The thing with being cooped-up during the pandemic is that it limits the everyday movements one might have had, even on a regular working day. One cannot even take advantage of what most company offices would provide as a casual avenue for passive exercise through the stairs (yes, most buildings should have safety and emergency purposes). Of course, the nature of having the quarantines is to mitigate the transmission of the virus and help cut-off the growing death rate. This is understandable.
The unforeseen consequence, though, of having to sit at home in most work set-ups is promoting a sedentary lifestyle. It entails having little to no physical activity for a long time (probably more than a month or two would have an impact). This paralyzing lifestyle, which mainly involves merely sitting up, lying down, going to the bathroom, eating, and mostly looking at the computer most of the day, can have serious detrimental effects in the long run on a person’s health status.
So the clincher remains: how does one uphold the guidelines set for safety during the global pandemic while making sure that all those long hours inside the house does not help lead to the development of a serious medical condition? The following are some useful tips offered by Natasha Withers of Entrepreneur on how to stay healthy while working in the comforts of home.
Look the part
You owe it to yourself and to your company to be prepared regardless of the scenario. The thing is, your professionalism is at its core when no one is watching. To keep that mindset, it helps treat the work from home set-up as if you’re still driving to the office. So go ahead, wake up on time, get showered, and look the part. For men, suit-up if you have to. A study published in the New York Times suggests that how we look influences our attitude towards everything else mainly because of the mental association we unconsciously place upon and the symbolic value of looking smart and slick.
Munch a healthy lunch
Ah yes, is it not so tempting when the cookie jar is just in the next room or perhaps an arm’s reach away? There should be no shame in filling in a few consolatory snacks between work revisions or barraging series of video conference meetings. An honest work would surely deserve an honest reward. Befittingly though, would that reward be even more gratifying when it promotes optimal healthy satisfaction for the body? In a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, exposure to “actionable food temptations” (a fancy jargon for food right in front of you) promotes the act of indulging in it. This is not to say that you don’t eat. The goal is to substitute those sinful treats with much preferable healthy options that are likewise palatably rewarding. Keep the unwanted, unhealthy flabs at bay by buying fresh fruits and vegetables and keeping the candy and junk food out of sight.
Watch the clock and clock in the sweat meter
It is often easy to blur the boundary between work and home when all work stuff has been brought inside the home. One way of making sure that the tiny invisible line is not crossed is by creating a definite schedule. Do not be tempted to wake up late and work in the wee hours. Clock in and clock out as you should. Do not let online meetings hinder you from eating on time or get enough sleep. As it should, make sure you also time in a few hours of exercise every day. Lastly, do not neglect exercising as some people would neglect the importance of septic tank cleaning.
Ideally, at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise should be substantial, according to Mayo Clinic. To ease the strain off your back, get an ergonomic chair, or ditch the chair altogether for at least 20 minutes every two hours. There are also quite a few office furniture installation companies that offer a good price for stable and ergonomically tested furniture and sometimes double as exercise equipment.
According to a briefer published by the World Health Organization for World Health Day 2002, they headlined sedentary lifestyle as a global public health problem. They cited that such lifestyle is a major contributing factor in the underlying cause of death, disease, and disability. Furthermore, they have estimated around two million deaths every year are attributed to physical inactivity. Their findings suggest that living a couch potato life aggravates doubly the chances of one person developing cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity—all of which are among the top ten leading causes of death and disability in the world. Those are some horrid figures you wouldn’t want yourself to be part of.
