How To Stay Fit While Working From Home

[Mr.X]

How To Stay Fit
While Working From Home


Author: Lynn Bode

Despite what many may think, working from home takes a lot of
time and a lot of work. I'm sure you've heard someone say, "They
don't really have a job, they just work from home." That
statement couldn't be farther from the truth! Running a home
business takes almost all of your time. Therefore, many other
things drop down on your priority list. Probably one of the
first ones to drop is fitness.

When you have a never-ending to-do list, a house that never
seems to get clean and family and/or friends who demand
attention, it's understandable that exercise can take a back
seat. But, it shouldn't.

Exercise offers so many important benefits that it should always
be part of your weekly routine. Of course, we all know that
exercise can help you stay slim and fit. But, do you also know
about all the other great results of exercising? Daily physical
activity reduces stress and can help you sleep better - two
things that are especially beneficial to busy at-home workers
and business owners. Fitness helps keep you healthy and has been
linked to reducing the risk of some diseases and to warding off
depression. Researchers also believe that strength training can
help prevent osteoporosis. If that still doesn't convince you to
get moving, then keep in mind that exercise also improves
self-esteem, increases stamina and ultimately helps you be able
to do continuous work for longer. What more could you ask for?

It all sounds great, right? But you still don't think that you
can find any time in your hectic schedule for staying in shape.
Don't worry. There are a lot of creative ways to fit it in.
Below are some tips to help you get started.

1.Schedule time for working out. When you work at home it's so
easy to work around the clock. To help avoid this think of
yourself as having a traditional "office job". In most "office
jobs" when you go home for the night you leave work behind and
concentrate on personal things. Even though going home for you
may simply be walking down the hall, you need to set boundaries
in order to find time for you. 2.During working hours, take
several 5-10 minute breaks and run up and down the stairs (or
even just walk). This will also help rejuvenate your mind.
3.Sitting in front of a computer can be hard on your body,
especially your posture. So, find a comfortable place where you
can occasionally stand to do your computer work. 4.It's not
necessary for you to find 30 continuous minutes for working out.
You'll get just as much benefit if you break your exercise into
small chunks. Try 10 minutes before you start work, 10 minutes
at lunch and 10 minutes after work (re-read # 1 above if you
just said you have no "after work" time). 5.If you don't won't
to spend a lot of time in the kitchen but still want to eat
healthy, cook large portion meals on the weekend that you can
freeze. Then simply defrost and warm for dinners during the
week. This saves you the time of having to make dinner and you
don't have to compromise calories as you would if you instead
opted for take-out. 6.One great advantage of working at home is
that you can workout over your lunch hour while never leaving
your office plus you don't have to pack your workout clothes and
toiletries to take with you to work. This saves you travel time,
which you can instead spend on grabbing a healthy bite to eat.
And, if you don't have any face-to-face meetings scheduled, then
you don't have to worry about looking perfect after your
workout. 7.If you haven't already done so, invest in a good
hands-free headset for your phone. This is a great way to
multi-task because your hands are free to do other things while
you concentrate on your conference call. You can even do some
simple (but worthwhile) exercise moves. Some good choices are
squats, tricep dips, lunges, wall push-ups, etc. 8.Keep healthy
snacks available for when you need an energy boost or simply
just need something to chew on to help you get through some
tough work. Don't forget to keep water on hand and sip some all
throughout your day. 9.Purchase an exercise stability ball.
While there are dozens of great toning exercises you can do with
the ball, it's also beneficial to simply sit on it. Try sitting
on it instead of a chair for even short periods throughout your
day. This will help build your core strength (your trunk area).
10.Don't forget the importance of stretching. Take a couple of
minutes every hour to stand up and stretch your entire body.

As you can see, exercise offers huge benefits even with just a
small amount of effort. And if you have kids, by exercising you
also set a great example. So, to help you, your business, and
your family it's time to stop making excuses and just start
moving!

About the author:
Lynn Bode is a certified trainer and owner of
WorkoutsForYou.com. Workouts For You provides affordable online
exercise programs to help even the busiest of people lose
weight, tone-up, build muscles, increase stamina and more.
Membership includes one-on-one personal attention, fitness
guidance, detailed workouts & more. Visit:
http://www.workoutsforyou.com for a free sample workout.