Staying Healthy When Working From Home

The World Health Organization defines health as, “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and NOT merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” 

So how can you stay healthy when working from home? 

Research shows that 20 minutes daily of meditation can help to improve productivity and increase feelings of wellbeing. 

If 20-minutes sounds like a long time, try starting with 5 minutes and work up from there. Check online for resources to help guide you through it.

Another challenge when working from home is setting boundaries between work time and personal time. Try to establish fixed start and finish times for your workday. Walking away from your computer (Shut it down!) and switching off work related notifications when your workday is complete are key to maintaining work-life balance. Your emails will be there in the morning.

Remember to stick to a regular sleeping routine. Inadequate sleep is known to make it harder to gain muscle and lose fat. To prevent this negative impact on your body composition, aim to wake up and go to bed around the same times every day.

Healthy Eating

Planning and preparing nutritious meals and snacks is key for achieving optimal health and well-being; however, working from home can present some unique challenges when it comes to maintaining optimal nutrition. Planning ahead and practicing mindful eating can help ensure you stay on track with your health goals.

It’s hard to argue with the convenience of food delivery apps, but keep in mind that frequently eating food prepared away from home can increase the risk of obesity. Try to limit take away when working from home.

The benefit of eating from home is that you have more control over the ingredients and cooking methods used to prepare the food you eat. Following an effective meal prep plan will help to ensure that your meals and snacks offer a good balance of the required nutrition.

Some of the types of foods you should be including are:

·  A variety of whole fruits (limit juice)

·   Non-starchy vegetables (leafy greens, red and orange veggies)

·   Starchy vegetables (potatoes, green peas, legumes, winter squash)

·   Grains, with the goal to make at least ½ from whole-grain sources

·   Protein from your preferred sources like lean meats, seafood, eggs, nuts & seeds, soy products, or legumes

·  Drink adequate levels of water throughout the day

Try not to eat in front of your computer or while working and avoid keeping snacks at your desk. Establishing a workspace that is separate from your eating area is your best option as eating while distracted, whether from work or entertainment, tends to lead to excessive calorie intake.

Lastly, stick to a regular eating schedule. Irregular meal timing can negatively impact circadian rhythm which can increase the risk of obesity. To prevent this, try eating your meals and snacks around the same time each day. This applies to weekends, too!

Exercise Regularly

Our bodies are meant to move, but no longer having to commute or having a routine of walking to meetings, getting in and out of the office building, or walking to the break room presents a challenge to meeting guidelines for exercise. Unfortunately when working from home, you spend increased time sitting which is known to lead to reduced lean body mass, and increased total fat mass.

Any activity is better than none at all and taking just small physical breaks throughout the day has been shown to improve blood sugar responses after a meal and can help lower triglycerides. Consider adding it to your daily agenda to remind yourself to get up and move.  If you’re able to, plan a short physical activity break outdoors as Vitamin D plays a critical role in immune function.  If going outside isn’t an option, activities like yoga, bodyweight exercises, or free workout videos online are an easy way to get some exercise while still indoors. Also, in this current climate, most gyms are offering live conference style group training via apps such as Zoom.

 It is recommended by the World Health Organization that:

·  Adults aged 18–64 should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity.

·  Aerobic activity should be performed in bouts of at least 10 minutes duration.

·  Muscle-strengthening activities should be done involving major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.

Track Your Progress

Staying motivated to work out while isolated at home can be difficult, especially if you’re used to exercising with a buddy or in a group setting. Tracking your progress with a body composition analysis can help keep you motivated and on track with your health goals.

Body fat percentage and muscle mass are better metrics to track your progress than just relying on your bathroom scale. This is because the scale can’t tell the difference between weight loss from fat vs. loss from hydration status, or worse – loss of lean body mass.

Contact us to find out how you can safely book your analysis with us.

Information in this article has been extracted and edited in parts from InBody USA article “Staying Healthy When Working from Home” by Stephanie Troxell who is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach from Denver, Colorado. She specializes in theories of behaviour change and has assisted thousands of clients from around the world in uncovering their own unique sources of internal motivation in order to promote lasting healthy habits

(1)  Source Indeed blog post

(2)  Source Sydney Morning Herald