The new year has begun! If you’re like most people, you’ve probably set some New Year’s resolutions. One of the most common goals is to get healthy. Especially working at home, that often involves prolonged sitting, being healthy is a crucial part of success. This week, our experts share how they keep their work goals, while also working out, eating right, and balancing their work/life?
Franklin Antoian
1. STAND UP
If you’re at your desk most of the day, stand up and perform a simple stretch every 15mins.
2. AVOID GRAZING
Just 100 extra calories per day can lead to a weight gain of over 10lbs throughout the course of the year. Its easy to snack , especially at home, so don’t!
Rich Storm
1) Get a good night sleep – try not to be hungover. When you work at home – bottles tend to open at your own afternoon happy hour.
2) Wake up early – right before dawn
3) Get a good workout in. – Usually I run a few miles then lift a little when I get in.
4) Start your day right with a giant cup of black coffee – oh look at the time – It’s not even 9am!
Chris Brantner
1. Get enough sleep. While adults are recommended to get about eight hours of sleep a day, the average adult only gets about six-and-a-half. This has a direct negative effect on health and fitness. If you fail to get enough sleep, not only will you rob yourself of energy needed for your workouts, but you also will make it harder to make good food choices during the day. Not only that, your body needs sleep to recover and build muscle. So even if you’re working out, you’re not getting the most out of your workouts if you’re failing to get enough sleep.
2. Try intermittent fasting. This is something I just started in the last year. I’m restricting my eating to the window of 11-7 every day. This has multiple positive benefits for the WAH professional. First of all, it keeps me from distracting myself with fumbling around making snacks in the morning. And during the fasted phase in the morning, I find myself much more clearheaded, which allows me to really focus during the first few crucial hours of the day. It also keeps me from eating too late in the day, which helps me to sleep better.
3. Use your workouts to break up your day. I workout mid-day every day. Why? Because it creates a nice separation in my day, offering me a break to pull myself away and return with a renewed focus. And of course, working out the same time every day creates a habit, and good habits are hard to break.
Hope Pedraza
Move and move often – Sitting is not only bad for your hips and back and all the other posture muscles, but it’s bad for your heart and your metabolism. Invest in a desk that you can stand or walk on a treadmill while working or take periodic breaks to walk around or jog around the block.
Stick to a daily routine- Working from home can mean you get lax on your schedule (especially when it comes to eating or working out) and kind of do-as-you-please. This is fine and all since you DO have the flexibility to do that, but for your health’s sake, it is best to make a routine and stick to it. Eat at specific times, have specific times to workout, and specific lax times.
This keeps you on track and will prevent you from skipping a workout or snacking mindlessly through your pantry when you need a break from working.
Caileen Kehayas
1. Get a fitness tracker– I know it can seem silly to count steps, but moving is so important throughout your day. With no physical daily meetings to attend, you can find yourself stationary for hours and hours at a time. Even the simplest fitness tracker will count your steps and give you hourly reminders to move, even if just for two minutes! My Fitbit has been tremendously helpful in that respect!
2. Walk– I try to walk for at least twenty minutes, three times a day. Take your morning coffee for a walk, dedicate a little bit of your lunch hour to a walk and get a third one during an afternoon slump or at the very end of the day.
3. Go to the gym when the mood strikes– This one is a bit tricky and it only works if your hours are flexible. When I hit a slump, I find that getting a good midday sweat can wake up my body and mind. If you are working more flexible remote hours, consider hitting the gym whenever you feel uninspired or stuck.
Fritz Colcol
1.Keep healthy snacks on hand-My staples are beef jerky, fresh fruit and pistachios.
2. Invest in home workout equipment-My favorites are pull up bar, yoga mat and foam roller.
3. Prepare gym gear beforehand-I workout to signal the start or end of a productive workday. It also gives me a change of scenery and helps if my
creativity is running low.
Christine Parizo
1. Get out of the house to work out. Whether it’s going for a run or going to the gym and lifting weights, getting out helps you with a change of scenery.
2. Consider group classes or coaching. Working at home gets lonely, and the added bonus of socialization may help motivate you to work out.
3. Schedule your workout like an appointment. It’s all too easy to say, One more email and then fall down a rabbit hole of work. Group classes/coaching appointments help because it’s a set time to get you moving.
Note from Leslie
I wish there was an easy way to stay fit and healthy, but in the end, it’s all about clean living. That means getting plenty of sleep, eating healthy, and moving every so often. Of course, you probably know all this stuff, so the real question is how do you keep these goals? For me, it’s using tools and systems to help me. I include exercise in my schedule. I try to exercise 4 or 5 times a week. My choice is running, not because I love it, but because it’s a lot of burn in a short amount of time. But if it’s cold, I have exercise DVDs (Beachbody has some really good ones) and Just Dance on the Wii.
This Christmas, I got an adjustable standing desk top that I can raise and lower so I can stand at my desk (or sit when I’m lazy). You can use timers or the Pomodero technique to remind yourself to take a break (also important for good health) and move a little bit (stretch, walk, etc).
To eat right, I try to not have too much of the bad stuff around. I don’t like cooking, so I use a lot of gadgets to make it easier, including a Crockpot, a Kitchenaid with a ton of attachments (for chopping etc), and other kitchen utensils. I visit Pinterest a lot for yummy, but good-for-you recipes.
What are your tips and tricks to staying healthy?
