Some of you may have been working from home for the first time, and maybe looking after kids too. How have you found it?
We are a family of 5, with 3 school-age children at home at the moment so I know it can be challenging!
Here are top tips for staying healthy and productive when working from home:
SET YOUR DAILY SCHEDULE AND INCLUDE REGULAR BREAKS
Having a set schedule helps you plan your day and so you and the little people know what to expect. We have tried to have a flexible plan for each day with a break mid-morning, lunch and afternoon.
This is working well so the girls can have a snack at the breaks if they wish- fruit, crackers, breakfast biscuit. This has helped to avoid them asking for things throughout the day and gives us time to take a short break from the screen or continue working for a few minutes without interruptions!
EAT AWAY FROM YOUR DESK
Try to eat somewhere different from where you are working, even if it’s just a quick 20 minutes. Giving yourself this change of scenery can help reduce the feeling of being in one place the whole day and you can actually enjoy what you are eating.
DON’T SKIP MEALS
When you are working from home it is easy to continue working through the day and miss breakfast or lunch (particular if you have kids at home and you may use this to catch up on your work). However, beware, if you do this if could led to overeating at the next meal or reaching for those unhealthier options.
KEEP HYDRATED
I think it’s often easy to forget to drink during the day when you are at home. We started using our water bottles at home and trying to finish this during the day with extra drinks after playing outside/exercise. You should be aiming for 8 cups of fluid a day and this includes water, squash, juice, tea and coffee. Remember avoid having caffeinated drinks too late in the afternoon in case it keeps you awake at night. An easy indication if you are drinking enough is when your urine is pale yellow or straw coloured.
WHAT ABOUT EXERCISE I USE TO BE MORE ACTIVE?
We are all adjusting to being less active at the moment with the #lockdown, but it is important to remember that we still need to eat! Trying to cut down on your intake or skipping meals because you are less active will only lead to feeling hungrier and feeling deprived of food.
However, without distraction of the office tea room you may find that you are walking around a lot less at home. I have noticed this and found my Fitbit really useful to remind me to get up and walk a bit every hour, but if you don’t have a smart watch you could set up a reminder on your phone instead. This is a good habit to have and give yourself a break from the screen for a few minutes.
If you are missing your regular exercise classes or the gym there are lots of free home exercise classes available at the moment and my next blog I will writing more about this!
BE KIND TO YOURSELF
These are unprecedented times and we are all trying to cope the best we can but often in times of stress and uncertainty you can turn to food for comfort. Don’t beat yourself up about this, it is natural. This is a challenging time so be kind to yourself. Restricting yourself too much may make you crave that food more, so having a little bit whist starting to find other ways to feel better (like phone/video call a friend, go out for your daily walk) is a great start.
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