Exercises You Can Do When Working From Home
Updated: Jun 26, 2022
The Importance Of Exercise While Working From Home
Working from home? Whether you're doing it every day or just a few times a week, it's pretty important to remember to stay active while you're working from home.
It's nice to have no commute, but chances are high you're getting fewer steps in when you don't head to an office for your day job. Rolling out of bed and going straight to your desk for 8 hours can lead to:
back and neck pain
headaches
irritability
less activity (losing fitness)
and more!
I love working from home, but making sure I maintain a routine (and one that includes movement) is my number one priority as an athlete. The next time I want to do a serious workout, my body will be ready for it! Plus, long days at a desk make everything cranky - body and mind - so finding ways to do working from home exercise breaks keeps me sane.
In this post, I'm quickly sharing a few exercise ideas that are great for staying fit when you work from home.
Improve your fitness routine and productivity by getting the blood flowing and decreasing pain associated with hours sitting at a desk! These fitness ideas can be done in short amounts of time and don't require a lot of space.
1) Yoga
There are hundreds of Youtube videos with 15-30 minute yoga routines or yoga routines for office breaks.
Start your morning with yoga to feel fresh and relaxed for the work day, or schedule breaks throughout the day where you can fit a session in.
Get the blood flowing and release tension in your body - sitting at your computer puts a lot of strain on the neck and back.
Yoga With Adriene is a very popular Youtube Channel because of the way she teaches her yoga classes. Check out her Yoga At Your Desk video! How perfect is that?
These Yoga-Inspired Exercises for Back & Hips that I try to do almost every day of the week have improved my
back,
glute,
neck, and
hip
pain immensely.
This routine offsets issues associated with the combo of my high-intensity workouts and hours at my computer.
2) Light Cardio
Scheduling light cardio sessions throughout the day will give your body a break from sitting at the desk. You don't have to do anything extreme in order to improve your fitness!
The main goal is to get the blood flowing and loosen up tight muscles.
Each of these work-from-home exercises can easily be done indoors.
This break will help your body feel better in the long term and give your brain a boost of oxygen so you are ready to get back to work.
Exercises that don't require a lot of space:
squats | squat jumps
jogging in place
sit ups
jumping jacks
burpees
high knees
sit ups or other core exercises
push ups
Set a timer for every hour or two and do a round of these exercises. When you sit back down you'll feel much more ready to get to work, and that's a huge part of the importance of exercise while working from home.
3) Stretching In Your Work From Home Exercise Routine
Taking time to stretch is often overlooked by many.
I know that I constantly forget (or choose to forget) to take the time for stretching. This is partly because you might not feel anything right away.
But stretching for just a few minutes every day compounds great results! Your overall mood while working from home will be better because you'll be less tight from sitting all day.
My solution to this lack of commitment to stretching is using TV time or conversations with friends as a time to stretch.
It's so easy to hold stretches or do dynamic stretching while watching a movie or talking on the phone.
Use this technique while working at home to add some mobility to your day. Stretch while reading a work document, making phone calls, and more!
4) How To Fit In Exercise When Working From Home: Desk Exercises
There is a whole world of innovative fitness ideas for those who spend hours working at a desk.
A quick search for exercises you can do at your desk or at a standing desk yields many results. I tried this out myself and I am obsessed.
Obsessed.
A standing desk lets me stand up in the middle of the workday, even if I'm in the middle of something time-sensitive.
I can stretch right at my desk while watching something or continuing to write. I can even take meetings standing up!
I put together a work from home exercise routine for doing at my standing desk. You can check out some of my favorite desk exercises in this post I shared on Pinterest.
Discover the perfect work from home workout routines for you by following these instructions or combining your favorite exercises into a routine you create for yourself.
Check it out for yourself with this list I compiled of effective and simple desk exercises that keep me active on all days. I think you'll love these!
Building Your Work From Home Exercise Routine
I hope you find these healthy movements for improving the workday easy and effective!
It's so important to keep moving throughout the day, whether you're someone like me who stays fit for running on the track or if you don't compete as an athlete at all.
Your body and mind will both thank you so much for prioritizing movement in your day. You'll feel more energized mentally and physically!
Did I miss anything that works really well for you? Tell me in the comments!
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