Change a Few Habits to Make Working From Home Healthier

I used to work from home at a corporate desk job, so I understand what life is like. It can be hard to remember to eat anything before 2pm, at which time you are starving and race for the snack cupboard! When you’re really focused on a project, or stuck on hours of conference calls, there can be days when you don’t move more than 500 steps in 8 hours!!! There are habits you can form, to make sure these days are few and far between.

4 Tips for a Healthier Home Office Lifestyle

1. Pack your lunch.
Pack your lunch in the morning like you’re heading to the office; portion out all of your snacks too. This will organize you and make things easier when the lunch hour hits. You won’t waste time having to think about, or preparing what you want to eat in the middle of the day. All of your mid-day minutes can be spent eating the healthy food you’ve portioned out. Preparing healthy foods will also prevent you from heading directly to the ‘quick to grab’ snack cupboard.

Always pack a healthy lunch in your fridge to better tackle the day.

2. Block a lunch date with yourself.
Book time off you in your calendar for lunch. Try scheduling your lunchtime at close to the same hour each day so you build up a routine for both yourself, and any remote co-workers you have. Get everyone used to not being able to get a hold of you during your lunchtime.

When you eat, step away from your desk. Sit down at your table and take time to really taste and enjoy what you’ve put together. If you can take 10 – 15 minutes to go for a walk after eating, do it! You’ll feel more refreshed when you get back to your home office.

3. Move your body constantly.
Set your phone or computer timer to buzz every hour. Use this as a reminder to get active – pace around in the basement, walk your dog down the street – just get up and move every hour!

Even getting up and down from your desk chair is good exercise. Try keeping your phone in another room. This will not only prevent the constant text message ‘dings’ from distracting you, but it will also encourage you to get up and walk to check your phone alerts regularly. Try getting in the habit of automatically pacing whenever you are on the phone. I’ve had some of my best phone conversations while pacing back-and-forth in the basement.

4. Dress the Part.
This tip may sound pointless, but it’s not. Change into semi-formal work clothing each morning before entering your home office. Getting out of your PJs will make you feel more like your day has begun, and you will often, surprisingly, have more energy and confidence to tackle your day. Changing, will also allow you to head outside immediately if 5 minutes suddenly opens up in your calendar.

To Sum it up…

When working from a home office, with minimal distractions, you can often fall into the trap of forgetting to eat, or even move, for the bulk of the day. Packing a lunch and blocking a lunch date with yourself can help you break away from these poor habits. Prioritizing movement throughout the entire workday, and getting out of your PJs will also help you with burning more calories throughout the day and give you more energy and confidence overall.

Please share any additional tips you have, for eating better and moving more if you work from home.