Put an End to the Couch Potato Routine! 🥔 How to (permanently) stay
Healthy and Fit while
working from Home

Couch Potato Nils 🥔

After a completely normal working day at home, Nils is lying on the couch, remote control in hand, a heated frozen pizza and a 1.5-liter bottle of Coke in front of him. He got through the working day with potato chips, peanut butter cookies and coffee. As he is struggling with neck tension and lower back pain again and feels very tired, he has no energy to go out or exercise today. And mentally too, Nils feels so exhausted and stressed that he just wants to turn on YouTube or Netflix to switch off. Does the end of the working day in the home office have to look like this?

The temptation to just sink into the couch after work is certainly very great when working from home. But there is another way! To counteract the couch potato mentality, however, it is essential to make an active effort to lead a healthy lifestyle even when working from home.

Working from Home: Easy-to-implement Tips on how to stay Physically and Mentally Healthy, Fit and Vital

At this point, there are a lot of aspects playing a role. Some of them might not immediately spring to mind, but they are definitely relevant.

Physical Health

As there is no need to travel between home and work in a home office, this automatically leads to a reduction in movement in everyday life. You can also tend to become sluggish overall. Before this happens, you should take preventative measures for the sake of your own health.

Ergonomic Workplace

You spend quite a few hours a day at your workplace. It should therefore be set up in such a way that you can perform well there. What should you pay particular attention to in your workplace and working environment?

• Chair: invest in a high-quality, ergonomic chair that supports your spine and promotes correct sitting posture. Also, make sure your feet are flat on the floor and your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle.
• Screen: adjust your screen so that it is at eye level. This will reduce the risk of painful neck strain.
• Posture: it is best to maintain good posture at all times by regularly changing your position and taking short breaks for stretching exercises.
• Light: natural light is important for your well-being and productivity. It is also important for the health of your eyes, which can tire quickly if the wrong light source is used. Therefore, position your workstation near a window and/or invest in a good desk lamp.
• Ventilation: regular (shock) ventilation ensures fresh air and sufficient oxygen, which has a positive effect on your concentration.
• Standing Desk: a height-adjustable desk allows you to switch between sitting and standing, which promotes circulation and prevents back pain.

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A Healthy Diet

Nutrition plays a significant role when it comes to concentration and performance in the home office. Tip: plan your meals in advance and have healthy snacks ready to avoid cravings in stressful situations.

You should prefer a balanced and varied diet by including fruit 🍎, vegetables 🥦, wholegrain products and protein-rich foods. Also avoid excessive consumption of sugary drinks, very high-fat meals (especially fast food) and highly processed foods, as these can lead to energy crashes.

The intake of vitamins and minerals is essential for strengthening bones 🦴 and muscle as well as nerve cells, among other things. Make sure you get enough vitamin D3, calcium and magnesium from your diet, for example. If this is not possible, consider supplementing these nutrients.

Regulated Caffeine Consumption

Many people tend to have an extra cup of coffee or two ☕ during the working day. This is usually even more tempting when working from home. However, it makes perfect sense and is good for your health if you limit your caffeine consumption to a certain number of cups per day and drink your coffee consciously rather than thoughtlessly on the side. Also, avoid consuming caffeinated drinks in the afternoon and evening so as not to interfere with your sleep. Instead, you can opt for herbal tea, water with lemon 🍋 or decaffeinated coffee.

Sufficient Exercise

Incorporate regular exercise into your home office routine. For example by taking short walks during breaks (maybe you can even take part in a call during a walk?), yoga or stretching exercises 🧘‍♀️ in the morning or a fitness routine after work. You can also use fitness apps or online courses to do workouts at home.

Step counter apps are a great complementary way to keep track of your daily exercise. They help you set your exercise goals and provide motivation, which can help you make more conscious choices when it comes to incorporating more exercise into your day.

Mental Health

Not only physical health, but also mental health makes a decisive contribution to well-being and therefore also to performance.

Effective Time Management and regular Breaks

Use techniques such as the pomodoro method 🍅 to divide your work into intervals and take regular breaks. This will increase your productivity and prevent burnout.

Use practical tools such as timers or apps to effectively implement the pomodoro method and enable focused work phases.

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Social Interaction

Keep in regular contact with your colleagues, for example through virtual meetings, calls 📞 or social media, to avoid social isolation and maintain a sense of connection.

Good Stress Management

Make sure to keep your stress levels low, which includes limiting your consumption of messages and social media, because constantly checking to see if you’ve received a message or scrolling through your Instagram feed can cause stress and anxiety. So be sure to set limits on media use and focus on activities that promote relaxation during work breaks (see above).

Careful Planning

A structured plan can also reduce feelings of overload. Use tools such as to-do lists, calendars 📅 or project management tools to keep track and prioritize tasks.

Clear Boundaries between Work and Leisure

It is important to allow yourself to switch off and relax after work. Set clear boundaries between work and private life to avoid overworking. If possible, your workplace should be in a separate room, which you leave after work and close the door behind you.

Don’t become a Couch Potato in your Home Office 🥔

One or two tips are sure to inspire you to reorganize your working day in the home office if necessary - so that you are and remain physically and mentally healthy and efficient.

Do it better than Nils. After all, working from home doesn’t have to end in an exhausted state on the couch. What does your everyday life look like? What are your favorite routines that make working from home more enjoyable?