Great Exercises for At-Home Workers

 

If you work from home, your friends and peers may believe that you have all the time in the world to head to the gym, but you know this isn’t always the case. The closest gym could be miles away, and you know better than anyone how much busier your life is when you work from home. If you freelance or run your own business, it might feel like you work all the time!

However, that doesn’t mean your health should fall by the wayside. Below are some ideas for at-home exercises that remote workers can do to stay fit and healthy.

Yoga

Yoga is a great exercise for at-home workers of all types, such as freelancers, telemarketers, and even professional gamers, because it can strengthen and stretch the body and mind. These exercises are important for at-home workers who may struggle with separating their professional and personal lives, but they can also help workers to unwind after spending long hours at the computer.

 

Yoga is a great choice of exercise because all it requires is a mat and a bit of space. It doesn’t need to break the bank, either — there is a huge diversity of guides, pose ideas, and YouTube videos available for free to help you get started with yoga. Some of these only take five minutes, which is perfect if you only have a quick break between meetings. For beginners, try poses like downward-facing dog, child’s pose, or a high lunge.

Strength Training

You don’t need a full squat rack to train your muscles at home. In fact, you don’t necessarily need any fancy equipment at all. You can do strength training using just your bodyweight — think push-ups, lunges, and crunches. Even a minute-long plank will work those muscles and help you break a sweat.

A small set of weights or resistance bands can help you up the challenge on your moves. If you don’t have weights, even picking up and carrying heavy things functions as strength training! Remember, the higher the resistance, the more effective the workout is. Push yourself to use heavier weights to do your bicep curls, squats, and chest presses.

But safety first: If you’re unsure how to do a given exercise, check out a YouTube tutorial or ask a trainer, if you have one. Keep your core engaged and do lifts with your legs, not with your back.

Cardio

It’s also possible to get your heart pumping without ever leaving your office. For a high-intensity workout that you can squeeze in on your lunch break, do five minutes of jumping jacks or burpees in place. If your house or apartment has stairs, go up and down them for ten minutes, and your heart rate will shoot right up!

You can combine cardio with your everyday chores, too. Jog to the grocery store, bike to the post office, or just take the dog on a walk around the neighborhood. Just a half hour of cardio daily has been shown to have tremendous benefits to long-term health and wellness. If you’ve got a busy day, get your cardio in by standing up and moving every thirty minutes or so. Walk over to a new spot in the house or pace around your office as you take a call.

Put It Together

To bring it all together, here’s an idea for a simple but powerful at-home workout that will leave you sweating. It takes no more than ten minutes and requires nothing but body weight. Start with two to three minutes of jumping jacks or jogging in place. Then, do 60 seconds of standing lunges on one side, rest for 10 seconds, and do 60 seconds on the other side. Rest again and then do a minute of push-ups. Rest 15 seconds and do 60 seconds of crunches. Take a final rest, and then choose your final minute: either 60 seconds of squats, or 60 seconds of planking.

Just because you’re in your house doesn’t mean you can’t get a workout in! You have plenty of options to help work out your brain, lungs, and muscles, even if you haven’t set foot in a gym all day. Follow these tips and you’ll be rocking your health just as much as your career.