how to stay active while working from home

Whether your gym is closed or your schedule is off kilter from juggling new home and work responsibilities, it can be tough to stay active while working from home.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of our world changes week to week, and that stress can affect you more than you may realize. From keeping your energy up to eating healthy at home, taking steps to improve your wellness in this tumultous time can give you a sense of control.

stand up!

Use phone calls as a chance to get up and move around. If the weather outside is nice, go for a walk and enjoy the fresh air. Set up a work station where you can stand. You don't need a fancy moving desk to have a standing work station. Add books or boxes to a table that you can move your laptop to, or work from the top of a dresser or cocktail table. If you want something more put-together, you can add a stand up desk converter to your work desk that will adjust for you. Just as you shouldn't sit all day, you shouldn't stand all day either. If you enjoy standing while working, invest in an anti fatigue comfort mat to save your joints.

change your uniform

For some, working from home means wearing pajamas and working from bed. While others find that getting up, showering, and getting dressed is key to maintain a routine for productivity. If you'r enjoying the flexibility of your work from home schedule and have want to exercise midday, consider wearing your activewear as your outfit so that you're ready to go and have one less excuse to skip your workout. Gym wear has become the new loungewear, and by adopting this new uniform (like these military green leggings) you can take advantage of your spare time to get moving.

clean the house

If exercising during your spare moments throughout the day doesn't appeal to you, or the accumulating clutter of having the entire family at home is driving you a bit nuts, then break up your cleaning tasks into small chunks.

​Tidy up the kitchen counter when you're waiting for your water to boil or your lunch to cook. Set up junk baskets that "miscellaneous"  items can live in rather than scattered across surfaces.

Also - excerise doens't have to look like exercise! Cleaning can burn calories, too and heavier activities like scrubbing and vacuuming can get your heart rate up.

Help keep your house tidy with "junk baskets" 

build a small home gym

When you work from home, stopping at the gym on your way home from work isn't so convenient anymore. That inconvenience is compounded when the gym is closed for a pandemic! During 2020, with fitness centers closed and many people working from home, building a home gym rose to the top of many to-do lists. 

A home gym doesn't need to resemble a Hollywood star's fitness studio. Whether you use an spare room, the garage, or just a corner of your living room, you can thoughtfully purchase equipment that you will actually use without breaking the bank. 

Here's a helpful article that walks you through how to identify your wants versus your needs, and build a home gym that works for you and your family.