How to be active when you work from home?

unnichaacko
unnichaacko Posts: 116 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I work from home and my normal day is likely to sit in front of the computer for 12/13 hours. I do exercise 40/45 minutes a day, six days a week but I feel like I could do some more of physical stuffs than just sitting for 12/13 hours.

How can you be active when you work from home?

Replies

  • michael_hatten
    michael_hatten Posts: 34 Member
    I had the same problem. I worked at a desk from home and spent a lot of time on the phone or at the keyboard so my life was pretty sedentary. I did an hour or so of exercise every day in my home gym but still... So I started just taking a little break every hour or so (if work allowed) and doing a set of some exercise. I might do a few dumb bell reps or a body weight exercise like lunges or pushups. It only took five minutes or so but it was something.
  • subakwa
    subakwa Posts: 347 Member
    Has anyone used an under desk bike? I am about to start a job where Incould be at home working 2 days a week or so, and was facing the same issue of it being far more sedentary than even a normal office based job as I don't need to wander up and down stairs or along corridors to talk to people.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Walk before you start work, take a few short walks during the day, and again at end of day. Your body needs the break from staring at the computer anyway!
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    I work at home occasionally, and just like when I am at the office, I go for a walk after I eat lunch.
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
    Little things I do when working at home:
    -Stand at a high desk (stool option)
    -10 to 15-minute supersets or intervals
    -Quickie water bottle filling sessions (leg swings, calf raises, sumo squat holds, yoga poses...)
  • gojaqs
    gojaqs Posts: 471 Member
    Raise your computer so you have to stand at it.
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  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    unnichaacko wrote: »
    How can you be active when you work from home?

    I try and work from home at times as the days I travel I can easily spend 4-5 hours getting to and from work.

    I'll start at 0700, work for about 90 minutes then take a 20 minute pause, then throughuntil about 1130. I'll walk the dog for an hour and spend that time on the phone. Another couple of hours of desk work lead to another 20 minute pause. Then generally through until about 1700. Walk the dog again for another half hour finishing off calls then another hour or so until say 1900.

    So it's about remaining productive while taking the breaks.

    I'll generally aim to train for about 90 minutes in the evening and then eat about 2100 or so.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,565 Member
    unnichaacko wrote: »
    I work from home and my normal day is likely to sit in front of the computer for 12/13 hours. I do exercise 40/45 minutes a day, six days a week but I feel like I could do some more of physical stuffs than just sitting for 12/13 hours.

    How can you be active when you work from home?

    This is a problem I wish I had. I would love to work from home.

    But I'd do pretty much what I do at work ... climb stairs and/or get up and go for short walks around the place every 1-2 hours. Plus go for a 60 minute walk or bicycle ride at lunch. Plus go for a 30-90 minute bicycle ride or walk after work.

    If I worked from home, I might throw some weights into the middle of the day too, rather than just after work.

    It is not good to sit in front of a computer for more than 1-2 hours a time whether you're at home or elsewhere.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited October 2016
    I work from home.. I work out twice a day (5:30 a.m. run and lift later mid morning at home).. I actually have a system that keeps me out of the kitchen and not cycling through cabinets when hungry..

    I get up every hour to walk granted my phone is with me at all times to not miss calls.. and if work gets in the way I will put on my walk/run shoes at least two times in the day to to walk on my treadmill for 10-15 minutes. You have no idea how much this small amount of activity helps.

    It takes some strategy and proper planning but it can be done.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    i have a tendency to want to do horribly physical things when i'm mentally frustrated. so at work where people are looking at me, i do a lot of hiding in the parking where i can walk in small circles and make gestures and talk to myself.

    if i worked at home i can just picture the scope i would have. the problem is that i don't trust myself working at home. i tend to lose track of just about everything so i'm safer in a padded ce . . . i mean, cubicle. i think if i did work from home i'd be doing turkish getups and planks and anything physically strenuous i could think of at least every couple of hours.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    I work from home. To be honest, I realized I don't need to sit all those hours. A lot of that sitting is not actually work. I can read emails and messages from my watch or phone. I can not check FB or MFP, or fatlogic or do all the time wasting most people do during "work hours". I can get up for ten minutes of every hour and move, easily. I burn at true "moderately active now". That's a minimum of 15K steps, 7 miles, plus 650 active calories minimum.
  • mgalovic01
    mgalovic01 Posts: 388 Member
    I wish I worked from home. I work at a call center. It would be weird if I dropped on floor and started doing push- ups in between calls, but at home that's exactly what I'd do. Squats, lunges, crunches, curls, you name it. I just need a minute or two every so often, and I'd be the fittest dude you can imagine. I could probably do about 30 sets in 8 hours.

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