Keeping yourself healthy when working isn’t always easy. This is especially true when you work primarily at a desk, and stay sedentary.

Thankfully, by making some changes to your work routine, you can improve your overall health.

If you are one of the nearly 70% of Australian employees who work remotely at least for part of the week, follow the nine health tips listed below to keep your body healthy while making a living:

#1. Stand up and stretch regularly

Sitting and working at your desk all day isn’t ideal. Even spending 30 minutes at a time stretching or standing will help prevent your muscles from getting sore. It will also get your blood pumping, which rejuvenates the body.

#2. Change your work environment

Thankfully, working from home can give you a bit a freedom to get outside in some cases. If possible, take your laptop outside and work for a bit. Not only will this reduce your stress levels, but it will also provide you with a much-needed dose of Vitamin D.

#3. Drink lots of water

The human body is made up of 60% water. This means the organs require enough water to function properly. According to experts, you should ideally consume 1.5L of water a day in order to keep your body healthy and cut down on those pesky mid-day headaches. Therefore, be sure to drink water throughout your workday. To make it easier, fill up a certain water bottle and know you need to drink and refill it a specific amount of times to meet your daily water goal.

#4. Go easy on the music

While music can be relaxing and even stimulate the brain, loud music can have the opposite effect, so turn down the volume when listening to your soothing, or even rocking tunes.

#5. Be sure to prioritise your personal life

Working remotely can be great, but it can also cause you to neglect your personal life altogether. There is something about being “at work” constantly that makes it real easy to sacrifice your own personal need for free time. However, part of living a healthy life, is having downtime. Your body and mind need to decompress. Therefore, especially when working from home, you need to keep your personal life a priority. Schedule it on your work calendar if you must.

#6. Exercise

If you can break up your work day and exercise between hours of sitting still, this is ideal. Not only is exercise beneficial for the whole body, but breaking up your day will make the hours fly by. Even if it’s a quick walk down the road or on the treadmill, getting your heart rate up and breaking a sweat on a regular basis will do wonders for your body’s overall health.

#7. Look out the window

If going outside isn’t practical for you due to weather or simply the constraints of your workspace needs, you can at least stare out the window on occasion. Science states that simply looking at a tree can make you feel better and reduce your overall stress levels. If a tree isn’t available where you live, perhaps invest in a nice plant.

#8. Opt out of caffeine

When you are tired and dragging at the end of your workday, you might guzzle caffeine, feeling as if it is your only chance to make it through the day. However, instead of ingesting more caffeine, instead go with sugar-free gum or decaffeinated tea. While your body might protest at first as it has become accustomed to the stimulation of caffeine, once you have broken the habit, you will actually have more energy and feel better than ever before.

#9. Breathe

It might seem a bit cheesy, but taking the time to simply breathe deeply will actually make you feel better. A few deep, lung-clearing breaths are all that’s necessary. However, if you want to take it up a notch, you could always get into meditation or mindfulness.

Wrap

The nine tips listed above will help you maintain a higher level of health, whether you work from home full time or only occasionally. Thankfully, working remotely offers you a measure of freedom that regular office work does not, meaning you can take advantage of many of these tips.