How to stay fit when you work from home

Whether you have been writing for a long time or have recently given up your full-time job and taken up working from home, you will realize there are upsides as well as downsides to this career. When I started off as a full-time writer, one of the setbacks was that I was spending too much time glued to my laptop trying to meet the deadlines and completing the projects. Before I realized it, I had gained quite a few pounds. Though I love writing but hated being sedentary and what it was doing to me.

By now we all know how important exercise is not just for your physical health but for your mental health as well. Being inactive makes you lethargic and tired. This eventually takes a toll on the functioning of your brain and productivity. No one wants that, do they? Here are some simple ways to stay fit when you are working from home.

Walking

Walking is one of the best exercises which anyone can take up anytime. You don’t need to invest in any equipment or any sort of gym membership. All you need is a good pair of shoes. It is the best form of cardio which works all the muscles in your body. You could just start with 30 minutes in the morning. There are apps available on both Android and Apple store which can assist you in building your pace and keep track of the distance you cover. It is not just a great way to shed some weight but also refreshes you.

Yoga

This hands down is my favorite way of staying fit. Yoga makes you fit physically while, busting stress, calming you down, gives you lean muscles over time, is a great headache relief (especially stress related headaches). It gives a boost to your metabolism. For those unfamiliar with this approach see it as fancy posing, but in real yoga works for specific muscle groups at a time while concentrating on your breathing. This strengthens your muscles and ability to focus. As the oxygen fills your lungs, you feel all the stress leaving your body. Poor metabolism which might be a result of sitting for too long is the main cause of obesity; yoga makes you lose weight by regulating your metabolism.

High Intensity Interval Training

High-Intensity Interval Training or ‘HIIT’ programs have gained a lot of popularity in the past few years for the simple reason that they are ideal for those short on time, don’t require any equipment or much space and burn a lot of calories in a very short period of time. If your work doesn’t allow you to leave the house or you are short on time, HIIT is for you. These programs require you to do short but very fast bursts of exercises for a short period of time followed by a short resting period. The short exercising bits are made up of different sets of exercises which you can perform using just your body weight. You can either repeat the whole cycle 2-3 times or divide your HIIT program in such a way that you do just one cycle at a time and actually do 3 short workouts of roughly 10 minutes a day. You can find a number of HIIT DVDs and also find these programs online. There are some amazing printable workouts available online as well. Just a forewarning to be able to complete an HIIT workout, you need to be already active and in good physical shape. If you have been too lazy for too long, you might want to build up your stamina first by walking or taking up some other activity for a couple of weeks before you move to HIIT.

Strength Training

There have been some misconceptions about strength training or weight lifting, but over the past few years, they have been clarified. Lifting weights do not give you bulky muscles but make you burn calories for up to the next twenty-four hours. So even if you can manage to hit the gym 3-4 times a week, you are good. Strength training gives a boost to your metabolism, melts away the fat and builds lean muscles. If you can simply not manage, you may invest in a pair of dumbbells and get your hands on some great DVDs like Jillian Michaels shred series or the Rachel Cosgrove strength training series.

Swimming

If you are not into exercising, how about taking up swimming? This is one of the best forms of cardio which strengthens your core while all the muscles in your body work. Swimming is perfect to build stamina, makes it easy on your joints and happens to be a high intensity yet low impact cardio workout. You could check out your town pool. A number of fitness centers and swimming pools now offer swimming workouts such as water aerobics and aquatic fitness. These are forms of resistance training which are typically done in shallow waters and done while standing. This is a great way to torch calories while building up on your stamina and endurance.

Usually, when you work from home crazy working hours, imbalanced diet and discrepancy in sleeping patterns start taking a toll on your health. This not only affects your health but your ability to perform as well. If you have been making these mistakes, it is time to bring a few changes to your schedule and incorporate some activity into your routine.