Why Work From Home is the Best Thing that Ever Happened to You

If you are lucky enough to be able to work from home and haven’t lost your job, that is.

Sadly, so many people worldwide have lost their jobs or their businesses, and can’t even work from home. For those of us still working from home, let’s be grateful and let’s do our best to help others, and ourselves get through this.

I’ve read and heard quite a lot of complaints from people who are “stuck at home” and have to work from home. The chief complaints are being bored, overeating, eating lousy food, or not getting enough exercise and general movement. 

I’ve also seen crazy stuff on social media, where a person was bragging about having MacDonald’s three days in a row, and they viewed it as a luxury! I had to comment, politely informing them that this was not a great thing, nor a good idea, and not healthy! Unfortunately, I got told to mind my own business, i.e. shut up!

The risks of working from home.

I understand people’s concerns, of course, especially if these people are used to working in a bustling office situation and enjoy interacting with lots of people all day long.

The main home risks seem to be:

• Eating too much or too often
• Eating unhealthy fast foods
• Consuming too many sugary treats
• Not exercising enough
• Watching too much TV
• Drinking more alcohol
• Not sleeping enough
• Feeling anxious
• Demotivated
• Depression

Especially if you are not used to being home a lot, or not working from home, these things can happen and become a problem. You can end up putting on weight, feeling sluggish, even depressed, and your overall fitness level may decline.

However, if you look at the situation from another perspective, it’s not so bad at all. It’s actually a blessing to have the work-from-home opportunity, and it’s excellent for your wellbeing and sanity!

Why I believe work from home is the best thing ever?

Right off the bat, if this is your new normal, you should make it as permanent as possible, embrace it, no, love it! I’ve been working from home for the last 12 years or so, and wouldn’t ever give it up or go back to an office situation.

Every time I have to go to someone else’s office for a meeting (or stupidly agreed to do so), I feel anxious and can’t wait to get back out. Once I get back out, I always say to myself, boy, glad I don’t have to do that every day! I find a coffee shop or restaurant meeting situation so much more pleasant and, therefore, far more productive. So, why the office?

Office settings are simply put, not pleasant; they can be high-strung and testosterone loaded places with bad air and bad attitudes (read more about that). Most people working in these settings day in day out are stressed out and have to deal with an immense amount of pressure, which leads many to be short-tempered and ill-mannered.

So, what’s so great about working at your place of work? Beats me!

Let’s look at all the advantages work from home gives us if we are open-minded, pro-active and positive about it:

• You don’t have to commute
• No traffic to deal with
• Reduces the risk of accidents
• You are never late for a video call meeting
• Can work in your underwear (or naked for that matter)
• Working out is so much easier at home (if you learn to use your body weight)
• Avoid disease and illnesses
• Stay away from rude people
• Workout whenever you want (instead of only at lunch or after work)
• You can workout multiple times a day, taking work breaks
• Can eat your own home-cooked healthy food (if you try)
• Avoid annoying people all-day
• You can go for frequent brisk walks around your block
• Take a nap whenever you want without feeling guilty
• Use your own clean bathroom
• Talk to family and friends while working without being told off
• Meditate a few times a day (“no time” isn’t a valid excuse at home)
• Spend more time with your loved ones
• Make lunch with your husband or wife
• Work from the sofa while watching TV
• The list goes on and on !!

Here’s what my home-office micro-workout sessions and relaxation time look like:

So why is it so hard for some, and what can you do to make it work?

The first part is to accept the change to work from home as a good thing. The next step is to organize your schedule around your new home working life and make a new creative lifestyle out of it.

The thing is, working from home for me, doesn’t feel like work. Mainly because I enjoy what I do these days, but also because being at home and working at the same time, gives me an immense amount of freedom, and stress relief.

Working from home allows for a much better working environment, which simultaneously significantly increases your creativity and productivity.

All you need to do now are a few action items to be well prepared and have a general plan/schedule mapped out. Not too rigid, of course, as half the fun is not to have a program, do things on the spur of the moment, and based on how you feel.

Action:

Go and get your weekly grocery shopping done, preferably from a local farmers market, so you have most of the fresh food you will need for your home cooking. If you need any recipe inspirations, you can find plenty of savory and sweet keto dishes right here. My savory foods are mostly seafood these days, squid and shrimp with tons of vegetables.

Decide what type of exercise you will do daily. That can be walking, running, biking, indoor or outdoor, and get creative with in-home bodyweight workouts. I’ve got plenty of those for you to check out here, along with videos, instructions, the lot. Then, drop down to the ground a few times a day and pump out a full-length workout or multiple micro-workouts.

The Key: Plan a little nap time, alone time, or mediation/breathing/reflection time each day, to clear your mind.

That’s it!

In summary, why working from home the best thing that ever happened to you, and me.

• less stress
• no noise and distraction
• reduce exposure to harmful disease
• more creativity, freedom, and productivity
• workout whenever you want
• eat healthily

All of these benefits result in a much happier life and a far healthier lifestyle for your body and mind. A Win-win, I think. You?

Thanks for reading. I look forward to your comments and questions.

Rob

Former Olympic Athlete & Certified Health Coach

“It is my mission to educate people on how to lose weight, how to build a healthy, strong heart, body, and mind, supporting a longer life.”