Working From Home: Our Top Health Tips

With working from home becoming something we have all gotten used to over the last 18 months, it’s important to highlight that there are ways it can negatively impact your health.

There are healthy habits you can implement into your day-to-day working life that will ensure you can work from home while avoiding any detrimental impact on your lifestyle.

Starting with a common piece of advice; taking regular breaks from your screen will help avoid strain on your eyes which could result in headaches. Ideally you want to be taking a screen break every half an hour or so.

As well as this, taking breaks away from your workspace itself can be beneficial. This will allow you to stand and move around, and you can use this time for coffee or tea breaks, or even to make phone calls. In fact, taking physical breaks from your workstation can improve your focus.

On the topic of breaks, it is important to also have your mealtimes away from your workstation. It can help break up your day while giving yourself a proper mental break.

Keep hydrated. NHS advice states you should be drinking around 1.2 litres of water a day, or six to eight glasses. This is just as important to remember when working.

A beneficial way to avoid fatigue and discomfort is to adjust your posture as often as you feel necessary. You or your employer can invest in adjustable desks so you can both sit and stand whilst working to allow plenty of alternation in posture throughout the day.

Finally, incorporating some light exercises into your day that you can easily do from your desk is a great and healthy habit.

Some basic posture exercises to help

We’ve listed a few basic posture exercises for you that will get your blood flowing and give your body a little energy boost.

Chest Stretch

Hold your hands behind your lower back
Push your chest outwards and lift your chin
Hold for 2-3 deep breaths

Neck Roll

Tilt your head forward
Slowly rotate your head in circular motions in one direction for 10 seconds
Repeat in the opposite direction

Shoulder Stretch

Hold your arms above your head and hold your hands together with your palms facing upwards
Stretch your arms upward, pushing your arms
Hold for 2-3 deep breaths

Introducing a few extra habits into your work-from-home lifestyle can bring an abundance of benefits to your health. Even if you start with one or two and slowly add in more, you will reap the rewards.