Head Off your Work from Home Habits |

We often joke about the ‘freshman 15’ – the 15 or so pounds of weight that young adults usually gain in their first year away from home at university. It’s been more about the ‘work from home weight.’ During the pandemic, many of us gained only 5 or 10 pounds, but it’s 30 pounds or more for some people. Lots have maintained some of their pandemic habits, meaning most have continued working from home. With this comes many unwanted habits from sitting at home all day.

Have your eating habits changed since working from home?

Now that many people work from home in the post-pandemic era, many of us have had a hard time getting back to the gym or quitting some of our unhealthy eating practices. Since the pandemic, there has been an increased focus on foods that support immunity and provide comfort. Since lots have continued working from home, there has been a major shift in eating and snacking habits. Most Americans were already at a normal, overweight, or obese BMI (body mass index) before the pandemic began, and these extra pounds gained from being home for so long and now from working from home represent a real health risk. Try some of the tips below to get a handle on some of these unhealthy habits. Remember that even the slightest change can make the most significant difference.

Here Are a Few Tips to Manage Work-From-Home Eating Habits:

- Invest in a standing desk. Sitting for long periods is quite harmful to our health, our posture, and our waistlines. A straightforward way to spend less time on your tush is to create a standing workstation. A simple way to do this is to put a chair on your desk or table. With this standing workstation, you can invest in a walking treadmill or a step machine to create movement while working.
- If you want to sit at your desk, buy a chair with proper posture, wrist angles, and shoulder relaxation. This prevents your shoulders from hunching, your core from weakening, and prevents carpal tunnel and arthritis in your wrists.
- Stop drinking alcohol, or drink in moderation. The easiest way to do this is to not have any in the home. Many people’s alcohol intake has ballooned over the past few years, contributing not only to weight gain but also to high blood pressure, depression, and anxiety.
- Move your body. There is no way around this one. Do yoga videos, at-home workouts, march up and down the stairs, and bench press the dog. Call a friend and go for a walk. Put on some music and jump on the bed. People find ways to justify not exercising creatively, but there is no good excuse for most people. Get up and move!
- Stay hydrated. Are you hungry for a snack, or are you just thirsty? Coffee and alcohol are dehydrating, so for every cup of coffee or glass of wine you drink, follow it up with a full glass of water.
- Set up your home office farther away from the kitchen or dining room. Taking away this food-related temptation will make it easier to keep your snacking and mealtimes regular.
- Most food should be eaten at mealtimes, even if you don’t feel hungry for a meal. Keeping your eating times regular can aid your hunger cues so you can rely on your body to tell you when it’s hungry.
- When you eat, eat. Don’t eat at your desk or while you are working. Give yourself that break from work by enjoying your food.
- Portion out your food the day before. If there is an end to the meal or the snack, it will help ensure you won’t overeat. Don’t eat out of the bag or the container, as there is less of an end to the food so that you will eat more.
- Be very conscious of what you eat and how you prepare meals. One of the best ways to provide yourself and your family with healthy food is by researching superfoods.

Superfoods

Over the past few years, there has been a healthy food revolution. The public focuses on foods and beverages with solid health and wellness benefits called “superfoods.” They have become dominant in consumer choices because they support immunity and gut health and are anti-inflammatory and many other things.