When you work from home, losing weight can be more difficult. It involves good nutrition, drinking enough water, and getting good quality sleep and exercise. It can be hard when you don’t have access to a gym and the food in your grocery cupboard is so close at hand.
You’re probably spending long hours in front of your computer and you may not be moving much. Here are some tips to encourage you.
1. You don’t need fancy workout equipment
If you think you don’t have the right equipment to work out at home, you’re mistaken. Many basic exercises don’t need fancy equipment and can be very effective when trying to lose weight. For example, workouts to lose belly fat can effectively increase your fat burn and tone up your abs. Fitwirr gives you exercises you can easily do at home to lose your belly fat and get a flat stomach.
It helps to designate a specific space in your home for your workouts. You can keep any equipment, such as weights, mat and bands, in the space and everyone in the family will know not to interrupt when you’re in that space. Plan your workouts for the time when you feel most energized.
2. Be mindful about what you put in your mouth
When you’re concentrating on your work, it’s easy to graze mindlessly on unhealthy snacks, like packets of chips. What will help is to make sure you only have healthy snacks available in your pantry and fridge.
Make sure it’s just as easy for you to reach for these healthy snacks as it is for those packets of chips. If you have a sweet tooth, have fruit available that can satisfy your sweet cravings. It also helps to have some nutrient-dense meals available to eat during a lunch break.
3. Small changes can make a difference
Stretch while you make your morning coffee, get up and walk around during conference calls and think of all the other ways you can spend more time moving during the day. Find exercises that you enjoy doing and do them consistently.
This is often more effective than long sessions doing exercises you don’t enjoy. You’re more likely to stick with your exercise program if it isn’t such a chore.
4. Drink more water but do it between meals
Experts recommend that adults should drink two liters or eight cups of water per day. If you drink water with your meals, you dilute the digestive juices, so you need to try to drink it between meals.
If you keep a liter bottle of water next to you while you work and keep taking small sips from it, it makes drinking the required amount easy. When you drink enough water, it can also help you to feel full.
5. Get the right amount of sleep
You may wonder what having enough sleep has to do with losing weight. Certain studies have found sleep deprivation to be a factor linked to weight gain because it can cause hormonal changes.
It reduces leptin, the hormone that suppresses appetite and encourages you to expend energy. It increases Ghrelin which triggers feelings of hunger. Sleep deprivation can also make you crave more foods containing fat and sugar.
When you work from home, the boundaries between work and home are blurred. This can make it more difficult for you to shut down when you want to go to sleep. You need to set some parameters, such as making sure you don’t keep taking business calls well into the evening and that you have time to relax before you go to bed.