It’s a common misconception that working from home is the key to living a healthy lifestyle. But it doesn’t have to be. In fact, many people who work from home are more sedentary and less conscious about their health habits than those who work in an office or on a factory floor.
Table of Contents
Keep Good Posture
It might be easier to fall into bad patterns when it comes to posture as you work from home. There are many ways to improve your posture while working from home, such as using a good-quality chair
A physiotherapist, such as a physiotherapist near Oslo, can help you learn how to correct your posture and combat the effects of a sedentary lifestyle if you spend a lot of time sitting due to work.
Optimize Your Workspace
Creating an ergonomic workstation at home can prevent poor posture and overuse injuries. Invest in a quality chair that is supportive and aligns your body so that you sit up straight and your arms are at a 90° angle to your spine.
Some options to consider for your workstation are a lower back, or lumbar, support cushion or a stability ball instead of a chair. You could also choose a desk that converts from sitting to standing, so you can change your position throughout the day.
Move as Often as Possible
Both daily exercise and small amounts of movement throughout the day are habits that can improve your health. Setting aside a dedicated time to exercise can build endurance and strength while moving in small increments can increase cardiovascular health and metabolism.
Adding small movements to a regular exercise routine could really boost your energy and motivation, in addition to improving your health. Set a timer or use a browser extension to remind you to stand up, walk around, and stretch for a few minutes every hour, or consider doing a few minutes of yoga several times a day.
Get Enough Sleep
Adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night to stay healthy and maintain a strong immune system. Getting enough sleep can also boost your productivity at work and make it easier to handle crisis situations. Sleep can also improve memory, mood, and exercise performance.
Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. If you can work outside your bedroom, it can help you associate your bedroom with sleeping and relaxing.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking water each day will keep you healthy and functioning properly. Keeping your body hydrated is extremely important to aid in the function of organs, delivering nutrients to cells, and flushing out toxins. You should drink more water if you are exercising, ill, or outside in the heat.
Adding fruit to your water or using a seltzer or flavored water instead of tap water can make drinking water easier and more fun. Fruits and vegetables with a high water content such as watermelon or cucumber can also add to your hydration.
Practice Self-Care
When our workload is high, or other people need our attention, we may neglect ourselves. Incorporating some daily or weekly self-care practices can enhance our moods and reduce stress so we can better take care of those around us. Daily meditation, mindfulness, engaging in hobbies, or just having fun with friends are all great ways to spend time with ourselves.
Working from home is a great way to balance work with your personal life, but it also comes with disadvantages. Make sure you are also investing in yourself and taking care of your health so that you can continue to be a successful employee.