possible solutions and ways to ease stress for each of those stress causers. Then, make a plan to do those things. That plan may look like a daily reminder that you read, post-it notes on your computer or a daily quiet time of prayer.

For those stress items that we cannot remove from our lives and for the unexpected stress that creeps into our lives, try these tips:

  • When you feel tense or stress, stop what you are doing, close your eyes and take several deep breaths. Inhale slowly counting to 10 and exhale slowly counting to 10. Try to do this at least three times. You may need to do this several times a day.
  • Start an exercise program. You may be amazed how much stress is relieved when you exercise. The endorphins that are released can reduce your stress, improve your mood and give you an energy boost.
  • Play relaxing music or soothing sounds that calm and relax you.
  • Plan a day off or at least plan some time just for yourself and do whatever is relaxing to you: sleep in, lay in a hammock, have coffee with a friend, take a bubble bath, have a glass of champagne, go for a hike, get a manicure or read a book
  • Count your blessings. Record things you are happy and thankful about. Read them daily and add to your list as you recognize new blessings and things to be thankful for. The goal is to have a longer “thankful” list than “stress” list. Focus on the positive and remind yourself of the positive things in your life often.
  • Simplify your life. Are there unnecessary things in your life that you could remove? Are you over-extended or over-committed? Are there things in your life that you can outsource to simplify your life? Are your children in more than one extra-curricular activity? Is that adding more stress than is worth it?
  • Find more joy. Are there things that can truly add joy to your life? What are they? Are you focusing too much on work or negative things in your life? Are you taking time to stop and enjoy your life, your family, and your children?

Use any or all of these tips to relieve your stress. Make today the day for new beginnings and for removing as much stress from your life as possible. Find joy. Make joy.

Lesley Pyle is the founder and president of HBWM.com Inc. which includes the national association of Home-Based Working Moms helping moms network, learn and grow in their role as a Home-Based Working Mom and HireMyMom.com connecting at-home Mom Professionals with home-based jobs and projects in virtually every career field.  Pyle has been featured in numerous publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Home Office Computing, and many others.  Twitter @lesleypyle and @hiremymom

Check out these other great articles about stress relief as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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