Is Working from home breaking you? Do you feel:

• Stiff and sore?

• back, neck, joint or muscle pains?

• headaches or vision problems?

• overwhelmed?

• fatigued?

• irritable?

• low mood?

The risks of working from home (WFH) to physical and mental health are significant and real.

If you are feeling any of these issues you are not alone. You need to take positive action now and improve your individual situation. 

Mental health charities recognise the risks to physical and mental health caused by WFH and recommend making action plans.

Below we will list our top tips for how you can act now to prioritise your health. In Summary you need to :

1. MOVE MORE

2. GET ORGANISED

3. OPTIMISE YOUR WORKSPACE

top tip 1 - move more!

The single most important thing you can do to improve your WFH health is to move more. If you roll out of bed, grab a coffee then plant yourself at your desk with no movement or plans to move then you are brewing trouble.  The NHS recommends reducing your sitting time significantly to improve your health and reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes, some cancers and even early death!

Are you already struggling with pain & stiffness in your neck, shoulders, back or hips? Check out these links to our previous blogs for advice, stretching and mobility instructional videos:

• SHOULDER MOBILITY

• HIP MOBILITY

• BACK MOBILITY

When we are static (sitting or standing still) compressive and dehydrating forces are at work on our joints and soft tissues. All of our major body systems slow down and become sluggish which in the longer term contributes to significant health issues. The phase ‘Sitting Is the new smoking’ has been coined to highlight just how serious the impact of sedentary lifestyles can be

Movement creates positive pressure changes and improved fluid movement through our body as well as stimulating our body systems to be more active and alert. All of this helps to balance and reverse the negative effects of being static. Research shows us that movement and exercise can also help reduce stress and improve your mood.

Try these ideas:

• Rise earlier - Fit at least 10+ minutes of movement in before you hit the desk

• Step challenge - Set a challenging daily step goal and go about smashing it. You need to prioritise time to walk. Try breaking it up into multiple smaller chunks (10-20 minutes x 2-3) throughout the day

• Take breaks - Do not sit and rust at your desk! Take multiple complete breaks away from your desk and work. Walk, stretch or exercise, it doesn’t really matter, just take a break & move

• Get outside - Combine fresh air & movement. Great for refreshing body & mind

• Exercise for fun - Find something you enjoy and can commit to on at least a semi regular basis (2-3 x per week). Gym, walking, jogging, yoga, swimming etc.

top tip 2 - organise yourself

Failure to plan is planning to fail! You need to actively organise yourself to make smarter, healthier choices and start reducing the negative impact of WFH.

We are great at making excuses for negative behaviour as it is generally the easier/lazier option. Get organised & remove barriers to promote positive action.

Try these ideas:

• Plan Micro-Breaks - Aim to move away from your work for a minimum of 2-3 minutes every hour. Ideally combine this break with a little movement, stretching & breathing. 2-3 minutes of movement hourly is infinitely more important than trying to undo 8+ hours of static WFH with an end of day workout.

• Set Movement Alarms - Use smart watches, desktop reminders or a simple timer to remind you when it’s time to get up and move. As already mentioned, ideally aim for a few minutes movement every hour as a minimum. Don’t ignore it! Get up and move.

• Create Dedicated Space - Dedicate some space at home away from your office or workstation setup to stretch, move & exercise. Get a yoga mat down, gather any small equipment like foam rollers or exercise bands and have it accessible. Removing the barrier of having to get setup each time you want to exercise will significantly increase your compliance

• Measure Water Intake - Aim to drink at least 2 - 3 litres of water a day. Many people are chronically dehydrated and don’t even know it. This contributes massively to muscle and joint pain, headaches and general fatigue. Poor water intake increases your risk of dysfunctional metabolism and chronic diseases. Your tissues and body systems need water to function so give it to them! Use a water bottle to track your consumption and trigger better habits

top tip 3 - optimise your work space setup

When it comes to WFH there is no perfect workstation setup but you can improve and optimise in some areas. This article by the New York Times gives some further ideas on equipment and optimal desk setup. However, there is no point in forking out thousands on space age chairs and desks if you sit on you butt and barely move for 8+ hours a day.

You can’t buy your way to healthier WFH and you must still prioritise movement, regular breaks and a structure to your day that gives you balance physically and mentally. Once that’s in place see if you can implement some of the following ideas:

• Stand Instead of Sit - Standing is probably the lesser of 2 evils and tends to naturally lead to a bit more movement and reduced pressure on some areas like the neck and lower back. If your work station allows it alternate sit to stand regularly throughout the day

• Use Equipment & Aids - Optimise your sitting & standing postures by utilising equipment. Perhaps your employer can supply equipment such as a desk riser for raising the height of your monitor. Ergonomic chairs and variations of mouse and keyboards are available to promote better positioning and reduce repetitive strain. Access what you can & make arrangements that suit your own setup.

• Stretch & Move - Our bodies love symmetry but unfortunately WFH and office based work in general promotes repetition with repeated postures, positions and static behaviours.

  At risk of repeating ourselves here you need to counter static behaviours by moving your muscles and joints regularly through a large range and routinely in the opposite direction to the postures you adapt while working. For example to counter tightness in the hips and lower back from sitting we should target arching our lower back and lengthening our front hip and thigh muscles. Check out our Mobility blogs and Videos here.

Summary

It’s time for you to take positive action if you want to improve your WFH situation. Stop making excuses, organise yourself and make healthier choices now to improve your physical and mental well being. It’s up to you!

thank you

Thanks for reading, please share with any friends, family or colleagues who could benefit.

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