How to Stay Healthy While Working from Home

Reliablecounter Team

With the pandemic raging on, many companies have wisely elected to keep their workforces working from home for the foreseeable future. While this is a smart public health move, doubtlessly saving thousands of people from the possibility of a COVID-1 infection, working from home can have its fair share of downsides, too.

One problem that many people face when working from home is staying healthy. It may not be the first thing you think of when you imagine WFH downsides (drops in productivity or easy distractions probably come to mind first) but trust us, your health might see a bit of a decline when you’re stuck inside all day.

For one thing, you’ve got near 24/7 access to snacks. With no prying eyes around to judge you, it’s easy to sneak on over to the fridge and grab yourself a snack after you’ve finished a work task. On top of that, your local gym is likely closed as well, making it harder than ever to keep up a solid fitness routine.

With likely a year or more of WFH to look forward to for many companies, and no vaccine to the coronavirus yet in sight, now is a better time than ever to get serious about your WFH health routine. Here’s how to stay healthy while working from home, however long the shutdowns last.

Invest in exercise

Even if you’re stuck at home, it’s smart to invest in exercise. Living a sedentary lifestyle while stuck indoors can be disastrous for your health—especially because sitting for prolonged periods of time can wreak havoc on your back as well as your internal organs.

There are luckily some simple exercises that you can do easily from home, like these:

  • Running: All you need is a pair of cheap running shoes and old gym shorts, and you can take to the streets and get into a solid running routine. Just be sure to wear a mask when near other people!
  • Calisthenics: This one is about as easy to start as any. You could even start your pushups and sit-up routine right after reading this sentence—now go do 10 pushups! Okay, back? Now do 10 more every day, and you’ve got a good routine going.
  • Home gym system: If you’ve got a bit more disposable income, it might be worth investing in a home gym that lets you replicate all the workouts you’d usually do in a gym right in the comfort of your home!

Keep a diet tracker

Keeping track of your diet is crucial when you’re working from home. The aforementioned snacking schedule is probably something many of us fall victim to, especially when it’s so easy to wander over to the pantry for a handful of cookies every time you get a little bored.

One way to avoid this is to write down everything you eat—or just use a handy diet tracking app. Keeping tabs on your meals this way may seem like a hassle, but once you fall into the routine, it will significantly help you cut down on the unhealthy snacking, and help you choose healthy habits instead.

Give yourself specific break times

Little breaks throughout the day can actually boost productivity, and they’re great for your mental wellbeing. Breaks give your mind time to unwind and process the information you may have recently learned at work, and better apply it in the future.

Every two hours or so, let yourself take a moment to have some water, look out a window, or go for a little walk. That brings us to our last tip.

Remember to get outside (safely)

Just because all the stores and offices are shut down for now doesn’t mean you can’t go outside. You should definitely still get outside and go for a walk whenever you can, get some sunshine and vitamin D, and get away from your desk.

Just be sure that, when you do go out for a walk, you bring a mask and wear it when you’re near other people out and about. Getting outside is essential for your wellbeing and can significantly improve your health—especially if you’ve decided to take up running outside as your go-to exercise.

With the right adjustments to your WFH schedule, you can have a healthy time working outside the office until the shutdowns finally come to an end.