How to SETUP a Healthy Work from Home Lifestyle

It’s safe to say that most of our lives have been turned upside down by recent events.

For people who are now working from home, it’s essential to create new routines to stay healthy in mind, body, and soul. But what are some steps we can take to set up a healthy work-from-home lifestyle?

Here are five things to help you adjust:

• S – Set boundaries and follow a schedule
• E – Eat nutritious foods and supplements
• T – Take breaks for exercise and stretching
• U – Use a dedicated work area
• P – Pursue a hobby you love (for mental wellness)

Set Boundaries and Follow a Schedule

Ask any remote-gig worker who has been doing the work-from-home (WFH) thing for a while, and they’ll tell you to set boundaries to minimize interruptions. If living with others, you must set clear boundaries. Otherwise, productivity suffers, and you will fall behind, which is emotionally stressful.

Your spouse or roommate does not usually pop by your work or call to chat about a household issue. They understand your workplace is something to be respected.

People at home do not automatically associate your home office with that same respect, so you need to set boundaries from the beginning. Tell your friends and family to respect your workday as if you were co-workers. If their needs are not important enough to disturb you in a typical work environment, they shouldn’t interrupt you while working at home.

This goes for yourself as well. Hold yourself accountable and limit self-created interruptions. Create a morning routine and a to-do list, and stick to your schedule

Eat Nutritious Foods and Supplements

If you want to live a healthy lifestyle and reduce your risk of health challenges, excellent nutrition is a must.

We all know maintaining a proper diet is difficult with an “on-the-go” lifestyle. We wake up, rush to get the kids ready for school, then battle traffic while commuting to work. So, we often grab something quick to eat to fill our stomachs, and we often don’t have time to eat healthily or relax at work.

While working from home, though, we can slow down and eat healthy snacks and proper meals. There is no commute, and food is always nearby. With a bit of meal-prepping, you’ll have time to sit and enjoy eating. Taking it easy and eating at a calm pace promotes healthy digestion.

Remember to eat the rainbow of nutritious foods, and use supplements where needed. For example, it’s a good idea to take a high-quality Omega-3 (fish oil) supplement if you don’t eat fish or seafood frequently. Probiotics are also an essential foundational nutritional supplement for improved digestion.*

Take Breaks for Exercise and Stretching

Regular exercise has a profound impact on our physical and mental health.

Feelings of loneliness and isolation affect many people who spend much of their time working from home. These challenges are even more significant today, as regular after-work socialization is much more limited. This is why it’s crucial to get your body moving in your WFH environment.

Exercise helps with low mood, anxiety, cognitive function, and even social withdrawal.[1]

Get some fresh air if your local regulations allow for runs or walks around the neighborhood. If you didn’t exercise much before, do not overdo it right away. Start with some light stretching in your day, or try an activity like gardening, which is a great way to exercise while connecting with nature.

Use a Dedicated Work Area

It’s essential to have a dedicated workspace, like an office space with a separate computer. If it isn’t convenient or feasible to completely separate your work area, try creating a dedicated workspace.

This acts as a psychological trigger. When you are working in that space, it helps you stay on task, separates work from home, and signals others not to disturb you. When you drive to a job site, the separation of work from home isn’t only geographical. The transition makes it easier to mentally and emotionally separate the two aspects of your life.

Try setting up a desk with some work-only peripherals. If your employer has not provided you a laptop or desktop and you have the means, buy a notebook for work only. You can set it up to exclude unnecessary distractions like social media apps, which will help you stay focused when it’s time to work.

If you need your personal computer for work, you can partition the hard drive or dual-load operating systems to separate work and personal activities. Creating an additional user account titled ‘Work’ for Windows or your Mac OS is helpful as well.

RELATED CONTENT: HOW TO SETUP OPTIMAL IMMUNE HEALTH

Pursue a Hobby You Love (for Mental Wellness)

Recent events may have forced you to put your hobbies on hold. If so, your life has likely seemed incomplete ever since.

Many gyms are closed, and you can’t congregate in public areas, so setting up a healthy WFH environment means finding an enjoyable hobby you can do at home. This is important for our mental and emotional well-being, and it is a positive use of time, especially when stuck inside with extra time on your hands.

Hobbies are purposeful activities, and they help you unwind and relinquish your workday. Think of things you’ve always wanted to do if you only had the time, like taking up a musical instrument or an art project. Now is the time. Whatever you decide to do, it should be something you enjoy!

Working from home has unique challenges. People who have worked remotely for a while are used to limited social exposure during their workday, but they could always get out for some good old-fashioned face time with family and friends. Today, everyone is facing an entirely new work-life dynamic with a different set of challenges. Setting up a healthy lifestyle can counteract the stress and difficulties of your work, and help you focus on what’s most important – your happiness and wellbeing.

Working from home requires focus. Check out our white paper on cognitive function.

[1] “Exercise for Mental Health - NCBI.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470658/. Accessed 12 Jul. 2020.