Four ways to stay fit when you work from home
As so many have learned the past few years, the honeymoon phase is a short-lived one when it comes to working – and working out – from home.
As the allure of remote work washes away, the pounds (and stress) start to creep on, and suddenly, we are all delivered the truth bomb we didn’t ask for: you have to be your own boss now.
Even before we dive into the modified-for-home diet and exercise routine, we have to take an honest look at our self-coaching strategies.
1) Build a healthy self-coaching framework
By “coach,” we don’t mean a coach or trainer in the gym—we’re talking about coaching your mentality to account for the sudden lack of structure that comes with remote work.
Where before, your routine was structured for you by your mandatory commute and other consistently timed work habits, you now have to actively replace that structure before your caveman brain (no disrespect, it’s all of us) says, “Me safe inside cave now, time to gain weight and prepare for ice age.”
A surprising amount of stress can accompany this effort, even while “relaxing” from home, which is why we recommend CBD products from top-tier brands like CBDistillery (check out our CBDistillery Products Near Me page) to keep you calm and focused with zero harsh side effects or dependency risk.
This means scheduling your workouts at specific times instead of just saying “I’ll get to it at some point,” switching up your workout routines to stay interested (get a punching bag, it’s fun!), and locking the new routine in with consistency, a crucial ingredient.
2) Step up your workout-at-home game
The “All I have is a single dumbbell and a broken jump rope” excuse holds very little water when there are hundreds of bodyweight exercises and cardio routines you can follow that require no equipment at all.
Everyone has different goals, but in general, if you can sneak in (after stretching) at least 15-20 minutes of cardio, 10-15 minutes of core exercises, and 20-25 minutes of strength training, you’re looking at a complete workout you can easily fit inside of an hour at home.
Here are some examples of exercises requiring little to no equipment to get you started:
Cardio
- Walking
- Jogging
- Stair climbing (can use real stairs!)
- “Jump roping” without a rope
- Shadow boxing
- Burpees
- Box/stair jumps
Core
- Crunches
- Dead Bugs
- Planks/side planks
- Alternating leg raises (laying on back)
- Side bends
- Mountain climbers
Strength
- Pushups
- Squats
- Double or single-leg bridges (feet elevated on a step, ball, etc.)
- Dumbbell exercises (lateral/front shoulder raises, dumbbell rows, squats, bicep curls, tricep extensions, etc.)
3) Ergonomics: It’s a thing
If you’re putting in anything more than a couple hours of work every day, sound ergonomics are key to avoiding postural issues that can impact your overall health and ability to exercise.
A general rule is to keep the knees, hips, and elbows all at 90 degree angles, which you can establish by moving your chair forward and back, and raising or lowering your desk as necessary.
Another commonly missed point is to ensure that your monitor is at the right height; your gaze should settle two inches from the top of the screen when looking straight ahead.
While working, we recommend keeping your chin back and your chest out, as the vast majority of us present a “rounded shoulders” posture that can eventually lead to back and neck pain, rhomboid weakness, tissue tension in the pectorals, and more issues.
4) Dieting Habits
Having seriously reduced your distance from the pantry while freeing up more time to shuffle over for snacks, the first obstacle is excessive snacking.
Checking your calories via calorie calculator can also be a good way to be mindful on your daily activity and how much you need to burn depends on your activity.
Rather than trying to apply unrealistic and draconian measures to keep you from ever eating between meals, we prefer to view this as a great opportunity to replace less healthy, prepared snacks with fresh foods that you can snack on with much less blowback.
In other words, clear out all the chips and cookies, and replace them with nuts, dried fruit (but watch for added sugar), and fresh fruits and veggies in the fridge.
Make these simple changes, stick to them, and your work at home routine will work for you.
