Remote Couch Potato

Have you become an expert at working on a couch?

It happened the other day. You accidentally looked at your backside in the mirror and shrieked at what you saw. 

Zoom butt!
Porch patootie!
Remote rear end!

Have you become a work-from-home couch potato?

You already have poor posture from sofa slumping, and your legs have a laptop burn. Many people newly working from home have lost weight because they have an extra 1-2 hours in their day without a commute. They live in a walkable or bikeable neighborhood or have space for a home gym.

Others have packed on the pounds. Their city is congested, and they don't feel they can social distance appropriately or want to navigate the protests. My Boston apartment-dwelling clients can't even do a lunge jump without the neighbors below knowing about it. The spaces are small, and living, working, and playing in 800 square feet isn't motivating. Or they have young kids at home and that extra time from commuting is spent with them because their school isn't open.

Let's not be judgy or righteous about exercise, but you can move your body.

If you're on your way to being a remote couch potato, try the five tips below to move more at home. 

Five Tips to Move More at Home

1. Get a sit-stand desk*. Invest in a sit-stand desk so you can change position. We were not meant to be professional sitters. If you don't have the luxury of home office space, get a portable standing desk to move around your house or even to a park. Bonus that this can be shared with your family members. And please, for the love of your children, don't let them sit all day, either. I'm already hearing of elementary-age children having back and neck pain!
   
   
   
2. Get a bike desk* or under-desk elliptical*. This is a master-level suggestion, but I love my FitDesk bike desk because it is meant to work on with your computer. It has a rubberized space for my laptop so it doesn't slide and a backrest to make it comfortable. It's perfect for watching webinars, attending meetings where I'm only a participant, and reading. After investing in a bike desk, you'll get great opportunities while background-tasking with work-related activities. Under-desk ellipticals take up hardly any space, and no one even has to know.
3. Walking meetings. Not every meeting has to be over video. Remember the phone? They still work! Meetings where you don't have to be in front of a computer can be done outside as walkie-talkies. It's a great break for both of you. I always let the person know I'll be walking outside so they can also choose to. I have a habit that I do not talk to my family or friends unless I walk. When I schedule a time to chat with colleagues or peers, I send the calendar invite titled Phone Walkie Talkie. Getting outside in nature is one of the best things you can do for your productivity.
   
   
   

   Marcey checking her agenda – not her texts!

4. Get up at least once an hour. After about 45 minutes, our glute muscles, which are supposed to be the second strongest muscles in our body (after the jaw), start to forget how to contract. This can lead to lower back, knee, and hip pain. You may think you have a bad back, but what you really have is a weak butt! Do 5-10 squats every 45 minutes, set a timer, and do a few reps.
5. Create a trigger for push-ups. Push-ups are a metaphor for life. Everyone needs to be able to lift themselves up and not rely on other people. You also need to be able to lift your own body up. It's a functional movement that is even more important as you age. Can't do a single push-up? Try it from your desk or a counter. Gradually move down to a stair or bench. Then do them from the floor. I do 75 daily, sometimes during my workout, and other times I'll drop and do 25. What can your trigger be? Before checking Facebook or Instagram? Any time you get a text message? Before you grab another snack?

My personal Movement Opportunities while working from home.

• I use a standing desk* almost all day. Mostly, I only sit at lunch and in the late afternoon when I'm writing. If you are new to standing desks, please alternate sitting and standing. Don't start with standing all day!
• I use my FitBike* if I'm watching a webinar, participating in a meeting as an attendee, practicing my Spanish, or reading a book. Purchase from www.thefitdesk.com and use code MARCEYFREEMAT for a free under-desk mat!*
  
  
  
• I do sets of pull-ups throughout the day for a total of 50.
• I do 1-3 phone walkie-talkies for 15-30 minutes.
• In the past, at 6pm, Alexa played Ain't Nothin' Wrong With That, and I did my transition dance break (I dare you not to move when you hear this song). Now, I use an infrared sauna for 20-40 minutes. It's not movement, but it has some of the same effects as exercise.

Be mindful of how much you move. Think of the triggers you can use and create a behavior before, during, or after = Movement Opportunity.

You don't have to be a remote couch potato just because you work from home.