Anyone else work from home?

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Hi!

I just shifted my career to a work from home position with the same company. It's amazing to have the flexibility...but there are pros and cons that come with it! How do you stay motivated throughout the day to stay away from the kitchen...or find extra time to sneak in exercises?

I typically get one workout in before I start work at 9, but sitting on my rear for the rest of the day isn't doing me any good! Would love to hear from others.

-PS: New to MFP! Add me as a friend!
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Replies

  • DaniH826
    DaniH826 Posts: 1,335 Member
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    I work from home but I'm on a set schedule (evenings).

    I therefore do my workouts in the late mornings because when I exercise, I prefer to focus on what I'm doing. I have a weight bench set up in the garage and I do some light cardio on non-lifting days.

    I've worked from home for well over 10 years and I find that scheduling is a must. I try to treat my job as if I was working at an office, and I keep my work and play times separate. Work is work, and play is play.

    As for the kitchen, I eat when I'm hungry and I stay within my calories. Working from home is actually making it easy for me as far as sticking to things goes because I have full access to my kitchen and dishes at all times and don't have to work around some office mini fridge or microwave, or be tempted by the constant takeouts or restaurant visits at lunch time.

    I'll add you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. :smile:

    Give yourself time to adjust. There's a learning curve involved here, so be patient.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    I also workout before I get started. I also do something quick if I get cold. And I walk out to check the mail. I sometimes use the bathroom on the other floor, but not consistently.

    I am also considering one of these. http://www.gaiam.com/basic-balance-ball-chair/95-1004,default,pd.html

    In the meantime, I sit on the balance ball for part of the day. It is fine for reading, but too low for typing.
  • 10kaday
    10kaday Posts: 177
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    Here's what I do when I work from home.... During lunch (I pace the house as I eat) instead of sitting down at computer. Every time I get up to go to the bathroom --I run the stairs for 5 minutes or do butt kickers etc. I set a reminder on my phone for planks. I try to do a minimum of 3 per day. So at random moments just get down and do one, get up and get back to work again. Same for pushups. I might decide to do 5 sets one day.... do a set, go to work, 5 minutes later, do another set, etc.. until your done.
  • nturner612
    nturner612 Posts: 710 Member
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    i wish i could work from home :(
  • harvo
    harvo Posts: 4,676 Member
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    I try to keep salted peanuts in the shell close. I won't pop them like pills because they make a small mess and are a little work to get to. I try to walk on breaks/lunch or will play tennis, boxing or Michael jackson the Experience if it is raining...
  • wow29
    wow29 Posts: 283 Member
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    Funny, I have to finish my app today for a work at home position! Wish me well.
  • FightTheFrump
    FightTheFrump Posts: 54 Member
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    I am a freelance writer at the moment and work from home. I never sit down for starters. I stand most of the day, working at a counter tall enough for me to type comfortably. This takes some getting used to but--trust me--this really makes a huge difference.

    I have an elliptical machine at home, which helps motivate me. Too lazy to go to the gym? Well, there's my elliptical here at home. Too cold for an outside run? Get your butt on the machine. Seriously helpful.

    I try not to keep crap food in the house. And by crap food I mean things I love like girl scout thin mints. If they are here, I will eat the whole box. And sadness ensues.

    Access to water, veggies, healthy snacks are a MUST.

    MFP obsessive check ins. Also a MUST. :)
  • aprueitt
    aprueitt Posts: 91 Member
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    I work from home. 71/2 years for me now. I take a stroll around the block on my lunch break. It helps.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    I also work from home and my teenage son is home schooled. I am not an early morning girl - so I workout around 11am three days a week and do not begin work until after that.
  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
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    I go to the gym right when I get my kids on the bus for school. I don't have much of an issue with staying out of the kitchen. I usually get so wrapped up in work that I look up and it's 3:30 in the afternoon, and I have yet to eat lunch!
  • chcoley
    chcoley Posts: 63 Member
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    I work from home part time and have for a little over a year! I LOVE it!!! I work from 9-2 Monday-Friday and typically work out in the evenings because my hubby likes to go to the gym with me. I've found working upstairs keeps me out of the kitchen (and away from the food). :)
  • Ashleyambermfp
    Ashleyambermfp Posts: 15 Member
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    I work from home (sales). I actually eat better when I am at home than when I am in the office. There are too many temptations at work. I do not have a car so popping out for a snack is not an option.
  • jessmart83
    jessmart83 Posts: 283 Member
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    I have worked from home for 5 years. I have learned to turn off the TV to keep me motivated to work. I sneak in workouts before work and on my lunch break. Sometimes I do some light yoga or stretching at night before bed.
  • cordianet
    cordianet Posts: 534 Member
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    I wish I had some good tips for you, but alas, I don't. I have the flexibility to work from home when I want/need to and also struggle with this every time I'm working from home. Temptation is so close,and it's just too easy to go for a stroll through the kitchen! I'm going to stay tuned to see if anyone else has any brilliant ideas...

    I suppose you could try pre-logging your food and forcing yourself to stick to it, but I'm not sure this is the right approach. I get the concept, but I also believe one of the reasons I'm fat is because I never really learned to eat only when I'm hungry. Pre-logging my food seems like the opposite of that.

    FR being sent!
  • HealthyWarrior
    HealthyWarrior Posts: 394 Member
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    Hi there. I work from home. I do home childcare. I've been doing it now for almost 3 years. I try my hardest to stay out of the kitchen but at times it can be tricky. I make sure I log my foods and always have a glass of water at all times. I get my exercise in when the children go down for their nap. Thats my me time where I'll exercise and eat my lunch. The childcare in my house is off my parlor so I'm usually in the parlor or the childcare room with the kids and they usually keep my mind off food.
  • Fffrick
    Fffrick Posts: 9 Member
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    I have worked from home for about 5 years now and it's great.
    I work out in a home gym (dumbbells and plates on a multi bench and P90x videos). Cardio consists of bike/run/kayak/skateboard around the neighborhood.

    The plusses are that you can workout before lunch, get back to the desk and sweat like a pig without offending anyone but yourself. You can also stay in your gym clothes (or go shirtless for that matter). Just be sure that your work computer doesn't have a video camera. Black electrical tape over the camera can save your career there.

    As for food, I keep my food diary open and track what I eat IN REAL TIME, so I know what I've eaten and what percentage of fat/carb/protein I'm tracking. I keep cashews, dried fruit, and jerky at my desk; Water, CokeZero, Fanta Zero, and Mello Yello Zero in the mini fridge, and skim milk and stevia for my coffee K-Cups.
    Good luck with your new position and workouts
    Cheers,
    Frick
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
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    I work from home. I've found that eating less calorie dense food has seriously reduced my trips to the kitchen to snack. Also the fact that I have to log makes me ask myself if I really need, or if I'm just pigging for the sake of it.

    To get a little more activity in my day I walk when on the phone, and always use the downstairs bathroom (my office is upstairs). It's not much, but it's something. Where possible, I walk at lunchtimes too.
  • NewTrishious
    NewTrishious Posts: 1 Member
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    I have worked from home for the last 3+ years and it HAS been a huge struggle to not graze all day. I'm doing better by planning set snack and meal times away from the computer.

    I also set up a walking desk and have re-dedicated myself to use this daily when I am working on something that doesn't require a lot of keyboard input.

    If you're interested, there are walking desks that you can buy that are very expensive IMO. What we did is got a Fredrik desk at Ikea (not sure they sell the two shelf version anymore), took the head off of a treadmill we already had and set it up with a laptop and wireless keyboard and mouse. Works great!

    *Edited to add - I generally can walk and work at 2mph (I have short legs :) ). I also uploaded some pictures of the setup to my profile.
  • Isakizza
    Isakizza Posts: 754 Member
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    I've been working from home for a few years now. It took me a while to get the hang of it but I pretty much have my schedule that I try to follow everyday.

    I like to workout in the mornings to get it in. This is VERY IMPORTANT to me since working out usually keeps me motivated throughout the day. I eat so much better when I'm active. I workout 4-6 days a week, and almost always M-F. My workouts are usually 1-2 hrs long. I do sometimes workout at home, but I find getting out of the house is better since I will be home all day.

    It's SUPER important to me NOT to buy or keep any junk food/processed foods in the house, regardless of my husband and kids. They eat what I eat. I do most of the cooking and meal shopping so what I say goes, lol. No issues with that so far, they seem to like it. Now everyone's eating better.
    But most importantly, since I'm home all day I can control what I do eat. When I do eat, I treat it like a nice meal and really try to enjoy it. Put down all my work stuff, and sit at the table eat with maybe watching a bit of TV.

    It also helps me to be on an eating schedule. All my meals are between certain times.
    As you can probably gather, working from home requires you to plan your own schedule for both work and personal tasks. At first it will be a lot of trial and error trying to figure out what works best for you. But you will get it.

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  • Athena53
    Athena53 Posts: 717 Member
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    As for the kitchen, I eat when I'm hungry and I stay within my calories. Working from home is actually making it easy for me as far as sticking to things goes because I have full access to my kitchen and dishes at all times and don't have to work around some office mini fridge or microwave, or be tempted by the constant takeouts or restaurant visits at lunch time.

    This. I've worked at home sometimes for years at a time. I'm now in a job where I'm required to be in the office but am working from home today with the company's blessing due to a nasty snowstorm. I'm a constant snacker and it's a lot better to have good things in your refirgerator than head for the Bad Things in a vending machine. I'm probably more active at home since I work upstairs and everything else is downstairs. Finally, I get in a workout no matter what. A good portion of that workout may be shoveling snow today!