As coronavirus continues to spread across the country, many employees are working from home. Although there are advantages to not having to go into the office—like never having to get out of your jammies—there are some challenges that can arise. Here are our tips to stay healthy during your workday and to avoid boredom eating.

Almost all of our bariatric patients are trying to lose weight or keep the weight off. And having your pantry stocked full of your favorite foods can be a challenge when working to avoid the mid-morning, post-lunch, pre-dinner snacking.

How to Stay Healthy When Working From Home

1. Stick to a Schedule 

When working from home, it can be a challenge to separate office work from house/family work. This can lead to people working way more hours than they usually would by not “forcing” themselves to turn off work-mode. Not only can this affect someone’s mental well-being, but it can also affect their physical well-being.

Mental Well-Being

When you are at the office, you spend time away from your computer, chatting with coworkers, or sitting in meetings. This provides a good mental break from being engrossed in your work, allowing you to recharge. Also, when you go to work, you have set hours you are there. When you leave, you likely do not pull out your computer at home to answer emails to complete tasks.

It is important to remember to adhere to a work schedule so that work does not begin to overtake your life, your relationships, and your health.

Physical Well-Being

Similarly, not only does create and sticking to a schedule affect your mental well-being, but it also impacts your physical health. At work, you most likely have an eating schedule, whether you have planned it or not. If you pack your lunch, you only pack a certain amount of food that will keep you satisfied throughout the day. Although there may be office snacks, you are probably pretty good at sticking to a healthy eating regimen.

You want to adhere to this eating schedule when at home to avoid making multiple trips to the pantry and packing on those pounds.

2. Clean Out Your Pantry

We have talked about this tip before. When you are looking to lose weight, the first step is to throw out all the junk in your pantry to avoid late-night snacking or binge eating. This rings especially true when you are working from home. If your pantry is stocked up with unhealthy snacks, you will no doubt find yourself grazing on these yummy treats throughout the day. So, we recommend throwing out all the unhealthy snacks that could potentially sabotage your weight loss goals.

3. Plan Your Meals and Snacks

Along with sticking to a schedule and cleaning out your pantry, we recommend that you meal prep your meals and snacks. This will help you not overeat or graze throughout the day. It is also a good idea to put all of your pre-made meals and snacks in plain view in the fridge or pantry. Therefore, when you do go to grab something to eat, you aren’t tempted to fall off your eating plan/schedule.

4. Stay Hydrated

Between meals, it is a good idea to sip on water or sugar-free beverages. Not only will this help you stay hydrated, but it will also help keep you feeling full—helping you to avoid snacking.

5. Get Up and Get Out

When working from home, it can be tempting to lounge in your pajamas all day. This creates a “lazy” attitude that may trickle into the hours after you leave your make-shift workstation. So, we recommend that you start your day as you “normally” would if you were going into the office. Get up, drink your coffee, change out of your pajamas (even if it’s just into some comfy pants and a t-shirt), and take frequent breaks to stand up, stretch, and even get some fresh air.

6. Take Your Conference Calls Outside

With the majority of employees working from home now, many companies are conducting virtual meetings. A creative way to get some extra steps in while being productive “at work” is to call into your work meetings when a walk (as long as you practice social distancing). This will help to break up the workday, allow you to get some fresh air, and is a great way to multi-task!

7. Give Yourself Time to Exercise

Do you ever wake up on a Saturday morning with the intention to workout, then as the day progresses, you become lazier and lazier after lounging around the house? As I mentioned above, when you create this “lazy attitude” by not getting up and getting out. So, designate time to exercise. I recommend doing it in the mornings to avoid any temptations to skip out on it later. One of the perks of working from home is you aren’t taking your morning commute, giving you more time in your mornings to exercise.

8. Set up a Comfortable Workstation

If you want to be productive when working from home, it is important to set up a comfortable workspace, away from the kitchen (to avoid snacking) and preferably near a window that allows the natural light to flood in. Studies have proven that individuals who work in an open space that gets natural light are significantly less stressed and more productive.

We hope that these tips can help you stay healthy and sane when working from home during this uncertain time.  Do you have more tips to stay healthy when in your home office? Let us know in the comments below!