The Covid pandemic has had a drastic impact on many parts of our life, but none more so than in the way we work. Here’s what you need to know, courtesy of Fornham Chiropractic Clinic in Bury St Edmunds. Call 01284 220202 for appointments.
Pre-2020, homeworking was a rare benefit to employment before lockdowns forced the workforce into new remote working practices. For some, the home office was always temporary but for others, remote working is now fully entrenched in the daily routines of thousands of employers.
The benefits of homeworking are clear. It presents a major saving on commuting and transportation costs and the obvious time benefits make it an attractive option – particularly for parents looking to manage childcare duties alongside rigid office hours. The ability to focus and be free of office distractions is also a tick in the box for remote working. However, being present in the workplace offers numerous social, mental and physical benefits. The process of replicating such benefits should be a key consideration when swapping the company office for the home office on a permanent basis.
There are a wide range of health aspects to consider when making the permanent switch to homeworking. We’ve rounded up some of the headline elements to be aware of when beginning or extending your homeworking routine.
Table of Contents
Healthy diet
It’s a known fact that working from home makes it a little too easy to indulge in the delights of the snack cupboard. With a kitchen in such close proximity, relaxing mealtimes or over indulging at lunchtime is worryingly easy. Maintaining a healthy diet is one of the key aspects of good physical health and, in particular, musculoskeletal health. Retaining routine meal times that revolve around solid nutrition and a balanced diet is essential. Similarly, staying well hydrated through the day is critical to feeling good, keeping energy levels up and retaining concentration on the task at hand.
A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and lean protein will keep you focused and able to overcome the afternoon slump that comes with a heavy meal or sugary snacks. Without the natural routine of a workplace environment and set break times, mealtimes can flex . . . or even turn into constant grazing. But try and keep your cupboards and fridge well stocked with healthy snacks and pre-prepped, balanced meals to reduce the tendency to reach for chocolate on a slow afternoon.
Keep moving
Swapping a lengthy commute for a home office may initially seem a better use of time and money, but it’s easy to forget the physical benefits that a morning and evening commute can bring. Walking, cycling or using public transport to work is a way of promoting daily activity to stay fit and healthy. Without it, the reduced movement that comes with working from home all day can have long-term detrimental effects on mental and physical health.
Taking the time to go for a daily walk is crucial to feeling the benefit of engaging with the outside world. Ideally, no one should sit in the same position or posture for over an hour and movement is key to keeping the body supple and flexible.
It doesn’t always have to be a goal of reaching 10,000 steps a day. Just 15 minutes of walking can be hugely beneficial to escape the home for much-needed fresh air. As any good chiropractor will tell you, the risk of developing musculoskeletal issues increase significantly as you get older – particularly if you lead a sedentary lifestyle. Working regularly with an experienced chiropractor can help you to put in place the lifestyle changes and exercise routines that can help to maintain good musculoskeletal health so that problems don’t occur. You can click URL here for more information.
Posture and positioning
During the initial stages of the pandemic, the switch to homeworking was so rapid that for many individuals, their working space was cobbled together in whatever private space they had in the home. Working from a bed, sitting at a kitchen table or taking calls from the sofa all became regular behaviour – particularly for those without a dedicated home office space.
Now that homeworking has become more commonplace, creating a more ergonomic working environment is key to ensuring your body is well-supported. Simple changes can make a big difference. For example, swap the dining room chair for an ergonomic office chair with better back and neck support. Install a front-facing monitor instead of leaning over a laptop or take turns using a standing desk to help switch up positions throughout the day.
Any job that requires sitting at a desk for large portions of the day can eventually cause problems with your body’s mobility and flexibility if no other action is taken. But there are solutions. Schedule regular appointments with a health professional to identify potential problems and develop actions before they can overwhelm your working day. Specifically, a chiropractor is more acutely focused on dealing with the back pain that can develop as a result of working from home.
At Fornham Chiropractic Clinic,our team of experienced chiropractors regularly work with patients to identify problems and treat the types of condition that stem from sedentary work setups and poor ergonomics.
Routine
Sticking to a routine is essential to ensure a good work–life balance. When your home also becomes your place of work it’s important to set start and finish times, schedule breaks and set clear goals to keep your day on track. Scheduling your day around working and non-working times will also keep you focused on tasks at hand and encourage greater movement throughout the day.
Social interaction
Human beings are social creatures. We need regular interaction and one of the main drawbacks of home working can be a feeling of isolation. Although sometimes distracting, an office provides many opportunities for social interaction. There are ways to overcome that feeling of isolation when working from home that can also promote better physical and mental health.
Creating regular breakout sessions with colleagues to socialise through virtual platforms can help to break up the working day. Or set up meetings and in-person opportunities to discuss work as part of the week to mix up home working routines. There are also opportunities to combine better exercise routines with the need for social interaction.
Work from a café for a few hours a week to try and change up the quieter home environment with a bustling, livelier style of workplace. Alternatively, arrange to meet with a friend for a lunchtime walk or post-work meet-up to help maintain links with the outside world for regular and sustained social interaction.
Home working is very much here to stay. Whether fully remote or hybrid, there are opportunities to create new routines and better working practices that support your mind and body.
Remote working has opened the doors for many people to improve their lifestyle when it comes to the balance between family and work. However, more time at home and greater cost-savings should not come at a cost to wellbeing. Back and neck problems can be particularly problematic given the lack of proper supportive equipment that characterises many home working environments.
By engaging with a health professional, physical issues associated with home working can be identified in advance to tackle issues before they develop into longer-term problems. Whether it’s manual therapy to loosen tight muscles or adjustments to aid spinal alignment, a chiropractor can help to treat the underlying problems, as well as prescribe meaningful changes that help to prevent pain and discomfort from returning in the future.
