Being fit & active is difficult when you WFH

[Sotheysaid]

Hi everyone,

Having changed from a profession that was on my feet most of the day to one where I work from home I have struggled to keep fit. I'm worried my WFH job is affecting my health, I generally work 8.30 to 5/6 five days a week walking the dogs on my lunch break (30-40 mins) . The change in profession has impacted my fitness levels significantly but I am unsure of how to address this going forward. How do you work from home but maintain a decent level of fitness? Having kids to sort out, dinner to make, washing etc after work makes me want to crawl into bed at 9pm, equally I don't have the money to pay for a gym membership or the time to go at the moment.

In my previous job it wasn't a worry I literally ran around for 39 hours a week so there was no need to really consider this alongside my dog walks daily for a decent part of the week.

Please give me your regimes on how you work from home and keep fit or AIBU it's impossible to keep for with a FT WFH job?

I get up at 6am and do a 45 minute YouTube workout every morning. Cardio one day, weights the next. Then 15 minutes of yoga before bed. Use the stairs and walk everywhere possible when not at home.

Agree 💯 I feel WFH also makes me quite unmotivated in general because it's so easy to just roll out of bed. It's also had another negative impact in that my vitamin D is extremely low because I didn't go outside anymore!!

It’s not easy is it? Lunchtime or after work walks are good. I also try doing micro bits of exercise. Like 5 mins walking up and down stairs. Or 5-10 mins of yoga or strength exercises. It’s important to take breaks from sitting and screens. But some days I’m sat at desk for hours.

A sit/stand desk or treadmill desk is another good option.

I get dressed in my gym clothes with a decent top over for video meetings. At the first sign of a solid hour between meetings I get a workout in. I've had to make do with 35 to 45 min HiiT sessions. Run up the stairs when I can. Sometimes yoga before bed. Nowhere near as fit as I used to be but not only due to WFH. Perimenopausal tiredness and general meh feeling contributes.

What time are you getting up that has you wanting to go to bed at 9pm?
If you don't start til 8.30, there's quite a bit of time there to go for a fun or a kettle bell or weights routine in the house beforehand depending on what would suit you.
I wfh some days and still get up at 5.30 as if I was going on site. So I'll either start work at 7 so I can finish a bit earlier and go for a run in the afternoon or get out and do something before I start. Depends how flexible your work is.

Run not fun.

I WFH. I have done for years and sometimes I've been fit and sometimes not. Part of it is that you are close to lots of little household chores. So you've worked (obviously), but also prepped dinner on your lunch break, put a load of washing in, found the missing phone charger, and so many other household tasks, that exercise kind of feels like just another thing on your list. By the time you get round to it, you're knackered and just want to stare into space for a bit.

My best way of getting around this is to do it in small chunks. It motivates me to do more.

I don’t WFH every day but on the days I do, I do a Get Fit With Rick YT workout to make sure I get my steps in. I like the boxing/combat ones best.

I schedule it in. I have to, or I’ll get up and check emails and that’ll be me for the day. That bit where I’d be commuting, and a portion for “lunch”, is blocked off in my calendar and that’s when I exercise and walk dogs. It is non negotiable. I didn’t used to be so militant about it but I spent my mat leave having cancer treatment and now I’m back I’m damned if I’m letting work get in the way of me getting well again, especially when I’m doing it at a time others are sat in their cars/on public transport.