Working from home during this time of pandemic can be quite a daunting task indeed. Now, more than ever, you begin to realize what you have been missing from working in an office or outside your home. There are such things as having small talk with officemates, hanging out by the water cooler or coffee machine, and eating lunch out at the pantry or cafeteria. Now, your only source of nourishment is the refrigerator itself, and anything that may be left stocked up in your kitchen.
Eating Healthy When You’re Working From Home
Your Worst Enemy
Having something at arm’s length to munch or nibble on while working can be a very difficult temptation to resist and could steer you away from the path of healthy eating. In fact, food can actually be a remote worker’s worst enemy in such cases as overeating or stress-eating due to deadlines, or working so hard and not having anything ready to eat that one forgets to eat at all. In both cases, things are not looking healthy for you in any way and you really need to start changing your eating habits if you plan to work from home.
Sticking to Schedule
One big secret of successful freelancers even way before the pandemic hit was that they’ve always kept a schedule when working from home. They wash and bathe on time, put on some real working clothes, and tell themselves when smartphones and the TV are inaccessible for them. Their eating habits follow this as well, setting each day’s meal times to simulate a regular working day at the office. Give yourself enough time to have breakfast and a long lunch break, with a few small breaks in-between. Do not ever skip breakfast at all, preferably having a hearty and well-balanced meal to jumpstart the day.
Away from the Desk
With all the deadlines, notes, and projects opened on your computer monitor, it could be easy to think that having your meals while working could save you time and improve your inefficiency. This couldn’t be any further from the truth since no matter how much you try to squeeze work in during your meal hours, there will always be more deadlines to finish, and work to catch up to. Work-from-home veterans highly suggest taking your meals away from your work desk, and if possible, away from any tech at all. This way, your body and mind are able to rest and rejuvenate themselves, while helping you digest and enjoy your meal fully.
Hydration and Caffeine
Another dangerous pitfall of working from home is the high availability of coffee and drinks in the kitchen and inside your fridge. Those new to this kind of work setup find it amazing how much coffee they are able to consume, with no one else to share the pot, and with the ease of making or brewing coffee at home. Due to this, always try to limit your caffeine intake to a maximum of four to five cups of coffee per day at max. Since coffee does dehydrate the body, don’t forget to drink lots of water as well. Make drinking water easily accessible for yourself, such as having a pitcher right beside you or near your working table.
Hydration And Caffeine
Healthy Snacking
Let’s face it, it would be quite difficult for many to keep on working throughout the day without nibbling on something every now and then, or when trying to focus on work. This is a very dangerous pitfall one could succumb to if kept unchecked and depriving yourself of this would only make you want it more. The solution to satisfy your cravings would actually be to snack on healthy food instead. Fruits are a perfect snack to munch on to, with the occasional nuts and berries on the side. Do remember not to overeat on this though, since anything in excess could be bad for you in the long run.
