
Tips to Improve Your Health at Work
Tips to Improve Your Health at Work
Ways People Can Improve Their Health at the Home Office
Description:
How can
you stay healthy working from your home office? You can boost your mental and
physical strength in the office with these tips. Improve yourself by embracing
new ways of doing things.
Ways People Can Improve Their Health at the Home Office
As more people move from the traditional 9 to 5
workday, the home office is catching on as the new preferred place to work
from. In some cases, the line between life and work is increasingly blurring,
leaving many at the risk of healthcare problems.
A 2017 United Nations report showed that remote
workers suffered higher stress levels (41%) than officer workers (25%). Your
work environment and daily routines could have a profound impact on your
health, which could influence your mental well-being and place you at the risk
of chronic diseases.
However, it’s not all doom, as you can customize
working in the home office to get the best of your work and health. If you work
from a home office, here are ways you can improve your health.
1. Build in Regular Activity
One of the things you want to avoid while working from
home is a sedentary lifestyle, which is likely if you have a significant
workload and clock many hours in front of your computer every week. Decreasing
sedentary time will enhance mental health and promote feelings of well-being.
With regular walks during work hours, you can improve enthusiasm and
relaxation. It also helps to reduce nervousness and keeps you alert.
There are different ways to incorporate physical
activity into your workdays. For example, you can set up a standing desk, take
a few minutes off the office to do push-ups or an aerobic exercise, or some
gardening could work as well. Basically, avoid sitting in the same spot for
hours without taking a break to get active. Guarding your health could be as
simple as taking frequent 10-minute breaks away from your home office chair.
2. Eat Healthy, Stay Hydrated
What you eat is reflected in your health and could be
the difference between a healthy lifestyle and a series of ailments. The
environment in which you work can influence your eating habits. While working
from home, you can easily access your fridge and the kitchen, so bingeing can
creep in if you are not strict with your diet.
Eating while distracted encourages more food
consumption. You should strive to achieve mindful eating habits. Among home
health care office ideas you could try include stepping away from the computer
at lunchtime. If you have to eat anything, ensure the healthiest options are
easier to reach, and have water in the office. Adopt a healthy diet overall as
working from home could trigger you to eat more.
3. Get in Touch With Nature
Working from home means you could spend days indoors
since you don’t need to travel to any workplace. This could keep you away from
nature, contributing to higher stress levels. Leaving your home office desk to
walk outside connects you with nature, which gives a calming effect that
contributes to enhanced mental health and reduced stress. Being in nature
reduces fear, anger, and increases pleasant feelings.
It makes you feel better emotionally and helps with
your physical wellbeing, reducing heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle
tension. Also, adding natural elements to your home office, such as house
plants and other biophilic design features, could have the same effect, but
don’t take this as a substitute for walking outside. A walk to the nearby park
or the beach will reward you greatly and remove the fatigue you get working in
an environment with no colleagues.
4. Schedule Workouts in the Middle of the Day
Being at home, you can create a workout plan that will
help you stay fit and healthy. Find sports equipment to make your workouts easy and
schedule the exercise in the middle of the day. Besides, occasional breaks to
walk around, you need time in the gyms, maybe an hour every day. You could also
head to a nearby yoga studio to keep yourself in the best health.
Besides building a home gym, you could also embrace
going for a run. Anything that will keep you active will contribute to your
well-being, and you could improve your productivity by doing exercises.
5. Create Personal Time
Too much work with no play makes your life dull. It’s
not good for you to stay hooked to your office without time to explore things
you love. Always working without time to clear your head will lead to burnout,
which will affect your productivity. To keep your mental health in the best
condition, find time for entertainment and fun activities.
Do things you enjoy to release all the stress you
might have accumulated from working on some tasks. If you enjoy swimming,
create time. Also, join clubs near you that you can visit to socialize with
other people. Don’t be a slave to your home office furniture and work.
6. Integrate Fresh Air
Besides having calming home office decor, you also
need to integrate fresh air. Bring the outdoor air in through proper
ventilation. Air exchange will help to improve indoor air quality, giving you a
calming effect. Embrace natural ventilation practices, which could be as simple
as having windows you can open easily.
Of course, this depends on whether you live in an area
that has good air quality. If you live in a place with high pollution levels,
this might not be a viable option. In addition to opening your window and door,
you can take short breaks to step outside and get a little fresh air. It will
help you fight off stress and anxiety, improving overall mental health.
7. Practice Regular Cleaning
Regular cleaning of the kitchen, bathrooms, and other
areas of your home can prevent disease transmission. It also supports indoor
air quality and leads to improved mental health. Design a cleaning schedule
that ensures your office and every other space in your home stays clean.
Disinfect all areas to reduce transmission of diseases.
Make hand-washing a collective habit even at home.
Check for things like dust in the carpets that could trigger allergic
reactions. Getting sick will rob you of work hours, lowering your productivity.
8. Occasionally Work Outside
Some time away from your modern home office could
prove beneficial to your mental health. Spending your days in a room filled
with computer screens and fluorescent lights could trigger health problems.
Occasionally, grab your laptop and find an outdoor space with a shade where you
can perform your tasks. You could even take work to a nearby park, on a bench
away from your office, or in a coffee shop with a calm atmosphere. This will
reduce your stress and also gives you a dose of vitamin D.
9. Prevent Computer Eye Strain
Normally, you blink about 15 to 20 times each minute.
This spreads tears over your eyes, keeping them from getting irritated and dry.
However, researchers have found that people blink less when reading, playing, or
watching on a screen. The glare and the contrast from digital screens can cause
eye strain, which triggers headaches, increased sensitivity to light, and
difficulty focusing.
You can prevent digital eye strain in several ways.
First, keep your computer an arm’s length from your face. Use a matte screen
filter to cut glare, and follow the 20-20-20 rule, which states that every 20
minutes, move away from the screen and look at an object positioned at least 20
feet away for about 20 seconds. After every 2 hours, take breaks of about 15
minutes, and if your eyes are drying, you can use artificial tears to freshen.
Conclusion
While the list is not exhaustive, it offers a good
starting point to help you enjoy working from home. These home office ideas
will help you stay healthy and boost your productivity. Improve your home
office today by adapting your environment to be healthier.
How are you adapting your home to become a healthier
place to work from? Share ideas in the comments below.
Author’s Bio:
Kevin has been writing content for about 3 years. He
really wants to share his experiences and advice with anyone who cares about
health and fitness. He enjoys helping people achieve their fitness goals with
simple instructions and overcoming any obstacles on the way.