When you’re working from home, remembering to exercise can be difficult. Especially as routines can sometimes fly out the window. If you are the type of person who enjoys exercising early in the morning, it can be so tempting to stay in bed for that extra hour.
Likewise, if you would rather exercise later in the day, it can be equally hard, especially as the kids are coming home from school and you can smell the aroma of dinner. All you want to do after a hard day’s work is just relax on the sofa, chill out and watch some TV.
Exercise is not just good for your body, but for your brain and soul as well! Good physical fitness can reduce stress, increase productivity and reduce that feeling of Burnout deep inside. So with this in mind, we’ve put together some ideas and tips to help you keep your blood pumping during the working day, even if space is restrictive.
Table of Contents
Here are some exercises you can do where ever you are working
Some of these activities involve standing up, but you should still be able to do them without having to find any extra space.
1. Do a few leg lifts
Leg lifts can be done while sitting down on that all too familiar office chair. All you need to do is lift your legs off the floor and straighten them both on an imaginary stool. Hold the position for 10 seconds, and then repeat 10 or so times.
Seats are great for losing muscle mass in your legs, so building up strength while you have to sit for long periods of time is something to not take advantage of. You will start to feel your legs working harder after each repetition.
If you’re struggling with doing a few leg lifts, starting with just one leg works fine, you can build up to two legs with practice. If leg lifts are too easy, why not increase the repetitions or place weights on your ankles!
2. Perform stationery curls at your desk
A closed bottle of water could be used as a dumbell, or perhaps some heavy stationery could? Hint: don’t use your Latte for this, unless you want to make a mess or reward yourself with a sip!
Just hold the object you found in front of you, with your arm held out straight, and with your palm facing the ceiling, and then bend your elbow to curl the object towards your chest and then back out. Slow and steady.
Repeat this a few times, and then swap hands. You might find you want to find an object healthier, easier to hold or lighter; different weights and objects will suit different people.
The objective of this is to keep the blood pumping and to flex those joins in a different position to that of a keyboard warrior. Don’t focus on the weight…
3. Run on the spot challenge
Try running on the spot. It’s a great way to wake up if you are bored at your desk and feeling a little stiff. Could you run on the spot every day for 60 seconds, each day for a week?
This type of exercise is a little more vigorous than maybe some other excises and you may want to do some light stretches before. I believe running on the spot is the best way to keep you alert in your home office.
To make the most from running on the spot, try lifting your knees as high as possible, to really flow that blood.
Warning: Be careful not to knock anything onto the floor!
Ideally, you want to take a break from sitting at your desk every 45 minutes or so, but even if you don’t feel able to leave your desk, a vigorous 60-second on-the-spot jog may well be just enough to help you power through your next meeting.
4. Keep Smiling!
There are many benefits to smiling at work. Here we will concentrate on how smiling can help strengthen cheek muscles.
Smile :), push the fingers of each hand, into each end of your lips. Then keep pushing your smile against your fingers. This will keep you looking fresh.
You don’t need too much to join in with yoga. Just a mat of some sort, especially if you have a hard floor, and plenty of water to hand – it’s thirsty work.
5. Have a Zoom party
Working remotely doesn’t have to be in isolation, get on zoom and find an exercise or dance partner!
Of course, if you’re feeling a little self-conscious, then you might want to close the door.
6. Do a video workout with your kids
If you have kids, you know already that working remotely is hard. Finding time to exercise while also giving your children much-needed attention can be tough. So why not get them involved with a workout? Check some routines out on youtube.
Here are some jobs for stay at home dads and mums.
Remember to exercise when working from home
Set up workout reminders when working remotely
Sometimes we can lose track of time and forget that much-needed exercise. A great approach to not miss that important stretch is to set a series of alarms throughout the day, this can also be done with tea and coffee breaks.
Have you ever made a barrister style latte from home?
