7 Ways to Make an at Home Work Day Physically Productive
Anna Morris
As many of us find ourselves working from home, we also find that we are moving less and less frequently throughout the day. For some, over the last year, those lost steps and a closer trip to the fridge have really added up. Others have capitalized on the opportunity to have more private space and time to get in physical activity and spend more time fulfilling their mission.
For those of us who are struggling with getting those steps in, here are 7 ways we can capitalize on our work from home situations:
1. Use part of our normal commute time to exercise. If we view the saved time as an opportunity, we are able to convert it into something valuable that can propel us towards our goals. If we just convert 15 minutes of drive time before work and 15 minutes after work into physical movement time that’s enough for a 15-minute strength and a 15-minute cardio exercise. Most of us previously had a commute a bit longer – using that bonus time to prime our mind with something that makes us happy right after the short workout is a great way to start the day off productively.
2. Moving While on Meetings In the office, it was a little more awkward when someone would look over at me walking in place during a meeting. At home though we have the luxury of privacy. When I worked in the corporate world I usually had at least one (often times more) meeting per day where I had to listen and participate, but not much typing or reading was necessary outside of the occasional note.
These meetings were a great time for me to walk. A recumbent bike, elliptical, treadmill or just walking in place is an amazing way to get in 30 – 60 minutes of movement and keep you awake during the “meetings that should have been an email”. To capitalize on this strategy, pick the meeting or two that would be a good fit for movement in the morning and prepare prior to the meeting how to take down the quick note. It is also wise to not get winded if there is a chance of needing to talk, don’t learn that one the hard way. Bonus, when we move our brain receives some endorphins helps us focus on our next task.
3. Turn Bathroom Breaks into Mandatory Movement Breaks
Keeping a set of light weights by our workspace and picking out one to three exercises sets us up perfectly for mandatory movement breaks. We implement these by mandating one set of the exercise before and after we go to the restroom. I personally like to do 10 sets of squats, curl to overhead press. This only takes about 90 seconds. This exercise gets my whole body moving and wakes me up after a long stretch of computer time. It is also light enough to keep me from breaking a sweat. Bonus: Drink extra water throughout the day. More bathroom breaks = more movement breaks. Just three breaks a day adds up to 50 extra minutes of movement for a 5-day work week!
4. Capitalize on Lunch Our brains need a mental break, and our bodies need movement. As employees we need to do a better job of capitalizing on our lunch break, not working through it. As employers we need to do a better job of encouraging employees take their lunch break. It may actually increase productivity and job satisfaction.
This is a great time to get 15 minutes of movement in, preferably outdoors. The fresh-air and sunshine helps boost our immune system and sends some dopamine up to our brain. Bonus: call a friend while you walk to get an extra boost of motivation and happiness or listen to something that brings you joy. Studies have shown that movement combined with activities that bring you joy increase your executive function and set your brain up to better problem solve the second half of your day.
5. Chair Exercises Between Meetings
There are a lot of amazing quick chair exercises we can do between meetings when there is not a lot of time to get up and move around. Leg lifts, seated side bends, cat/cows, the list goes on and on. The important part here is that we are moving our bodies at convenient break times. I had a 5-minute reminder before each of my meetings. I used this reminder as a mental trigger to do at least one movement practice prior to my next meeting. Spending 1-2 minutes on movement helped me better focus (and stay awake) during those meetings.
6. Exercise Checklists I am a list person, another strategy is to make a list of exercises and add them right to our list of things to do for our job that day. Make physical movement part of our new job description. We wouldn’t leave work if our boss knew we hadn’t completed our duties for the day. Well, we are our own boss, and our bodies are not going to be happy a year from today if we don’t get movement in. Lists help us hold ourselves accountable and are a visual reminder of all we were able to accomplish.
7. Accountability Partner
If you’re looking at the first six items on the list and thinking to yourself “yeah, I know all of that, but I am still struggling to actually do it.” You may need to find a way to get an accountability partner.
The last thing individuals that are working from home are doing to get in more movement is working with a coach and/or having a friend as an accountability partner.
Sometimes individuals struggle with holding themselves accountable to their personal goals, and they allow other’s expectations to set in. The accountability partner helps the individual set up realistic ways to accomplish their goals and helps them keep their goals front of mind.
Accountability partners don’t have to be a coach or a trainer. My dogs, my kids and even my chickens are part of my accountability strategy. I promised my dogs I would walk them each morning and evening, I move my chicken coop daily, and I play hard with my boys.
At the end of the day, what matters most is that we find ways that work for us to get movement in every day, and we make those little movement practices into habit so that they become so engrained into our everyday life that we no longer have that hesitancy to start, they are just what we do. Humans were not designed to sit at a desk all day long, we were designed to move often. Without movement we slowly decay in both physical and mental health.
Share with us your creative way for getting more movement in during the day is. And as always reach out on our contact page if you need help defining and achieving your vision of success and fitness.