Enforced lockdown due to corona pandemic has affected the daily routine of whole nation. No doubt it is the great need of time but we can do some productive things to keep ourself active and healthy.
The coronavirus is compelling the whole nation to do work from home for the first time. While the idea of working in your pajamas and eating Oreos all day might seem attractive, in the long run that would be bad for your health.
Dr. Saju Mathew, a primary care physician in Atlanta, Georgia, says working from home could be a prescription for better health if you’re disciplined.
Working from home make you independent to take regular exercise breaks, and instead of visiting a fast food restaurant for a quick lunch, you can make a healthy, sit-down meal.
“This is your opportunity to get in the best shape of your life,” Mathew said.
He has a few productive things to keep you happy and productive while working from home.
Doctor’s Orders:
1) Create different zones in your home
2) Your workspace is key. Make sure you have a comfortable chair and keyboard
3) Get up at least once an hour
4) Walk around, do some exercise or some stretches!
5) Meal plan! Create a grocery list and prepare healthy meals
6) Try an exercise app, take an online fitness class, even get a stationary bike
In the zone
“Since your home is going to restrict most aspects of your life like gym, cooking, socializing with others remotely, sleeping and relaxing, you must be disciplined and organized,” Mathews said.
He says it’s important not to let your activities to go into your other spaces at home. Have designated areas in your house to separate these daily tasks.
You should have a routine for daily meals, workouts and regular breaks.
Applicability
Freelance journalist Paul Kvinta has been happily working at home for more than 20 years.
He’s developed a daily routine that includes work and regular exercise, and he’s even found a way to move in his daily steps while he’s working.
“I walk when I talk on the phone. When I have long phone interviews, or even if I’m just chatting with whomever, I will walk laps in the house. I’m not sure if I could stop it if I was in an office setting.”
Kvinta also admires the freedom that working from home provides.
“So I keep my hours. I wake up early, do most of my writing in the morning, do my phone interviews and by the afternoon, I’m ready to go for a run … or sometimes I’ll go for long walks. I’m setting my schedule so I can exercise whenever I feel like it and I try to do something every day.”
Mathew says these breaks are all-important: “For every hour that you work, get up and stretch, do some meditation. Deep breathing exercises will also cut down on stress levels.”
The office space
The most important thing about your workspace is that it’s comfortable. You should not be working from bed or on the couch.
“If you have a standing desk, recreate that at home. You also want to make sure that your chair is comfortably designed” Mathew said.
But that doesn’t mean working from home can’t convey some extra benefits. For Kvinta, that includes regularly working outside.
“So, I do have an office — a dedicated office inside. But on beautiful days like today, I haul everything out, put it on my table on the porch, and I can work all day on the porch. It’s pretty awesome.”
Mathew recommends spending time on meal planning and filling that Instacart with healthy foods.
Don’t eat mindlessly while working and try to avoid the temptation to snack all day. Instead, make yourself a nutritious lunch and sit down to eat it.