How You Can Sit Less and Move More When Working From Home

These days many workplaces have flexible working arrangements that enable staff to work from home (telecommute) one or more days a week. Telecommuting can reduce business expenses significantly and increase employee satisfaction and productivity.

The advantages for staff working from home are many:

You can wear comfy clothes
A custom environment with as little or as much noise as you like
It’s easier to make calls
No office distractions
Zero commuting
Save money

However, even when you are working from home, the majority of your time is likely to still be spent sitting at a desk or table. Our main reaction to a busy workload is to sit for as long as possible until the task is done. Before you know it, hours have gone by and you have not moved from your chair.

Excessive sitting can affect your metabolism, including your blood sugars and fats, putting you at increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Remaining in one posture for hours at a time can also affect the muscles in your back, neck, hip flexors, hamstrings and calves.

Here are some tips to sitting less and moving more on your telecommuting days:

Take regular breaks during your day to get out of your chair and move around. Whether that’s to make a cup of tea or simply walk up and down the stairs a couple of times will help you stretch, relax and refresh for the next batch of concentration.
Take a walk around your garden
Make sure you set reminders on your phone or computer to get up and stretch every 30 minutes
If you have a dog at home, have a run around the yard with them as a break (both of you will benefit!)
Since your home is more private than an office environment, it’s the perfect place to do some stretching, yoga, a few strength exercises, jogging on the spot, push ups, or jumping jacks during a break of a few minutes
Get out and go for a walk around your neighbourhood during your lunch break
Invest in a height-adjustable standing desk converter that can turn any ordinary desk into a sit-to-stand desk
Avoid eating lunch at your desk
Treat exercise with the same priority as a phone call with a client. Blocking out time away from your desk means that you are more likely to do it