Technological advancements have made our lives easier, yet they come with downsides. The biggest one is that they have caused many of us to have sedentary lifestyles.
With the advent of remote work, our activity levels are further reduced, posing a lot of health risks. If you spend a lot of time seated, try some of these tips to break free from an inactive way of life and boost your health despite working remotely:
Take Regular Breaks
It’s easy to spend a lot of time seated in front of your computer—this is the primary reason a lot of people live sedentary lifestyles nowadays. Instead of sitting for hours, make it a habit to take regular breaks.
It can be as simple as standing up to get water or doing some stretching. If possible, stand up every hour to get yourself moving a bit.
Sitting down for hours at a time has many adverse effects on your health, so it’s vital to take a few minutes worth of breaks.
Stand While Working
Today, there are standing desks available that people can utilize while working. However, you don’t necessarily have to buy one for yourself.
You can improvise, or better yet, you can just stand up while working. This is relatively easy, especially if you use a laptop for work.
Standing up while working can help reduce tiredness and boost your productivity levels.
Walk Around The House
The thing about working remotely is that you don’t have any colleagues you can walk up to for a chat, but that doesn’t mean you can’t walk around your house. You can do this even if you live in a tiny apartment. The goal here is to increase the amount of movement you do within the day.
You can make it even better by adding a purpose to the walking. Perhaps you can walk around to clean your house—do a bit of vacuuming or sweeping here and there. That way, you get to do something useful while you’re on a break.
Set An Active Time
The beauty of working remotely is that you can squeeze in a few minutes of active time, and your boss and colleagues won’t look at you funny when you do. Choose the best time for a short workout during your shift. It doesn’t have to be a full hour—it can be 10, 15, or 30 minutes.
Commit to an active time that you feel comfortable with, and keep at it as many times as you can every week. If you can do it every day, that is even better. However, don’t push yourself too hard.
Start at a slow pace and take it from there. Eventually, you’ll build momentum that will turn the mini workouts into a daily habit.
Limit Your Sedentary Time
When you keep finding yourself seated for several hours because you are too preoccupied to stand up, set a time limit. You can do this by using an alarm clock app on your mobile phone that will notify you when it’s time to stand up and stretch a little. That way, you get to keep moving despite how busy your day is.
Follow An Online Workout Class
There are plenty of online exercise programs you can follow today. Find something that will work for you and that you have to do several times a week.
When you have a program to go along with, you will feel more motivated to get more active. It will give you a sense of accountability that will help you push through, even on the days when you feel that you can’t.
You can ask your trainer to provide you with a personalized program to get better results.
Do The Household Chores
As previously mentioned, you can vacuum or mop your floors while you’re on a break. By getting your housekeeping tasks done early, you will free up your time for other activities you enjoy.
You can also take out the garbage or do a bit of gardening in the yard. Spending time outdoors is a great way to clear your mind and uplift your mood.
Wear A Fitness Tracker
You might find it useless to wear a fitness tracker when you’re working from home, but it’s in that type of situation you will need it more. A fitness tracker will get you moving, especially when you see that you haven’t done any significant movements throughout the day. It will motivate you to stand up and do something.
A fitness tracker will alert you to patterns or habits that lean toward an inactive lifestyle. With that, you can take action to combat its effects and find more opportunities to move more every day.
Fitness trackers go beyond telling you how many steps you’ve taken. They can also track your calories, check your day-to-day activity levels, and set goals. Some even track your heart rate and sleep.
Take A Bath
You might think taking a bath is counterproductive because you will only lie in the bathtub, but a warm bath is a great way to de-stress. Working remotely can be more taxing than working in an office, and too much stress can take a toll on your body.
If you are experiencing burnout, prepare a warm bath with epsom salt and essential oils. This will help rejuvenate you and give you more energy to work on your tasks.
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