5 Tips to Work from Home and Stay Healthy

14 Jan 5 Tips to Work from Home and Stay Healthy

The pandemic changed the lives of millions, and most people had to make a quick transition to a new lifestyle – “work from home”. Suddenly you had to convert your home or apartment to a Work from Home (WFH) space. While the transition to a home office has kept many of us safe, it is important to ensure that this new lifestyle should not take a toll on your overall health.

Read on for some expert advice on how to stay healthy as you work from home.

Take breaks and stretch

While we are no longer in a formal office environment, we may forget to get up from the place we are sitting in, for hours. So, use this WFH environment to insert stretching breaks throughout your day (without worrying about the boss). The privacy of your home allows you to stretch whenever and wherever you’d like, so, use this opportunity. Get up every once in a while, (set reminders if you tend to forget), stretch and move around your room or apartment.

Change where you work

Another advantage of working from home is you can change your workstation as often as you like. You no longer have to sit in the same chair and desk all day. For example, you can move from your dining table, to your favorite chair, to a couch, and repeat. By changing the place, you sit on, your body is gets into different positions which allows for redistribution of forces/loads into your joints, preventing them from overuse injuries.

Ergonomic set up

Since most people had no advanced notice to set up their home office, many are sitting in non-ergonomic set ups. For example, you may be sitting at a dining table or your bed, slouching in a poor posture. Ensure your workspace at home has an ergonomic desk and chair. Sit in the proper posture. Keep the screen at eye level.

Increase activity

We often feel that given more free time and space, we would be able to lead a more active lifestyle. But the truth is most of us adopt a more sedentary lifestyle while working from home. You may not be commuting to work or have no need to go to a coworker’s desk or conference room. This reduces overall activity unless you make a conscious effort to move.

Reduce Screen Time

With digital platforms being the backbone of your personal as well as professional life during this time, screen time has dramatically increased. This can result in eye strain, headaches, poor sleep patterns, and poor posture and poor overall health. So, define a time for screen exposure and avoid being in front of a screen all the time.