The Self-Care Mom

Choosing to work from home may seem like a great decision until you realize how much goes into doing so.

Staying organized is key to improving your time management. Having control on how you spend you time can be helpful. It allows you to make time for the things that matter most to you and your family.

For those interested in exercising while working from home, we recommend starting off small. No matter how exciting it might feel to work from your bed, you have to remember something. You never want to stay in the same position for too long.

It can get a bit messy when you’re only focused on working and not your home. Been there, done that!

Working from home comes with a lot of flexibility. However, there’s a downside to being able to do so. While there is a lot of flexibility that you can enjoy, there’s one thing to consider when you work from home. It’s the lack of physical activity.

Here are 7 effective ways to help you fix this problem and get you started on exercising while working from home.

1. Take Breaks

Getting up for a stretch or to walk around your home is always a plus. One of the best ways to take a break is to invest that time in doing some work around the house. Separate the laundry and put a load in the wash. Time yourself to work on a task while the washer is going. Do the same for the dryer as well.

These simple tasks will help get your body moving and your blood flowing. Also, it will help you get things done while you work from home.

You can even use one of these breaks to take a short walk outside.

2. Eat On a Schedule

Having the kitchen just a few steps away isn’t always the best thing. For this reason, you may need to consider setting up a daily eating schedule — including snack time.

You may be thinking, how do eating and exercising relate? If you take into consideration that you are what you eat, then you’ll understand how your diet can impact how you feel.

Have you ever overeaten and felt sluggish? That is one of the best examples as to how your eating habit has impacted your body. Excess sugar intake will often result in constant headaches.

Simply modifying what you eat will impact how you feel. You might be tempted to have some snacks beside you to munch on while you’re working, but that, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle is only going to affect you and your body negatively.

Choose small snacks and breaks in between to keep moving.

3. Use Apps

Mobile apps are a great assistant and can help improve your everyday life. Using your alarm or reminder app on your smartphone can help you get moving throughout the day. There are other apps as well that can help with exercising. One way we stay active at home is by dancing with the kids and playing sports outdoors.

If you prefer an app for your phone, then we recommend trying Randomly RemindMe and Move. These are good free apps you could consider trying for yourself.

4. Have an Accountability Partner

When you have someone rooting for you, you’re more likely to succeed. This is when an accountability partner comes in handy. Having an accountability partner can improve your chances of getting some exercise every day. Ask a friend or someone who wants to consciously exercise as well to set up a meeting time. You can set up individual goals and check in on each other throughout the day to see how it’s going.

5. Create a Plan

Just as you set up an eating schedule, you should also consider creating a plan on how you’d like to stay healthy. Whether you decide to use an app, a reminder on your phone and/or an accountability partner, you’ll need to start with a plan. How often will you workout? Will you be meeting with your accountability partner daily or weekly? These questions are important to answer and set up your plan to achieve your health goals.

Making exercise a part of your everyday to-do list is a great way to keep yourself active even when you’re working from home. Set it up on your calendar to tackle one to five tasks every day to help you reach your goal.

6. Stretch Often

No matter how active you plan to be throughout the day, it’s always important to incorporate some basic stretching into your workday. That alone can help you relieve stress and gives you the breather in between tasks. YouTube is a great source to find ideas on how to stretch out of bed or from your workspace. Be sure to target your back area and legs. Those will help with strengthening your core.

7. Stay active daily.

It’s easy to say you’ll do something tomorrow and never come around to actually doing it. One of the ways we tackle more throughout the day is by having certain daily routines. Whether it’s cleaning up with the kids or quickly tidying up the kitchen, we like to stick to a routine that works for us.

Find an active routine that works for you, and stick to it daily and you’ll notice a difference not only in how you feel but how much you can accomplish throughout the day.

Here are some ways you can start tasks to help you with exercising while working from home daily:

• Make your bed daily and tidy up your room.
• Clean your dishes as you go.
• Do smaller laundry loads (a bonus if you have to climb stairs each time).
• Wipe down surfaces daily.
• Skip the robot vacuum and use a broom and a mop to get those arms moving.

These tasks are only suggestions. For some, a robot vacuum helps them complete tasks, and it’s okay. We always recommend doing what works best for you and your family.

Have you or someone you know considered exercising while working from home? Share this post with them!