For many freelancers, working from home is an everyday part of their professional life. This way of working brings many advantages, but also a number of pitfalls, especially when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. So how do you stay fit even if you spend most of the day in a chair?
Create an ergonomic workplace
A sedentary job is not one of the healthiest, but that doesn’t mean you should give up a pain-free life and accept that you have it from sitting. To relieve your back, head and varicose veins or carpal tunnels, it is good to equip your home office appropriately.
Worktable
First of all, it is necessary to buy a suitable work table. It should give you enough space for all the working tools and you have to fit into it too. The correct height of the plate provides enough legroom so that the knees are at right angles. But you don’t just have to sit at the table. You can also buy adjustable tables where you can alternate sitting with standing or kneeling. Better tables remember individual positions and you don’t have to spend time resetting them.
Work chairs
A chair is another thing that is not worth saving. There are work chairs with a synchronous mechanism, in which the movement of the seat and backrest takes place at the same time. This means that when the seat is moved forward or backward, the backrest automatically tilts in the right proportion to maintain a suitable angle between the upper and lower parts of the body.
The chair with asynchronous mechanism allows the seat and backrest to move independently, so you can adjust both separately according to your preferences and needs. This type allows for greater flexibility in setting up and allows for better customization.
Before you get your work partner, ideally try on a few chairs and choose the one that gives you sufficient support and comfort. Someone will appreciate the armrests and headrests, others are more of a nuisance.
Monitor, keyboard, and mouse
Another integral part of the workplace is a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Their choice and location is more important than it might seem at first glance.
The size and number of monitors depends on your needs. Always place it far away so that you can look at it well and do not hurt your head or eyes. The top edge of the monitor should be at eye level, if lower, help yourself with a monitor stand.
Ideally, place the keyboard on a desk with a right angle at the elbows as you type. It’s similar with mice. Choose the mouse with regard to your carpal tunnels, because you drive and click a lot with it every day and these micro movements negatively affect the condition of the wrist and fingers. If you suffer from (or want to prevent) wrist problems, choose an ergonomic vertical mouse that keeps your wrist in the correct position. The mouse should be easy to work with, if your hand hurts after a while of work, it’s time to look for a more suitable one.
Separate your work life from your personal life
Not bringing work home is a bit more challenging when you’re working at home. If you want to go to bed with a clear head, build a study in a separate room. If this is not possible, at least make it in a separate place. Keep your couch and bed for your personal life only.
It is also advisable to reserve working hours in which you will devote yourself only to work. Of course, there may be a situation where you extinguish deadlines in the evenings, but it should not be the rule. Therefore, tell clients at what times you are available, and learn to sideline work outside of this time. And don’t forget to set aside enough time to relax and have fun.
Do not forget about rest and movement
Sitting from morning to afternoon at the computer without pain in your back or behind the neck is quite impossible. So learn to stretch for about 10 minutes every hour (you’ll find plenty of office exercises on YouTube) – focus on your back, shoulders, legs and wrists. And also relax mentally, a rested mind can solve even problems that you have been stuck over for a long time.
Active sitting position
In addition to stretching, you will also need to learn the so-called active sitting position. While it’s more comfortable to slump under the table and twist your legs, you’re not doing yourself a good service in the long run. Therefore, familiarize yourself with an active sitting position, in which you minimize pain with just a little self-control.
Active sitting is a bit of math – knees are at right angles, as are hips and elbows. Try to pull the spine up, on the contrary, push the shoulders down. Keep your head in line with your spine and don’t push your chin forward unnecessarily (the other extreme doesn’t help you either, when you force your chin backwards). This way you engage the core of the body and do not overload the muscles.
TIP: Occasionally replace the chair with a bean ball or balance mat. In this way, you engage the core muscles more and strengthen during the session. It is ideal to sit like this for a maximum of half an hour at a time, otherwise the muscles will be overloaded.
Regular exercise
When working from home, it’s often hard to get moving when you’re so close to you. If you have a dog, just walk it regularly, if you don’t have a dog, you’ll have to force yourself to move. Walk to the grocery store instead of the car, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or put your phone on the other side of the room to motivate yourself to get up. And also find a sport that you will enjoy, so that you enjoy the movement and do not have to force yourself to it. The way from chair to couch will not be right for your health. Half an hour a day while running, on yoga or on a climbing wall will make you feel better.
Healthy sleep
Everyone has a slightly different daily rhythm. If you work in the afternoon and there is nothing with you in the morning, there is no need to break it over your knee and try to learn to get up at five, because it suits someone else. In any case, you should try to do some regularity. Find a time when you fall asleep well and find out when you naturally wake up rested. Then try to follow this rhythm every day.
Think about your eyes
Another part of the body that suffers during sedentary work is the eyes. If you look at the monitor for a long time, they dry out. So no matter how engaging the work is, remember to blink enough and occasionally look out the window to sharpen the eye to another point and relax long-tense muscles.
You also save your eyes by choosing a well-lit place to work. It is ideal to have a table next to the window so that you do not shade yourself. Right-handers will appreciate the window on their left, left-handers will appreciate the window on their right. When you don’t have enough natural light, keep artificial lighting at your desk. If you only shine through the monitor, you unnecessarily overload your eyes.
Coffee is no substitute for healthy food
Working from home can easily lead to irregular eating habits. In order not to fall head first on the table after an hour of working hours, it is not enough to help yourself with coffee or energy, it is important to eat right. No one is saying that you have to throw unhealthy things out of the fridge and raid farmers’ markets, but it pays to think more about eating and adopt healthy habits.
Don’t overeat or skip a meal
First and foremost, learn to eat when you’re hungry. The big problem of working at a computer is that we often mindlessly eat something into ourselves (or, on the contrary, we completely forget about food) and do not pay attention to the body’s signals. There is a big difference between being hungry or just craving something because you are taught to compensate for stress or boredom. Whether you eat small portions five times a day or larger meals three times a day is up to you. Ideally, you should not starve in any way, and your energy intake does not exceed your expenditure (provided that you are not trying to gain weight).
Eat balanced and conscious
Throwing the semi-finished product in the microwave is a convenient way, but definitely not optimal. If staying in the kitchen is relaxing for you, feel free to prepare meals in advance so that you do not stray from the unfinished work. If cooking is a punishment for you, take advantage of the import option. But here you should think a little about what you are ordering. Lighter meals are suitable, after which you will not fall asleep. If you want to be full for a longer time, focus on making sure your meal is rich in protein.
The ideal ratio of macronutrients in the diet (during the day) consists of 20-30% protein, 35-45% carbohydrates and 30-25% fat. It is advisable to choose healthy sources of protein, carbohydrates and fats, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes and fish. Just remember that even healthy food is still just food, and if you consume more than you need, your weight will go up.
It is important to take a break from work and look at the monitor while eating and pay attention to food. When you deal with backlogs at lunch, you will find out after a while that you have eaten or really know what you actually had good. And you may soon be hungry again.
Don’t forget to drink
It is no longer true that it is necessary to drink strictly 2.5 liters a day, every person is different. It depends on how much you sweat, how much activity you have during the day and what the ambient temperature is. Either way, it’s a good idea to drink throughout the day to stay fresh and not have a headache. It’s best to drink water (you can upgrade it with lemon or mint), and discard sugary drinks. You don’t have to avoid coffee or tea, just keep in mind that caffeine breaks down for up to 10 hours.
TIP: Make your life easier with one of a number of mobile applications for monitoring your drinking regime, which you can download for free.
Finally, we will just mention that there is no need to make changes immediately and all at once. You will achieve longer-term results if you gradually implement the changes in your work and personal life.
