How to Keep Your Body Active While Working Remotely

28 Sep, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has brought a drastic shift in the working atmosphere. Our surroundings have become volatile due to the constantly changing situation today. Uncertainty and anxiety are grasping influence on us due to the closing of malls, shopping centers, mass events, and public gatherings. The whole global economy has dipped, which has affected food supply and basic amenities as well. Uncountable people are observing precautions diligently to safeguard their health and those around them. Ultimately, the most effective way to ensure the safety of our loved ones is by staying inside the house and exercising social distancing. 

This is why most of the people are working from home. However, staying indoors for an extended period of time has its own adverse effects on the body. The body may become inactive due to a lack of exercise or basic body movement, which was done previously before the quarantine. Therefore, let us learn some ways through which we can keep our body active while staying at home or working remote:

Get Up Every Hour

Staying desk-bound for an extended time is harmful to the body. You might be doing exercise at home, but, remaining seated at a desk for long hours can increase the risks of encountering heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes. 

How to counter it? Set a timer for reminding yourself to get up and walk for some minutes every hour. Numerous smartwatches and apps are available that can be configured to alert you every hour or remind you if you haven't completed a certain number of steps. After getting an alert, a good practice is to get up from your seat and grab a healthy snack, take a walk up and down the stairs, or you can even do some jumping jacks quickly to boost your energy and get your heart pumping. 

SET REALISTIC EXERCISE GOALS

Failing at the very first exercise hurdle is generally due to setting unrealistic expectations with ourselves. For instance, getting up at 5:30 am and going for a jog may bring pleasure to some people. However, there are many for whom this will be painful.

Setting an impracticable goal will portray working out as a chore rather than an opportunity. Therefore, cut some slack and remember that it’s completely fine if you don’t separate yourself from the bed before 5:30 am. Many other ways are available through which you can plan for keeping your body active while working from home and even modify several methods to find the balance that you think is perfect. 

If it has been an entire day and still you have not left your desk once, let alone the house, don’t build a guilty mindset. Remember that you can always start the next day and revert to your calendar to make adjustments for whatever is in your schedule that might be causing a hindrance to your exercise session. 

If the cause is not necessarily a time constraint, then observe the activity that you had planned and decide that you really want to do it or not. If the answer comes out to be no, try something different until you have found the one that you will surely enjoy. 

Practice In-chair Stretching:

For understanding how you can effectively work from home and stay active, you can learn to practice chair stretching. When you remain on your desk for long hours, the muscles in your back and neck can become stiff. In addition, the hamstrings, calf, and hip muscles are also impacted by sitting on a desk for a long time. The lumbar spine can also encounter a strain that can lead to back pain. 

Therefore, it would be helpful to invest in a comfortable chair with a good armrest, flexible back with soft cushioning. Also, simply stretch the hamstrings, spine, and triceps, among others, to get much-needed relief. 

Stay Home, But Stay Active and Healthy

The new work from the home or work remote policy of the companies doesn’t mean that you have to stay inactive. However, don’t let handling office tasks from the comfort of your home become an excuse to keep sitting all day long.

Keep in mind that you can alter them to what you believe is working best for you while trying these tips. For example, bodyweight exercises don’t imply that you should do push-ups off the floor if you don’t like getting down. What you can do is try them angled off the side of a wall or a table instead. But, again, make sure you have a creative approach for staying active. 

And meanwhile, you are making efforts to stay active, don’t forget to follow these healthy habits to care for your well-being.

• Consume a good quantity of water- This may imply that you may need to visit the bathroom more often, but staying hydrated is necessary to maintain good health. Through this, all the toxins get flushed out, and the brain fog stays away. 
  

• Find a partner- It can be anyone- your best friend, co-worker, or even your spouse who may also be working from home currently. This will increase your motivation as you can always check in with your partner if you need a little push.
  

• Maintain a good distance from temptations- If you know that you can’t trust yourself with cookies, don’t keep them in your home. The reason being that it is way much easier to grab a snack from the kitchen when you are working from home and munch continuously while working on your desk set-up or the computer. 
  

Final Thoughts

As working from home is becoming the new typical day by day, it is essential to motivate yourself and your near ones to stay active. Sure, there is no doubt that the switching of work environments can cause stress and might have disrupted your usual life and workout routines, but you can always get back to it after things open up more. 

Above everything, imply what works best for you. We believe that the tips mentioned above would be of great assistance in discovering your favorite ways to stay active while you work remotely. 

However, if you are continuously encountering any kind of body ache or other issues due to prolonged sitting sessions, it would be best to consult a doctor and discuss your issue. Talk with an experienced and reliable doctor at Central Valley Medical Providers. To get detailed information about our services, you may get in touch with one of our customer service department representatives at 877) 216-4215/local: 559.450.6334.