Ideas For Healthier Remote Working

Ideas For Healthier Remote Working

Thursday 23rd January 2014

These days, nearly all of us are remote workers at some point (if not every day). Sometimes, we tend to get caught up in the amazing benefits that come with the lifestyle but can also forget about our health in the process. It's important to remember our health in situations where bad habits can form quickly.

When it comes to health, remote working is a double-edged sword. If health is a major focus, the remote lifestyle can lead to an incredibly enjoyable physical and mental state. If ignored, physical and mental deterioration can ultimately lead to productivity and business failure.

We shouldn't take this lightly but fortunately, there are things we can do to further our health and make remote working even more awesome than it already is!

Following are a few ideas I practice and recommend for everyone who works remotely (or even at an office):

1. Think well

It's really valuable taking time to yourself every once in awhile for the sheer purpose of clearing your mind of all distraction. Make yourself unreachable to the outside world and own your time while examining your healthy and unhealthy thought patterns.

The things you think about can directly determine your productive output and stress levels, so thinking is the greatest responsibility we have as remote workers. Write down your top ten favorite places to think and visit them regularly, and great creative here: think outside, in a social setting or somewhere inspirational.

2. It's obvious, but people still ignore it: don't eat crap

Let's face it, cheeseburgers are hard to ignore. Truthfully, I enjoy a big fat cheeseburger as much as the next person but sometimes it's important to consider the bigger picture. What you eat not only affects you, but it affects your company, your clients and the work you're producing for them. Fueling your body with crap will only help you produce crap work.

You've heard the old saying "everything in moderation" and I believe this is true. Eating one cheeseburger isn't going to kill you but limit yourself and fight against the urge to develop the habit of poor eating.

3. Got enough coffee in your sugar?

Unless you live under a rock, you've probably read or seen something that will tell you excess sugar is bad so, I'll spare you the details on that.

As a coffee freak, I drink 4 or 5 cups per day (and hopefully you've seen the latest research: coffee is good for you!). I take mine with cream and a bit of sugar which is fine, until I reach my 5th cup. At the end of the day, my sugar intake is through the roof just because of the moderate amounts of sugar in each cup of coffee, not to mention the sugar in everything else that's mass produced and processed in this world.

Sugar is everywhere and not good for you so keep it on your radar. Monitor your intake and make sure you're not over­indulging, doing so is one step closer to a healthy life balance. If you can, remove processed / refined sugars from your diet altogether.

4. Smoothie like a champ

Smoothie making is an art and one I've mastered over the past year. There are an insane amount of benefits in the regular consumption of fresh, green smoothies. I'll just list a few benefits here:

• It's a super fast way of consuming all the vegetables you need.
• If you achieve a good mixture of greens and fruit, it tastes really good.
• It's extremely filling.
• Since it's full of water, it's a great way to stay hydrated.
• It's not juicing so you're consuming the pulp, fiber and all. Tons of fiber!
• It's overall one of the best and most healthy things you can do.

The benefits are easy to see so there's no reason not to jump on this bandwagon! If you do, I promise you'll notice a boost of energy and level of clarity you've never seen before. The best tool for the job is the NutriBullet and as someone who uses it regularly, I highly recommend it. No matter who you are or what you're doing, a regular regimen of fresh green smoothies is a great addition to your healthy lifestyle.

5. Posture is everything

Posture is known to affect your productivity. Remote workers are travelers and frequent different places daily. If you're regularly working from coffee shops or libraries then ergonomic seating can be difficult to find. Pay close attention to your posture by making sure you're sitting in a natural position and that supports your back. These places are notorious for providing seating that doesn't cut it, so make sure you're always thinking about and optimizing your posture. Another option is to consider a standing or even a treadmill desk.

6. Talk to lots of people

A healthy social life is key to successful remote working, but sometimes it's easy to get in a social rut and become a "shut in". Being at home feels really good in moderation but too much time spent indoors and by yourself will provide a very unhealthy balance and can ultimately lead to depression, stress and anxiety. Make it a point to talk to as many people as possible and thrive socially: don't forget other humans exist too.

7. Track yourself before you wreck yourself

Remote working isn't the most active lifestyle in the world and it's easy to place exercise on the bottom of our list of priorities. Exercise is very important, we all know that, but how are we supposed to know if we’re actually doing enough or using our time wisely? Some people walk or run regularly, but are you actually burning calories? Can you see your maximum potential withinyour workout regimen? The answer is simple. Track your results!

Tracking your daily workout routine is a great way to truly understand where you're at physically. There are several different tools that will help track the metrics you need (FitBit, Nike Fuel Band, iPhone and Android apps, etc).

Tracking your progress is vitally important and can, not only boost your morale but give you a better sense of your progress which will empower you to apply pressure where it's needed most in your daily routine.

Conclusion

As remote workers, it's easy to put our health aside in lieu of our goal of world conquest. Careful attention to all aspects our your body and mind is a great way to "one up" the competition and propel yourself to greater levels of success. In any walk of life, health is our most important asset. This is especially true for the remote worker. Stay fit, lean and always keep your mind sharp.

by Matt Boyd, co-founder of Sqwiggle, an app designed to make remote working a more collaborative experience

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