Sticking to your fitness goals when working from home is difficult. You will burn fewer calories because the longest journey you will make is either a toilet trip or going to the kitchen. You could be looking to maintain muscle mass or lose weight, both are very difficult with the working-from-home life.
Why Is It Easier To Gain Weight When Working From Home?
There are several reasons why people gain weight when working from home. Let’s take a look at them in more detail.
Less Mobile
When working at home, you will be sitting down for most of the day. You will be moving a lot less and desk-bound. It has an overall effect on your lifestyle as well. If you are more inactive, you are likely to gain weight because you’re not burning calories throughout the day.
Consuming More Calories
Another thing that many people do when working from home is snacking. The reason for this is simple as well. It is because their kitchen is only a short walk away from where the desk is. Therefore, they will feel the need to eat more when they are only slightly hungry.
Avoiding Usual Gym Routines
When working from home, people will spend more time in their house and less time outside of it. That will then mean people are less motivated for the gym. It then makes their lifestyle very lethargic and leads to them gaining weight.
How To Avoid Weight Gain?
The main question is, what can you do to stop yourself from gaining weight? Let’s take a look.
Activity Goals
The recommended duration of exercise per week is 150, with 75 minutes of intense exercise. It may seem a challenge for those who travel to and from work. Nonetheless, it should be easier for those who work at home. Setting physical activity goals is a great way to keep yourself whilst working from home.
Some people are now going on a short run during their lunch break. This is a great way to stay fit. However, if running is not your type of exercise, consider press-ups, star jumps or even skipping. Put on your men’s or womens gymwear in the morning so you are ready for your lunchtime run. There are many different exercises you can perform so give them a try to reach your 150 minutes for the week.
Keep Hydrated
Another great way to help you maintain weight whilst working from home is to consume plenty of water. Water is a great way to trick your body and mind into thinking it is full. That is why many people suggest you drink plenty of water throughout the day so it stops you from eating snacks.
Avoid High Sugar Snacks and Go For The Healthier Option
Eating healthy snacks instead of chocolate, crisps and cookies. The reason why is also very simple. When consuming sugary snacks, you get a burst of energy which is great for the time being. However, eventually, you will have a sugar crash and become tired.
There are many healthy snacks to consume instead of these. Think of foods which offer more nutritional value such as berries, apples, bananas, melon, dried fruit and nuts. All of these are great for filling you up and are a healthy choice.
Plenty Of Sleep
Sleeping is also essential however, people will think the more sleep you have, the fewer calories you burn. That is not the case.
Sleep affects metabolic activity which can then lead to weight gain. Furthermore, a lack of sleep can lead to a risk of diabetes which leads to weight gain.
If you usually struggle with sleeping, we suggest you ban technology an hour or two before you put your head down. Some people choose to read a book before bed so if you like reading, you could also do this.
Summary
As you can see, there are a few things you can do to make sure you are not gaining weight whilst working from home. There are many things you can do to ensure you don’t gain weight. One of those could be consuming more protein-filled meals as this will make you feel full for longer. Ensure you are doing all of these so you don’t start putting on weight in those areas you want to avoid.
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