OPSAre you sitting longer since working from home?
Are you sitting longer since working from home? Here are some great ways to introduce more movement and physical activity into your day.
Download Are you sitting longer since Working from Home leaflet
Are you sitting longer since working from home?
A recent survey by the Irish Heart Foundation has revealed that approximately 53% of people who are WFH due to the Covid-19 are sitting for approximately 2 hours 40 minutes longer per day now than when in the office or their usual place of work. So why not use the time gained from our commute time to enhance our lifestyle and introduce more activity/exercise?
From the many remote evaluations that we’ve carried out we find that people are moving less because they are not walking to a meeting room, or collaboration area, or having a coffee/lunch with colleagues.
Many employees also report that they find it hard to switch off when their work area and laptop are so close to hand.
Whatever the reason, we all know that a sedentary lifestyle impacts negatively on our physical health and also on our mood and general wellbeing.
So how can we put more movement into our day ?
- Incorporate movement breaks into your daily routine by getting up and moving at least once an hour. Use the stairs for movement breaks
- Take your breaks away from your desk. Incorporate a walk or run at lunch if possible.
- Stand for meetings when you don’t need to use your keyboard or mouse.
- Even better, walk and talk on some of your calls if you have a wireless headset and can turn off the camera.
- Have a defined start and end time to your working day and try to stick to it.
- Schedule shorter meetings – e.g. 25 mins instead of 30 min meetings, and take a movement break between meetings.
- Cut down on your screen time, particularly in your leisure time and before sleep. This will help you to have a more restful night’s sleep.
- Drink lots of water. This will not only keep you hydrated and help you to concentrate, it will also encourage you to get up from your chair more often. Use use small glasses so you will have refill more often.
- Avail of the many free exercise classes now available online, e.g. Pilates, Yoga, HIIT.
- Go for a walk, run or cycle –also free and fun.
The WHO recommend that adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week and muscle-strengthening activities once or twice a week.
And finally, remember to set up your home workspace/workstation so that you can work comfortably and productively. You can access our Tips for Working from Home here.
