Challenges of Working at Home

sunshinestater
sunshinestater Posts: 596 Member
in Motivation and Support
Are there others here who work at home and who face the weight loss challenges that brings? A lot of my problem is being sedentary because I work three jobs, all from my computer, and this also involves long hours.

My biggest challenges are finding the time to exercise, since I work so much of the time, and feeling stuck in the house, which leads me to go out to eat more often than I should, just to get out of the house.

I'm countering this by literally scheduling my Jillian Body Revolution workouts for first thing in the morning and by doing some extra exercise later in the day if I feel an urge for a snack or to get out. I also rejoined a writers' group, which will give me some social time. I'm planning my meals to prevent the spontaneous eating out and questioning myself about whether I'm really hungry when I have that urge to nibble between meals.

It's still early on, but hopefully this will go well. I'd love to hear from others who work at home, too, and who face similar challenges.

Replies

  • marieann82
    marieann82 Posts: 150 Member
    I work from home as well. I work out immediately after dropping my kids off for school. I don't allow myself to check my email and get sidetracked with work when I haven't got that done and out of the way.

    I am going to try to make it a point mid-day to get outside for 30 minutes of exercise either riding my bike or walking the dog. When I sit at my computer all day, I get so lethargic.

    The cost of eating out with a family of four has kept our meals at home, but since my husband and I work together, we have been having lunch meetings out once a week. I have been good about ordering healthy salad or soup-only splurging a time or two on a sandwich (But that makes me feel lethargic, too). It will always be a challenge for me to make the best choices during that time, but I am trying to make it more of a habit.

    I get so tired of being at my house for work and workouts. I cannot wait for the day when I either have an outside office or a gym membership/cross fit membership. Just doing what needs to be done right now that fits with our budget and lifestyle.

    The other morning, I was in the middle of my first JMBR dvd when the phone rang. I answered it breathless...the person on the other line must of thought something strange was going on. :)

    Would love to hear others ideas!
  • dwh77tx
    dwh77tx Posts: 513 Member
    Ugh! I hear you. I work from home and while it is nice that I can work in my pjs if I want, it is very isolating and I feel that I would eat less if my kitchen wasn't available. I work out at lunch time. Most days I take a class at the gym during lunch or if not I do a workout DVD upstairs.
    What bothers me is the people who think that if you work at home it's not a "real job"!
  • synthomarsh
    synthomarsh Posts: 189 Member
    I used to work an office job 14 hours a day and what killed me was drinking a bunch of sodas.... What I would do is try to do some work outs while at my desk.... like chair dips or sit up sit down for a minute maybe get you some weights to curl in your chair, when you move from your three computers hop up and jumping jack to them.... your at home get creative no one is watching you find ways to move and make sitting in front of a computer not at sedentary
  • sunshinestater
    sunshinestater Posts: 596 Member
    I remember the lure of the vending machines when I worked a corporate job for 15 years. The good thing about it was that we had a core group of people who walked every day at lunch, so there was always motivation to get in some exercise.

    I have a gym membership, but the drive there is a pain. I still want to schedule two days a week because I love the pool. That's the main reason I joined. Sometimes I do walking laps, but they also have water aerobics almost every day, and that's another chance to be out and among people.
  • clairekraw
    clairekraw Posts: 21
    I also work from home full time. I get up when my husband does and use the time to do a workout DVD - right now, it's Insanity. I was really worried about working from home when I first started a couple of months ago, but the truth is, it's a perfect situation for healthy living. I can make fresh meals, I have a whole kitchen at my disposal, and I can take a walk at lunchtime without getting sucked into group lunches or long conversations. I also wear a pedometer and try very hard to get 8-10K steps every day. This usually involves a lunchtime walk and a walk right after I wrap up in the evening.

    Feel free to friend me if you would like! :smile:
  • tamiesue2
    tamiesue2 Posts: 149 Member
    I work at home too. I work out in the morning before I start my day, then when I take my breaks I try to throw something little in like some squats. I think the most important thing is to get in at least 30 good minutes in and to make sure you have a healthy diet.
  • kath711
    kath711 Posts: 710 Member
    I also work from home. I work for awhile and then take a break midmorning for a workout (usually running). I also happen to work in the kitchen at a computer which can be tempting but I give myself scheduled break times to eat a snack. This way, I have the snack to look forward to which motivates me to hold off until then.
  • sunshinestater
    sunshinestater Posts: 596 Member
    Although its tempting to eat out, Claire is so right that it's nice to have your kitchen right there. I'm planning out my lunches and not even considering going out as an option right now. I have no excuse not to exercise in the morning, even when running late. Now I just need to watch the time. I went over on my calories a little last night and planned to make it up with exercise. Time got away from me until I realized it was 10:30 and I was still working. I need to think of a way to manage my hours better, which is tricky with three jobs.

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