Written by
January 23, 2017 0 Comments

5 Crucial Ways to Stay Healthy When You Work From Home

Eat right

Health begins with healthy food! Make things easier on yourself by purchasing good, quality food and leaving the less ideal treats for special occasions or after work hours.  When you make “healthy eating only” your sole option during the workday, it becomes much easier to stick to a healthy eating plan.

Snacks are encouraged, but ensure that they’re snacks that will keep you energized and productive, not napping by 3 PM.  It’s incredibly helpful to make a weekly list that includes a meal plan, snacks to purchase, and meal ingredients.  This helps you to factor in the times when you’ll be eating away from home, as well as stick to a budget and menu plan.

Professional help

Part of health is maintaining your body in alignment.  You can work on your posture, make time for stretching or yoga, but sometimes you will need outside help.  Since working from home typically features desk jobs, you can be prone to neck and back pain and tension.

If you’re struggling with pain even after looking into ergonomically correct furniture, it can be helpful to consult a chiropractor, physical therapist, or your family doctor.  Ensure that you’re doing everything you can to maintain your body’s structure while you work from home!

Dedicate your time

It’s important to factor exercise into your day, and when you work from home, you have more flexibility as to when this occurs.  If you prefer morning workouts, you have a bit more time to get that in.  If you’d rather wait until mid-afternoon, this typically wouldn’t be an issue.  The important part is that you make time for it!

A dedicated exercise routine keeps you healthy, as well as helps you to make up for all the time you spend seated.

Focus on the mental

Mental health is just as important as your body’s health!  While working from home is convenient, it can be isolating if you aren’t careful.  Do your best to get out, talk to others, and stay social.  Additionally, participate in activities that keep your mind sharp as well as calm, such as puzzles or meditation.

Another part of mental health is keeping work separate from home, which is always a challenge in a home based career.  Shut down your work after a reasonable amount of time, and don’t turn “work from home” into “work all the time.”

Move when you can

Exercise may be a dedicated 30-60 minutes, but movement is also key!  This includes getting up and moving during the day as unstructured exercise.  Stretching is also good for all the sitting that the job entails, and it keeps your blood flowing and your mind sharp.

Set your alarm clock for every hour or so, and take that time to do 3-5 minutes of stretches, dancing, walking in place, or any other activity that keeps you fresh and active.

Staying healthy includes the mind and body, and factors in your mental and physical health at the same time.  When you work from home, you have benefits and challenges to staying healthy.  Take the steps above to ensure that you’re being your best, healthiest self in your home based career.

Continue Reading

Written by
July 11, 2016 0 Comments

5 Tips for Healthy Eating When You Work From Home

Even though working from home allows you to generally eat whatever you want anytime, sometimes that can make it a struggle to stay healthy! In a traditional work setting, the issues usually revolve around takeout and convenience foods, while working from home can create poor eating habits and all day snacking.  Read along for some tips to stay healthy as a home based worker.

Keep healthy food

Keep healthy food options in the house – and visible.  Buy a nice fruit bowl and keep fruit right at the kitchen entrance, or purchase pre-cut fruits and veggies for the week.  As long as you have healthy options available, it’s much easier to stay on track.

Avoid temptations

If you struggle with all day eating or simply snacking on the wrong foods, do your best to keep temptations out of the house during the week.  It doesn’t have to be painful! Think of what you can include in your diet – fresh fruits, veggies, whole grain crackers, protein – versus what you have to eliminate.  You can always have whatever you choose, it’s just better for health and productivity to make most of that food healthy.

Find something fun

Find something fun to look forward to! This doesn’t have to be food, but it certainly can be. Why not plan evening trips to a new park with your kids, or another healthy activity that teaches them good habits.  You can also meet a friend at a new healthy eatery – this is something to look forward to that fits your goals and allows you to socialize as well!

Structure it

Make a plan and stick to it! It’s much easier for your time and productivity levels to have meals planned out as well.  On Saturday or Sunday, make a plan for the week, create your grocery list, and head to the store.  You can do all of the cooking for the week in a few hours, and then everything is pre-packaged and ready to go.  When you make a plan with anything in life, your goals tend to get met and unexpected challenges that come up are much less likely.

Meal plans are also incredibly helpful for families, as your kids can also participate and give healthy meal ideas.  This also allows them to learn about cooking, clean eating, and fun snacks that are always available.

Remember your goals

Your goals do not need to have anything to do with weight loss, but feeling good while working from home is a noble one. When we eat better, we feel better! Shift your focus from “bad” foods and deprivation to really fueling your body for a productive, happy workday, and feel free to include treats whenever you choose.  This process is really about what you’ll do most of the time, and what will allow you to feel your best when it would be easier to simply avoid healthy eating in the home.

Continue Reading