5 Ways to Sneak in Activity If You're Working from Home

Life during the Covid-19 pandemic is far from normal. While once the idea of staying away from the office and working from home was comforting, it is no more the case. Employees at present are unhappy with the seemingly 24x7 online meetings and the longer screen time. This is not only messing with their work-life balance but also impacting their physical health.

Since working out at gyms or going for an evening stroll is also out of option with the changes in social distancing guidelines and new quarantine rules, people are getting little to no exercise nowadays. But, this lifestyle is not healthy as lack of exercise can negatively impact both mind and body. Furthermore, it can hamper one’s productivity and effectiveness at work. Thus, in order to help you out in staying fit and healthy, we have prepared a list of five simple ways to exercise when you are working from home. Have a glance!

Pace around your house

It is true that owing to the ongoing curfews and lockdowns, going out for evening walks has become difficult. But for the people who are serious about sneaking in some exercise during work, walking or pacing around the home is the easiest way to catch some activity.

Walking keeps your body moving and provides you with an opportunity to stand up and straighten your posture. It acts as a welcome break for your back and muscles. Most importantly, pacing is a simple activity that can be easily worked into your weekday schedule. So, when you have few moments to spare, try taking a walk or pace around when you are on a call. Remember, every single step counts!

Practice balance with a stability ball

If you are working from home, then try replacing your chair with a stability ball. To some people, this may sound a little uncomfortable, but what is little discomfort against the multitude of health benefits? A stability ball helps in practising better posture by forcing spine alignment. It is so because when sitting on the ball, your body constantly tries to balance itself and an aligned seated position is the easiest to manage.

Not just that, sitting on a stability ball strengthens your abdominal muscles. When the human body experiences changes in balance, it puts pressure on the abdominal muscles to balance things. In this way, replacing your chair with a stability ball can help you sneak in a low-intensity workout without doing much.

Stretch your limbs

Working from home may keep you busy and not allow you enough time to exercise. Still, to keep yourself from getting out of shape, you can easily spare 10-15 minutes a day to stretch. Now, stretching here does not entail practising squats. Instead, we recommend simple exercises that may help you get rid of body pain and stiffness and boost your energy levels.

While working, you can take a 2/3-minute-long break after every 2 hours and practice leg extensions, torso twists, shoulder rotations, neck stretches, and hand and wrist circulation. You can also check out Google or search YouTube for some other simple and easy-to-do stretching exercises. Notably, stretching your limbs will help you in staying alert and avoiding back-related problems in the future.

Make use of the mini exercising equipment

During the pandemic, you might not be able to go out, but working out at home is no biggie with the right exercising equipment. For instance, at present, we have so many small workout machines like the miniature versions of ellipticals, cycle pedals, and steppers that can conveniently fit under a desk. Working out on the mini exercising equipment can aid people in burning out extra calories and strengthening their muscles. Those who are working from home can put the machine underneath their workstation and exercise to their heart’s desire without wasting any time. Doing so will also help them in managing their time in the best possible way. 

Exercise at your desk

People who do not have the means to arrange the mini exercising equipment or are not willing to invest in it have the option of exercising at their desk. Doing so will get your blood flowing without making you sweaty. Here are some simple exercises that you can practice without moving away from your workstation:

• Chair Dips - Sit on the edge of your chair and place your hands on either side of it. Now, move two to three steps ahead so that your knees are bent and your back is about 6 inches from the seat. Now, practise sit-ups by bending your elbows. You can practice three sets of 10-15 reps.
• Chair Squats - Get up from your chair and stand in front of it. Perform a squat by bending your knees and pushing your lower body towards the chair while extending your arms at chest height. Repeat the same process and do three sets of 10-15 reps.

So, even if short trips are out of option at present and staying indoors and working from home are getting tiring, you can always make it more fun by accommodating easy-to-do exercises into your work routine. This will help you in staying physically fit and improving your work output.

Related Article: 5 Indoor Workouts to Stay Lithe and Limber During Lockdown

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