How You Can Stay Healthy While Working From Home

How You Can Stay Healthy While Working From Home – Written by Edward Granaghan

During the coronavirus pandemic, many people have found themselves working at home for an extended period of time. The pandemic has worn on for over a year now, and many people are not sure whether they will ever return to working full-time in the office as they did before.

Working from home has some benefits, including lower costs for commuting and dry-cleaning as well as the ability to care for children while at work, but it can sometimes be difficult to stay healthy under these new conditions. Edward Granaghan explains the best ways to stay healthy while working from home.

Curb Snacking

One of the biggest temptations of working at home is the easy availability of food. Where people often had to leave their offices to find a meal or a snack, now it is as easy as going to the refrigerator in the next room. Snacking on fatty, processed foods can be damaging to your health as well as to your waistline and chronic disorders like diabetes and high blood pressure.

If you are going to snack during the workday, try to restrict yourself to fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy. Snacks should come in at about 100 to 200 calories. If you find that you are constantly hungry, try upping your protein intake by having a serving of protein (at least 15 grams) every two hours.

Work Ergonomically

Many at-home workers station themselves on the couch because they do not have appropriate office space. As much as possible, it is a better idea to work at a desk or table. Be sure that you have a good chair and that you avoid slumping over or hunching in front of your screen. This will prevent aches, pains, and back problems.

Be Physically Active

While you are working from home, it is tempting to go between working on your computer and watching Netflix with a pint of ice cream in hand. Rather than spending all of your time sedentary, it is a great idea to exercise as much as you can. Walk around the block, ride a stationary bike, take a run, do a yoga or aerobics video, or walk the dog. Any form of physical activity will be beneficial for you. Try to aim for 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day.

If you cannot get outdoors, you might want to buy some at-home exercise equipment like a stationary bike or rowing machine. Make sure to keep children away from these machines when they are unsupervised.

Get Sunlight

In addition to getting exercise, your body needs sunlight to function correctly. Exposing yourself to sunlight in the morning hours can make your circadian rhythm work better and help you sleep at night. 

In addition, sunlight helps the body release serotonin, a mood-boosting hormone. This can help you reduce your chances of developing depression or anxiety, common problems for people who work at home.

Reduce Stress

This can be a tricky proposition, but if you are feeling pressured and stressed, you will need to find some way to combat this. People who work at home are more productive, but sometimes this means that they have taken on more work hours and more assignments than they had in the office. Their commute time is often replaced by a few more hours of work.

As much as possible, trim your workload back to where it can be done in a standard 40-hour workweek. Set firm hours when you will not be responding to work emails, calls, or texts. Not everyone will be able to reduce stress in this way, but if you can do it, it will be greatly helpful.

Practice Self-Care

In addition to reducing stress, you will need to practice good self-care to survive working from home. Exercise is one of the best ways to do this, as described above. Self-care doesn’t always look the same for everyone. Each person should decide for themselves what makes them feel happy, centered, and able to deal with the challenges of working from home. Yoga and meditation are great choices, along with at-home spa treatments and time spent playing outside with children. Visiting with friends, whether in person or on video calls, can also be a helpful form of self-care if you are feeling isolated.

Staying Healthy at Home

These guidelines will help you formulate a new routine and teach you how to cope with stress in new ways. Edward Granaghan underscores the importance of exercise and self-care, believing that these items are the most important on the list of things you can do to survive working from home.