I’ve been blessed to be able to work from home. I see it as a blessing as it gives me a lot of freedom and saves me a lot of time I would have spent commuting to and from work.
Home employment is becoming more and more popular and there is even an acronym for mothers who make a living from home, WAHM (work at home mom). It is for these people that I write this post.
While there are a number of books and websites which provide advice on how to make a living from home, I want to talk about how you can stay fit while working in your living room or home office. Here are some special fitness tips for the home working man or woman.
Plan Your Workouts In Advance
Working from home requires a lot of discipline. It’s quite easy to “slack off”, end up wathing TV, taking a nap in your comfortable bed, or tidying up when you should be working. Trying to fit in a home workout, as short as it may be, will not be easy.
To ensure you do the necessary workouts, you need to plan them ahead. Create a schedule for your work and spare some time for your home workouts.
Do a Short Workout Before Getting Started
I’ve spoken before about my morning ritual in which I do a variety of stretches, a short workout, and some breathing exercises. I highly recommend doing your workout early, before you become swamped by the barrage of work obligations you have.
Doing a morning workout is a great way to get energized and focused. I find that I get “into” my work much faster when I get some exercise beforehand.
Walk as Much as Possible
One of the consequences of working from home is that I do most of the grocery shopping in my home. My wife works in her clinic so she doesn’t get back home until the evening.
I make the most of my shopping excursions. There are two supermarkets near my home and I usually go to the one which is farther away. I want to get as much walking as I can because I know that this contributes to the overall number of calories I burn that day.
Take Frequent Active Breaks
In a previous article I wrote about the importance of taking active breaks from work and some tips on how to do them. The tips I gave were for the office. At home you can do much more. Some options are to do stretches, perform bicep curls, wash dishes, fold laundry, prepare dinner, etc.
The main thing is to get you out of your chair. If you’re not sure why this is important check out this post on the hazards of prolonged sitting.
Meet My New Friend – A Rope
I never thought I’d feel so much for a rope but ever since I started jumping rope at home I feel much better, I no longer have any of the sitting aches and cramps that I’ve been feeling for the past few weeks, and I already see that my calves have toned up.
Jumping rope is a great way loosen your muscles and joints, to prevent muscle cramps, and to re-energize yourself.
Every 30 – 60 minutes I get up from my chair, pick up the rope (which I got for about $11) stand on my yoga mat and jump for few minutes. I don’t get a complete workout experience from this activity but it certainly helps me stay fit.
Learn Body Weight Training
At the time when I worked in an office, I used to stop at the gym on my way home. Now, when I work at home, I no longer want to make the trip. So, I got myself some inexpensive fitness equipment and I learned how to do powerful bodyweight workouts. These are exercises which use the body as the source of resistance so you don’t need any equipment to perform them. An excellent plan which teaches how to do great bodyweight workouts at home is the Shapeshifter Body Redesign plan.
A Word On Equipment and Final Word
I didn’t write tips for people who have a home gym or a wide range of equipment at home. The reason is that these people don’t really need my help. They already have what they need to workout.
I will end this post by saying that working from home can be a blessing but it can also turn you into something of a loner. It’s important that you go out, meet people, and don’t turn your home into a fortress which you hardly leave. I hope these fitness tips have helped and that you’ll see success with your home business or employment.