Don’t you feel like you’re just as busy working from home as you were working from an office? Even if your nearest gym was open, finding time to fit in a workout can feel near impossible. Fortunately, staying fit while working from home is completely achievable. There are many ways to do this, from medicine balls instead of desk chairs to intermittent skipping. If you need to be strategic with your space, read this post to find the best compact home gym for limited space. There are lots of fun ways to get your heart racing between meetings, and easy exercises that you can do at your desk.
Starting Your Day Right
Morning exercises not only have an impact on your health but will help you become more productive at work too. A simple morning run or a few bodyweight exercises gives you more energy, improves your mood, helps to relieve stress, and keeps your brain at the top of its game. Working out in the morning is also the best time to exercise uninterrupted.
Morning workouts don’t necessarily have to be heavy, two-hour-long slogs.
Workout Routines
Here are a few of my favorite morning workout routines which you can do quickly and easily:
- Stretching: No, I don’t mean that stretch that accompanies a yawn when you first step out of bed. There are dozens of great resources that can help you find a great morning stretch routine suited to you, so do a bit of investigation into what works for you.
- Yoga: Yoga is one of my all-time favorite exercise routines and starting my day with a few simple yoga poses primes me to have a great one. Again, you can find countless resources online to assist you in getting started. I recommend checking out YouTube for this – there are a ton of qualified yoga instructors who offer short classes for any skill level.
- Bodyweight exercises: Pushups, sit-ups, squats, and dips. Most bodyweight exercises can be done right next to your bed when you get up in the morning.
- Walking/ Jogging: Whether it’s on a treadmill or along the beachfront (if your beachfront isn’t locked down), who doesn’t love the endorphin kick you get after a brisk morning stroll/ run?
Exercise While You Work
It’s so easy to get stuck into work for an entire day and realize only at the end that you’ve not gotten up once. Sitting without breaks can increase your chances of having high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and high cholesterol.
Benefits
By introducing short, intermittent exercises to your day, you counteract this. Even the simple act of standing up and walking a few laps around the house can assist, so consider setting hourly alarms that remind you to get up and move around.
Desk Exercises
If standing up and moving around is something you cannot do frequently, consider doing some exercises at your desk:
- Use a yoga ball instead of a chair: Using a yoga ball instead of a desk chair is a great way to improve core strength and posture. You can also include some at-the-desk exercises that involve your yoga ball for bonus results.
- Keep weights on your desk: Every time you are doing a task that does not require the use of your hands (like reading emails), grab your weights and do a few reps. They don’t have to be super heavy (I keep two 9lb/ 4kg kettlebells next to me). A few lifts that you can do at your desk include bicep curls, seated skull crushers, and seated shoulder press, to name a few.
Intermittent Exercises
If you can get up for intermittent breaks while you work, there are a ton of great exercises that you can add to your daily routine:
- Skip for ten minutes every few hours: Skipping for just twenty minutes increases bone density, burns fat, and provides you with additional brainpower.
- Do pull-ups: If you don’t have a pull-up bar, I highly recommend buying one. Pull-ups strengthen your upper body, improve general fitness, and improve mental fitness.
- Cycle intermittently: A spinning bike is a ton of fun. If you’re trying to avoid investing in a spinning bike, an indoor trainer can turn your standard bicycle into a spinning bike with ease.
- Use your compact gym: The beauty of a compact gym, aside from the space that it saves, is the ease of use that it offers. Hop on for ten minutes between meetings to keep your blood pumping.
- Do exercises using your desk: Even your desk can act as an exercise apparatus if you’re creative enough.
Workout After Work
The afternoon is personally my favorite time to workout. After a long day of work, I have an outlet that allows me to channel out any frustrations and gain a huge spike of energy. I recommend dedicating at least one hour to your afternoon workout (or morning workout, depending on preference). Working out directly after work is the final “seal” on the workday. I love finishing up a great workout and knowing that I can finally shut down for the day.
Eat Right
I’d be remiss to neglect to mention the health benefits of eating healthy food. A balanced diet is critical in helping you not only achieve body goals but in staying fit too. Many associate health with physique, and while this plays a role, your diet plays an equally important role. Much like workout routines, there is not a cut and paste solution designed for you. It’s up to you to do your research on the right diet for you.
Long Term Dieting
My only tip is that you keep in mind that a balanced diet is better than a radical one. Unless advised to you by a medical professional, shy away from “fad” diets. You will note better long-term results from a well-balanced diet.
Share Your Workouts!
I would love to hear your feedback in the comments! Let me know if you have any other tips for people working from home. Drop a comment if you’ve achieved your body goals while working from home and tell us what worked for you!
