Exercises During Work from Home

We all know that exercise is an important part of our daily lives, but we may not know what the exercises can do for us.

Working from home may sound sort of a dream – avoiding peak hours, taking calls from the couch – but telecommuting can quickly cause a sedentary life.
It may take some creativity and self-discipline but it’s important for both your physical and psychological well being.

Few tips to help you get moving:

1. SCHEDULE A WORKOUT INTO YOUR DIARY

Just as you schedule your workload and meetings in the diary, you should schedule the exercise timings.

It's important that you stick to a routine that includes your regular exercise. Whether it’s an early morning workout- to urge the juices flowing or a post-work jog on the treadmill, adding exercise into your daily planner keeps you on track.

2. Go Digital

YouTube and smartphone apps offer everything from yoga and Pilates to kickboxing and jazzercize— there’s something for everyone. Best of all, many workouts are free.
You could even go a step ahead and begin a FaceTime or Skype workout group with friends or work colleagues. Just pick a time, dial-in, and workout together from home.

3. Use What You Have

No fancy gym equipment in your home?
No problem.

You can do Sit-ups, push-ups, yoga, and many other types of exercise with no equipment at all. Walking (or running) requires nothing but a pair of running shoes. Simple household items like a bag of sugar, cans of soup, or a bottle of laundry detergent can be used as weights if you’re starting with strength training.

4. Get Up Every Hour

Even if you’ve done your exercises for the day, sitting at a desk for hours can put you at increased risk for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.

The solution?

Set a timer to remind you to get up and move for a few minutes every hour. There are many smartphone apps for this or you can simply use the timer function of your mobile.

As the alarm goes off- get up, grab a healthy snack, walk for a few minutes, or do some light exercises to boost energy and maintain the blood circulation.

5. Sneak in Extra Movement

Throughout your workday, look for reasons to stand up and move. 

Walk while you are on the phone, or even when you are sitting keep doing ankle toe movents, shoulder movements, neck exercises, etc.

Walking has been shown to improve mood, stimulate creativity, and enhance focus, making it an all-around win for your health and productivity.

The Benefits of Exercise

There are so many benefits of being active and exercising regularly that many books have been published on this. In a nutshell, to give you a gist, here are some of the benefits:

• Improves your long-term health
• Reduce the risk of heart diseases
• Gives you more energy
• Helps you manage your weight
• Helps you maintain the cholestrol levels
• lowers your blood pressure
• make your bones and muscles stronger
• relaxes you and makes you feel content
• Improves your immunity
• Helps you sleep better
• Improves your mood and gives you a positive outlook on life
• Boosts your concentration and alertness
• Makes you more productive at work
• Reduces the risk of cognitive impairment as you age
• Makes you happier and healthier.

Exercises – Staying Fit While Working From Home

1. Finger Exercises

There are a couple of simple exercises for the fingers especially useful for the people having writing or coding jobs. Let us list down a few for you:

• Pinch your fingers and thumb, put a rubber band around then flex the fingers and thumb with the elasticity of the band. 10 repititions, repeat thrice a day.
  
  
• You can use a squeezer to release finger and palm stress.
  
  
• You can grasp a cloth or towel and do the grasping movements a few times.
  In case any of your fingers are in pain specifically, use it with the thumb to form an ‘O’ and hold that position for 5 seconds at least. Repeat it 10 times twice a day.

2. Wrist Stretches

• Just lift and stretch your palms as you press those to each other.
  
  
• Do circular movements of wrist, both clockwise and anticlockwise, just the way you do for the neck.

3. Upper Back Stretch

Your back gets most strained after spending hours sitting. This particular exercise has been on our daily to-do for the longest time and is easy to do as well.

Hold both of your arms ahead of you, facing down. Lower your head in a way that it is in line with the hind-arms, as you look down, making the upper back of slightly curved. Take around 2-3 deep breaths to relax your muscles.

4. Shoulder Stretch

Another basic exercise that would ensure your upper body muscles stay in prime shape as you work from home.

All you have to do is grasp one hand with another, raise it straight above your head with your palms towards the ceiling. Take around 2-3 deep breaths while doing it to instantly feel your muscles more relaxed.

5. Chair Squats

Just stand up from the chair, lower your body back into the chair but don’t sit entirely. Get up again. Let your heels carry your weight. Repeat the squats 10 times.

6. Push-ups – Desk and Wall

This is an alternate version of push-ups. Ensure that your desk is sturdy enough to hold your weight. 
Place your hands flat, in a little wider format than the length of your shoulder. Start the pushups the normal way. Do a minimum of 20. 

You can do the same thing by using a wall as the base. Just ensure that you keep your core engaged.


Where to get help

If you are still confused about how to begin your fitness journey, what exercises to do, or facing a fear of getting injured while exercising. Or maybe you don't have enough space around your home, or your goals can't be met using home items, or you are in pain, injured due to any reason, then you can consult or go to these places:

1. Physiotherapist
   
   
2. Your doctor
   
   
3. Local gym and community center