Working out while working from home

I have a dream job: sharing my passion and living out my purpose – all while working from home. I also love the short commute and the lax dress code. My husband came home from work one day and asked, “Was it casual Friday?” I looked down and realized that I was still in my pajamas!

However, there are three main challenges with having a home office:

1. It can be difficult to set reasonable work hours (especially when you love what you do!)
2. You’re never more than a few steps from the kitchen
3. You don’t have to move around much

This last one came as a bit of a surprise to me. I love to hike and/or do yoga most days of the week so I felt like I was getting enough exercise. However, after leaving my private medical practice, I gradually put on a few pounds. As I look back, I was on my feet, moving from room to room seeing patients and back and forth to my office. As I always say, the little things really add up.

So now I am more intentional about being active throughout the day while working from home:

• I stand while I teach classes on the phone – and I’ve found that it gives me more energy and enthusiasm
• I pace or walk around my house during phone meetings; my dog thinks it’s odd but it keeps me engaged and helps me think.
• I sometimes sit on my exercise ball at my computer; it encourages me to do some spontaneous ab work and stretches
• I built a stand-up desk with a second screen for my computer so I can alternate standing and sitting while I’m working on my computer