Top 8 Wellness Tips For Working from Home
More and more companies are hiring remote workers. Working from home sounds great, but can seriously derail your healthy habits. When you go into work there’s a routine you follow (not to mention, you don’t have a fully stocked kitchen near your desk with sweet treats calling your name).
Trying to adjust to a new routine (both yours and your children’s), and all the additional stress mounting, maintaining a healthy diet feels near impossible. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
So here are our top healthy habits for working from home!
Set up a designated workspace (and keep food out)
It’s so tempting to sit in your bed while you’re working from home. Who would know? You get to prop your feet up, be comfy and have your favorite show running in the background. Unfortunately, this isn’t only frowned upon because of the distractions, but it’s also not a good choice for productivity and gut health.
Some of the best reasons to have a designated work area include:
- You can get into a good routine that creates a “work mode” for your brain
- You can improve your circadian rhythm by not working from your bed
- Setting strict rules about not eating while in your designated working area avoids mindless eating that leads to weight gain and microbial disturbances
- Improved focus during work tasks
- Boundaries are more easily set for family members on when you are and aren’t available
Some ways to improve your at home workspace so you have higher productivity can include:
- Make it look like a work office
- Use a sit-to-stand desk to improve blood circulation and gut health
- Avoid snacking in this area
- Set times for breaks to get out of your office area
Create an end of day routine & stick to it
Along with a start of day routine, keeping a strong end of day routine (in your designated working space) can help you to leave work “at work”. Overworking can happen easily when you’re doing it from home.
By creating a “shut down” routine, you can help yourself to enjoy your time outside of working hours. You let your brain know when to think about work and when to leave it all behind which improves your mental health significantly.
Do a “clock-out” sort of routine where you aren’t able to access your work unless absolutely necessary.
Prep meals and snacks like you would if you were going to the office
If you’re wondering how to eat healthy while working from home, meal prepping is going to be your best friend. Planning meals ahead of time are important for several reasons. Planning allows you to ensure you’re getting your proper nutrients and avoid excessive sugars and sodium.
Set up your grocery list based on foods you want to eat throughout the week (snacks included). Then buy the ingredients for these items and prep them according to when you’ll want to eat them.
Get snack items that are already broken into individual servings or check the recommended serving size and set them out for the week. It’ll allow you your snacks without overextending your diet.
Include more vegetables in your lunchtime meal for a good dose of fiber that’ll help you focus on your work tasks and keep you full.
Take breaks and don’t work through your lunch — mindful eating makes you eat less
Taking breaks is essential to your productivity. Even in the office, you don’t work for 8 hours straight (not productively anyway). Schedule breaks throughout your day to:
- Get outside — Vitamin D helps to improve your health and fight viruses
- Lunch and snack breaks — studies show that when you eat mindfully (tasting the food, feeling the texture, being aware of the fact that you’re eating) can help to reduce cravings, increase a sense of fullness, avoid weight gain, and actually helps you lose weight
- Exercise — a quick exercise break can make all the difference in your ability to focus, do some jumping jacks, take a quick walk, or do some pushups for a quick boost in energy and attention while improving your gut health
- Meditate — a short 10-minute meditation can do wonders for your productivity it’ll help you regain focus and plow through your work (you can find a lot of great guided meditations on YouTube)
Wear your work clothes a few times a week
This is great for a few reasons. For one thing, wearing your work clothes can help you to keep your weight on track. If you’re wearing nothing but stretchy pants, it’s harder to gauge if you’re gaining weight.
Studies on a phenomenon called ‘enclothed cognition’ also show that by wearing work clothes you take yourself more seriously and do a more thorough job of working.
Get out of your house
While social distancing means to keep your distance from others, it doesn’t mean become a hermit and never leave the inside of your home. Some ways to get yourself outside but still maintain a distance can be starting a garden or going for a daily walk. The fresh air and sunlight can help to improve your mood and health.
Drink water throughout the day
Water has a plethora of benefits for your health — which you probably already know. However, the vast majority of us don’t keep up with our daily recommended water intake. Set specific water goals and keep water nearby to achieve those goals.
Water helps to improve:
- Skin appearance
- Digestive health (especially if you experience constipation)
- Avoid cravings/false sense of hunger
- Organ function
- Focus and attention
Set yourself up for success by grabbing a bottle before heading to your workspace as part of a daily routine.
Take Atrantil
Atrantil is a great source of prebiotics, postbiotics, and polyphenols. It’s your daily dose of good gut health. Atrantil was created to help reduce and avoid bloating and associated issues like abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, and constipation. By nourishing your microbiome, you’re helping to improve digestion, immune function, and mental health.
Setting a good work from home system is important to maintain your health and weight. Focusing on your gut health can help to improve it all for you. Daily walks, adequate water and nutrients, and setting healthy work-life boundaries can help you get back into a routine you love. Let us know your favorite work-from-home routines in the comments below!
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28346149/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27670866/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4801689/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103112000200