How to Stay Active During COVID-19 – Even When Working from Home

COVID-19 has forced many of us to work from home and find new ways to complete our tasks from our home offices. If you’re like most, you don’t have a standing desk to use throughout the day. Your gym may not be open, or if it is, it has limited space.   Although exercising and stretching right now may not be a priority, taking care of our bodies is incredibly important for our health. Moving more may seem like an impossible task, but even a few stretches and standing breaks during the day can help alleviate the tension we put on our bodies when working at home, making us healthier and happier overall.   Take short breaks throughout the day Short bouts of physical activity add up to the weekly recommendations. Have a dance break, play with your children, or do 10 minutes of gardening to break up the day.   Follow an online exercise class Take advantage of the wealth of fitness content that’s online. Follow a yoga video, a HIIT class, or try your hand at something new like salsa dancing. Many of these are free and can be found on YouTube.   Stand up Can’t get away from work? Simply stand up for intervals during the day. Set up a standing desk by placing your laptop on top of a box on a table. Even if you can’t take a decent break away from work, you can give your body a rest by taking pressure off your hips – simply by standing up!   Stretch Getting in daily movement isn’t always possible when you have a busy schedule and are cooped up indoors. Take a look at these simple stretches you can do at your desk to help your brain and body.

• Neck rolls – Circle your neck slowly, keep the shoulders relaxed, and complete three to five rolls in each direction.
• Cat-cow stretch – Sitting down, inhale and arch your back, looking up to the ceiling. On the exhale, round the spine and let your head drop forward. Repeat for three to five breaths.
• Wrist stretch – Stand up and turn your hands so that the insides of your wrists face your computer and your fingers face the edge of the desk. Lean away from your desk with your arms straight. Return to center and then repeat.
• Seated spinal rotation - Cross your arms by placing your hands on the opposite shoulder. Without moving your hips, rotate your torso all the way to the left and hold. Return to center and do the same on the right side.
• Shoulder stretch – Roll your shoulders back without moving your head. Repeat three to five times before switching direction and rolling your shoulders forward.

  How are you staying active during this time? Let us know! For all of your personal and commercial insurance needs, contact your local team at Reata Insurance Group.