6 Ways to Make Losing Weight Easier If You’re Still WFH

4 min

©Artem Tryhub

By Natascha Klemm
May 31, 2022

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If you’re one of the millions of people who worked remotely during the pandemic, you’re likely well-familiar at this point with its perks. Your commute got cut down to just traveling from your bed to your desk, you can wear whatever you want (sweatpants and slippers), and you know exactly where all the best snacks are hidden.

However, these benefits can quickly become hurdles when your goal is to lose a few pounds. But here’s the good news: working from home doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your goal weight. Check out these six helpful tips on how to lose weight while working from home. You’ll meet your goals in no time.

Find out what shape you’re in with our Body Check.

1. Start your day with a workout

Multiple studies have shown that people moved less and became more sedentary during COVID-19 lockdowns. It makes sense—when you’re at home all day, there’s no commute, no meetings to walk to, no coffee shop to run to on your break. But moving less isn’t conducive to meeting your weight loss goals.

If you’re looking to optimize your movement for weight loss, try working out first thing in the morning. A 2019 study in the International Journal of Obesity found that people who worked out before 12 p.m. lost more weight in a 10-month period than people who exercised later in the day (after 3 p.m.). Researchers also found that early exercisers tended to be more active overall and ate slightly less than people who worked out late in the day. By getting your workout done in the morning, you’re setting yourself up for success — and you can check that task off your to-do list ASAP.

2. And keep moving throughout the day

Staying healthy isn’t just about doing one workout—how often you move throughout the day is important, too. Extended time sitting without any movement has been associated with an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. And given how easy it is to be sedentary when working from home, it’s important to revamp your WFH habits to allow for movement breaks.

Thankfully, replacing just 30 minutes of sitting time with low or moderate-intensity exercise can help counter some of those risks. So challenge yourself to take movement breaks during the day. Take virtual meetings or calls while walking, if possible, or set a timer to remind yourself to stand and stretch every hour. Or how about 10 jumping jacks while your coffee is brewing? Be creative and think about short and fast movement tasks that you combine with an activity that occurs more often during the day.

Related: Jumping jacks can do it all

3. Prioritize protein

Not only does protein help you build strong muscle, it also helps keep your body full and satisfied for longer periods of time than just carbs or sugary snacks alone. This will help you avoid overeating (so easy when your kitchen is just steps away from your couch desk!) and keep your energy and mood levels consistent throughout the day. Build your meals (and your snacks) with protein in mind. Pair fruit with nut butter, for example, or add extra beans or hemp hearts to your lunch salad to ensure what you eat has healthy staying power.

Do you find it difficult to cover your protein requirements through food? Our whey protein is the optimal source of protein, not only after a workout.

4. Don’t multitask while eating

Having breakfast and answering emails at the same time, a classic home office situation. But as practical and time-saving as it may seem to you to eat at work, if you want to lose weight you should avoid it. Research shows that eating while distracted makes you more likely to eat more food at that meal but also at later meals in the day. And that’s a problem if you’re trying to maintain a specific caloric intake. Eat your meals before and after work, or during a true break where you don’t have your phone or laptop to distract you.

Fancy a healthy snack? Give our protein balls a try

5. Take time to unwind

After work, do you find yourself still checking emails or staying online longer because you don’t have to commute? Separating work and private life is one of the biggest challenges of the home office. But your home should always be the place where you can relax and not have to be on-call 24/7. The constant availability and lack of downtime can cause a lot of stress, which can impact your weight and appetite. Commit to shutting off your computer at a set time every day, change your work email settings so you don’t get notifications at night or on weekends, and create a ritual at the end of each work day (like drinking tea and reading a magazine) to help you transition into your evening.

Related: How to Lose Weight with Yoga

6. Make workout dates with friends

Exercising with someone, whether that’s your partner, a flatmate, or a friend, can help you meet your fitness and weight loss goals. It’s motivating to have someone sweating alongside you and helps you be more consistent. (Because if you flake, it’s not just on yourself — it’s on a friend, too.) If you’re struggling to find motivation to get moving, call up a friend and make it a date. You’ll find it more enjoyable, too!

More healthy living tips from foodspring

Sources for this article

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