Remote work has become an evident reality of our lives. With many countries fighting the second wave of the COVID – 19 Pandemic, remote working doesn’t seem to be going away. In fact, many companies like Twitter, Shopify, Facebook, Square, etc. have already allowed their teams to work from home “forever”.
While working from home is perhaps the most viable option for organizations to help keep your employees safe & healthy; there are also a few problems that can come along with remote work.
Businesses worldwide are trying really hard to equip their employees with the best of technologies and resources for stronger connection, efficient team performance and employee engagement. However, the one thing that most companies are still struggling with is to encourage their teams to stay active and take care of their health while remote working.
Let’s accept the fact that our lives were way more disciplined when we were going to work. Most of the remote work is done while sitting in front of our systems, talking on the phone. Hence, employees end up staying at one spot for a really long time. All this takes a toll on our overall well being – both physical and psychological.
It’s no secret that people who stay fit & exercise regularly stay fit, feel better and have more energy. Investing time in physical activities not just makes you healthier but also boosts your productivity further. When we stay active –
- We feel less stressed & anxious.
- We get healthier.
- We get better with our learning, and deciding skills.
- We get better sleep.
- Our immune system gets stronger – now that’s really important nowadays.
6 simple ways to stay active while working from home
Even people with the best of intentions towards staying active ask ‘where is the time’ when you are trying to manage work and household chores simultaneously.
Here’s a list of a few simple & quick ways to active while you’re working from home:
1. Set a routine for yourselves
Routine & rituals are very powerful factors when it comes to giving ourselves a sense of direction. Structuring a manageable routine for yourself when working from home is essential.
For instance, have a designated wake up time, work schedule and a break time. Plan what you’ll do in your breaks – walk, exercise, etc. You can also take the help of health apps to get yourself moving.
2. Take that break
When we are at our workplaces, it’s easy to get up for a quick coffee break. When working remotely, this gets a little hard. Many of us tend to feel guilty when it comes to taking breaks while working from home. We think our managers will feel we are slacking or not working enough.
What we don’t realize is that a quick 10 min break will only help us get better at work, stay stress free and boost our performance levels. So, take out some time for yourselves and enjoy your breaks! Block your calendar if that helps, this method will remind you to take breaks. Use these breaks to do a quick stretch, eat a healthy snack or just relax. Taking breaks will help you break the monotony and avoid getting burned-out.
3. Get-up from that chair
Being sedentary for long periods is bad for your health. Sitting for too long can be blamed for many health ailments such as weight gain, heart diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other chronic conditions.
You can start with something as simple as a basic walk. Set a timer that will remind you to get up and move for a few minutes after every hour. Again, you can use an app to help track how many steps have you walked, etc. this acts like a motivation.
Get up when you want to get something to eat, get up when you get a call and walk through your conversation. Even if it’s a limited activity, it’s still an activity. Your body will still reap the benefits of exercise when you get up & walk.
4. Do some desk-exercises, here are a few quick ones –
(a) Neck & shoulder rolls
A basic and recommended exercise for anyone who spends hours informed of a laptop (like me) is neck rolls. After every hour or so, roll your neck in clockwise and anticlockwise directions, at least 10 times. Neck rolls will loosen the muscles and make them more flexible, lessening the chances of stiff necks or any other cervical issues.
You could do some shoulder rolls too. Raise both your shoulders up toward your ears, then slowly roll them backward and forward. Do this at least three times in both directions.
(b) Stretch your upper back
Our backs are the most strained when we spend hours sitting in front of our systems. We really need to “watch our backs”. Hold both your arms in front of you, in a straight line, with palms facing down. Lower your head in line with your arms, and round the upper back while looking down towards the floor. Hold and take around 2-3 deep breaths to relax your upper back muscles.
(c) Chair squats
Try out chair squats. Standing up from the chair, lower your body back into the chair, don’t sit entirely and get up again (just like how we do a normal squat). Repeat this at least 10 times, you’ll see the difference.
(d) Work on your wrist and fingers
It’s important. While we type and text our way through the day, we often tend to forget about our fingers and wrists, when it comes to exercising.
Stand up, place both your hands on your desk, palms faced down and finger-tips facing your body. Lean a little to the front to intensify the stretch. Hold your position until you feel the tension release. Another quick way to relieve wrist tension is to move the wrists in circular movements, both clockwise and anticlockwise to relax to relax your wrists.
5. Enroll into a Virtual Activity Class
Maybe, you cannot hit the gym right now. That’s no excuse for slacking and following an inactive regime. Enroll into an online activity class. There are way so many apps nowadays that offer easy activity sessions (some are for free too). This could be a mental wellness master-session or a virtual dance session or yoga session.
Find out what you like and get started. Another advantage here is, you can have live group sessions where you’ll get to interact with other people. You won’t feel you’re all alone and isolated. After all, human beings are “social” beings.
Online classes are a very convenient way of getting your body moving, without having to leave the comfort of your home.
Conclusion
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Any kind of physical activity or exercise has a positive impact on our health & wellbeing. Creating a regular time-table for yourself when working from home is an imperative. Set up a routine and follow it, schedule your breaks, take out time for yourself. Adding a few simple desk exercises or a fun virtual activity to your routine can go a long way when it comes to staying happy, healthy, engaged and productive.
About The Author
Garima Sharma
Garima Sharma is a subject matter expert for Personality Assessments, Talent Management, 360 Degree Appraisals, Employee Engagement, Feedback Surveys, etc. She is also a blogger who loves to write articles, posts, whitepapers, etc., in the HR space.
