Over the past several weeks, many people have begun to see the benefit of working from home. More employees are spending fewer days in the office and more days at home, with many working from home permanently. If your job permits it, there are plenty of great reasons for you to start working from home more often. However, there are some challenges that you might not expect when you make this lifestyle change. One of the biggest downsides to working from home is how unhealthy it can become for your body if you aren’t paying attention to how often you’re getting up and moving.
It’s easy to sit at your kitchen table for hours as you work from home, but this is a bad habit to get into. All jobs that require you to sit at a desk for hours can cause problems for your body, but this can be even worse when you’re spending the whole day in your own home.
Why Should You Be Physically Active at Home?
We all know it’s important for our health to be physically active. To do this, many of us might exercise a few times a week or go for walks from time to time. There are great habits, but they might not be enough when you work a desk job. Regardless of being active in your free time, you’re still spending hours at a time sitting down (and possibly with bad posture). Doing this frequently enough can cause problems like back pains and weight gain. This is a risk when you’re in the office, but especially at home. When you’re working from home, your commute might simply be to walk to the other side of the room. Sitting at a desk is how many office workers end up with posture-related issues, but being at home can make it even worse. Rather than sitting at a desk, some of us might work while lounging on the couch in an even worse position. If you’re planning to work from home, you need to learn to be active for the sake of your well-being.
How to Stay Active When Working From Home
If you’re working from home, it’s extremely easy for you to incorporate physical activity into your workday as long as you’re always reminding yourself to do it. While being at home can make us feel more tempted to lounge around all day, there’s actually more opportunity for you to be active. Being at home gives you the benefit of being alone all day, or at least having people you’re extremely close with there. In your office at work, there’s probably no private area to go whenever you want to get a quick stretch or workout in, and you don’t want to do this surrounded by coworkers. You can also dress however you want, so you don’t have to worry about being restricted by business attire.
Exercise at Your Desk
Some people who work from home might not have a strict schedule to follow, so they can take the time whenever they want to work out. Many of us who work from home are still expected to be available at certain times, but it’s still easy to stay active whenever you need to. There are plenty of great exercises you can do right at your desk, including stretches. Whenever you need a quick break, this is something you can easily fit in to keep active throughout the day. For some desk exercises, you might not even need to stop working to do them. Small exercises might not seem like a big deal, but they can be a huge improvement in your day while working from home.
Take a Walk Outside
When the weather allows, one of the best things you can do for yourself while working from home is to go for a nice walk outside. This is a great way to get some physical activity in, but it does much more than just that. Working from home can make it easy to fall into a rut when you’re spending most of your time inside. After a while of doing this, you can start to feel burnt out; and while that can be bad for your work, it’s even worse for your well-being. Going for a walk gets you out of your house for a while to relax from work and get a change of scenery in.
Start Seeing a Physical Therapist
Has your body been experiencing some of the negatives of working from home? While physical activity is important for your health, you might need a little more than that. Seeing a physical therapist is the best way to learn the proper exercises and stretches your body needs to feel its best.
To learn more about how a physical therapist can help, contact Cawley Physical Therapy today.
