Home Working: Your Health and Desk-bound Work

During this pandemic, working from home has become the new normal. However, home working brings with it the risk of sitting still for too long. Here are some tips for making your home working style synonymous with health and safety.

 

One of the advantages of home working is reducing the time you took travelling to and from work. However, one of the disadvantages is giving you a more sedentary lifestyle, with decreased physical activity throughout the day.

 

The dangers of sedentary work

Prolonged sedentary behaviour can have many harmful effects on health: increased cardiovascular risk (high blood pressure, heart failure) metabolic disorders (type 2 diabetes, obesity) and even can become a danger to your mental health.

 

Of course, these are not immediate issues, but risks that grow over time. For example, a 15% increase in spent in a sitting position dramatically increases the chances of metabolic disorders.

 

For your health, and to keep home working a pleasanter experience, try to change your seated position every 30 minutes. Equally, avoid spending all 7 hours of your working day sitting down.

 

Replace breaks with physical movement

In the office, you had many reasons to get you up and out of your seat; breaks, meetings, or simply going to lunch. When working from home, you do not necessarily have the same interruptions, especially as you do not need to leave your chair to attend a video conference. You may be saving time, but at a possible expense to your health.

 

We suggest channelling some of that saved time into doing something physical. Thirty minutes of yoga or light exercise each day lowers blood pressure, cholesterol and body fat. It can even stimulate your immune system, and give a boost to morale!

 

Keeping regular working hours

While at home, beware of overworking. You should avoid sitting in front of your computer for longer necessary. Stick to your regular working hours and encourage other team members to do the same.

 

Avoid snacking

At home, it is almost too easy to visit that oh-so-convenient kitchen for snacks. Working in isolation can make this temptation much worse. The dangers are twofold: snacking at your desk reduces physical movement, and the disruption to our diet from irregularly eating junk foods leads to obesity. 

 

It is more necessary than ever to resist this lure. Try to maintain regular mealtimes with a healthy and balanced diet. 

 

Limit monitor use

Homeworking is really only possible via our technology – namely, our screens. At the end of your workday, try to avoid them again for a few hours. Smartphones, tablets or televisions will encourage you to stay seated, or even lying down. 

 

Instead, why not try a workout, games with your children, or cooking your evening meal to get a screen break? There are many ways to end a productive workday healthily and refreshingly.

Find our “working well from home” range here.