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May 2, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips to Get 10,000 Steps Per Day

 We all hear how important it is to get in those 10,000 steps per day.  It’s important for our health, as sedentary lifestyles are not heart-healthy, and we can end up with various health issues by sitting still all day.

When you work from home, it can be especially difficult to accomplish this task – you’re close to everything from the bathroom to your car, you likely don’t have to run around to meet co-workers, and you typically spend lunch hours alone.  It’s easy to see how this goal becomes elusive!

While you don’t have to set out for 10,000 steps right away, use these tips to get well on your way to more movement.

Set an alert

Use your phone or Google Calendar to set alerts throughout the day.  When they go off, go for a 5-10 minute stroll around the block or simply walk in place.  There are various walking workouts online for free, which you can find by typing “walking workout” into YouTube.  They range from 5-60+ minutes and help to get your heart rate up – and those steps in!

Getting your steps in doesn’t have to involve a structured workout – it’s actually better to walk at random intervals throughout the day.  This keeps your metabolism humming along, along with boosting other health indicators that are reduced by sitting all day.

Meet with friends

Meet with friends for lunch and move instead of eating.  This accomplishes two goals of meeting your steps and increasing your social interaction.  Since you’re working from home, it’s easy to do a working lunch later while using your “off” time for a walk with friends.  Set a certain time each day or week to meet with friends fro 20-45 minutes.  You can certainly accomplish a lot of steps in this amount of time! It’s active and social – two very important ingredients to our overall health.

Purchase a counter

You don’t need a fancy FitBit or anything like that, but a simple pedometer can get the job done.  Clip it onto your waistband each morning, and see how many steps you can rack up.  Take a few trips to get food or park further away when you run a midday errand.  These might seem like small changes, but when you’re tracking your progress, it makes it much more fun and motivating to see those numbers going up..

Replace Happy Hour

Happy Hour and dinners with friends after work is fun from time to time, but can you replace it with a healthier habit?  Maybe you can even combine the two! Set a time to meet up with friends or family members after work, and you can even go to your favorite spot afterwards for a leisurely dining experience.  It will be all the more enjoyable after a mini walking workout!

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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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