The pandemic has transformed our lives in many ways. One of the most significant changes is how it’s shifted our workplace from office to home, which has its pros and cons.
Working from home has its perks. We can save much more time than we’d otherwise have wasted commuting. Working from home also allows the freedom to work whenever and wherever we want without being micromanaged. Of course, the most notable perk is that we get to spend more time with our friends and families.
Despite all these obvious benefits, we do have to admit that working from home can also take a toll on our mental and physical health. The reason is our sedentary lifestyle. It’s easy to forget to detach from our screens and get a good amount of exercise during our daily work schedules.
Getting enough exercise is significant for mental and physical health. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why exercise is good for you while working from home. We’ll also discuss some tips that help promote an active lifestyle.
Reasons why exercise is good for you while working from home
Incorporating physical activity into our sedentary lifestyle benefits us in various ways. In fact, physical activity isn’t just beneficial for remote workers. It’s also a healthy habit for in-office employees who spend hours upon hours sitting at a desk.
1. Improves brain function
Regular exercise can improve a person’s memory, attention span, processing speed, and some other brain functions in healthy adults.
Hippocampus is part of our brain that helps in the formation of memory. Exercise increases the production of new neurons in this region, which not only improves our memory but also our cognitive behavior.
Moreover, exercise also plays a vital role in delaying some age-related cognitive disorders. It can decrease the risk for neurodegenerative disorders and even help reduce depression.
2. Reduces risk of cardiovascular diseases
According to the American Heart Association’s heart disease and stroke statistics in 2022, approximately 19 million deaths were caused due to cardiovascular diseases globally in 2020. Alarmingly, this indicates an 18.7% increase from 2010.
Regular exercise can help reduce the risk of heart failure. Healthy movements increase cardiovascular health by improving blood circulation and lowering blood pressure.
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In addition, physical activity helps reduce hypertension, obesity, diabetes, smoking, and coronary artery disease, which are the major risk factors for heart failure.
3. Increases the productivity
Human beings are undoubtedly more productive when they feel happy and energetic. Elevated moods also improve cognitive intelligence.
Physical activity improves the transmission of monoamines in the brain as well as boosts the production of endorphins. Both of these natural chemicals play an important role in reducing stress and increasing happiness.
Also, regular exercise reduces fatigue and boosts energy which ultimately increases our work productivity. Greater productivity means we get more things done in less time!
4. Helps in controlling weight
One of the main risks posed by a sedentary lifestyle is unnecessary weight gain which is a major public health concern. Excessive weight gain can result in other health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, heart failure, ventricular dysfunction, etc.
Weight loss occurs when the number of calories burned by our body and the number of calories we eat create a calorie deficit. Regular physical activity helps in “burning calories”, which improves long-term management of weight.
5. Enhances sleep quality
While working from home, it is necessary to detach yourself from your workstation at the right time. You need to get enough sleep in order to effectively rest your body. Unfortunately, it can be hard to sleep at the appropriate times due to continuous exposure to screens.
Screens of digital devices emit blue light, which suppresses the production of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that helps induce sleepiness and relaxes our body before sleeping.
Physical activity has been shown to significantly improve the sleep quality in people. As sleep improves, physical activity and endurances increases, creating a bidirectional relationship between the two phenomena.
These are all prime reasons to incorporate regular exercise in our daily lives. For those of us individuals who work from home, it’s important to disconnect from screens and make the opportunities to exercise on a daily basis.
Getting out of your chair or off your couch may require some motivation. Here are some tips to get your body moving and regain your mental and physical health:
- Make sure to start your day with an exercise routine.
- Come up with a daily routine that includes short intervals of exercise between your daily work schedules.
- Set your alarm after every hour to help you get 2-3 minutes of moving your body.
- Motivate yourself to get out of your chair. These motivations can be a 5-minute walk around the house, getting up to make coffee for yourself, or getting a snack from the kitchen.
- Formulate indoor exercise routines for yourself.
- Connect with your colleagues online to exercise together and share your routines.
Final thoughts on why exercise is good for you while working at home
While working from home has enabled us the freedom to work from anywhere and on our own schedules, we cannot deny the importance of physical activity. It’s important to find a balance between work productivity and personal productivity to improve our mental and physical health. Striking this balance will help us feel happy, satisfied, and productive.
Planning for regular physical activity and bringing small changes to your lifestyle boosts your productivity and your overall health! So, don’t wait for tomorrow and start planning today!