WITH social distancing regulations in place and exercise opportunities limited as compared to before the pandemic, many Brits have had to resort to at-home workouts to meet their fitness goals for the year.
However, when you’re living, eating and exercising in the same place, it can be tricky to balance activities whilst also working a full day. This may lead to exercise enthusiast employees sneaking in home workout sessions in between Zoom meetings and emails during the workday… Plus, if you have a fitness tracker or smart watch, you’ve got to get in those daily steps somehow!
Squats, Stretches & Salaries: Pull Up Mate, at-home fitness and exercise resource provider, conducted a survey of 2,600 employees across the UK to find out if they are covertly getting in their cardio during working hours. It was discovered that the average Cumbria employee spends 10 hours per month exercising during work hours whilst working from home (excluding lunch hours), which equates to around £162 of their monthly salary (compared to a national average of £215).
- Cumbria workers effectively being paid £215 to work out while WFH.
- 1 in 5 couples who both work from home say they work out together during the day.
- Interactive cheque showing results across the UK.
View these results across the UK with this interactive cheque
If your job requires you to be seated behind a screen for a majority of the day, it can be difficult to concentrate for long periods of time as it is easy to feel restless, which can cause you to lose focus.
Sitting for long periods of time is linked to higher rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and may also be associated with poor mental health. A study found that when provided with adjustable desks that allowed them to either stand or sit while working, employees reported improved job performance, reduced illness at work and less anxiety as compared to traditional seated desks.
This could be the reason why 41% of survey respondents who are working from home said they think employers should provide them with adjustable desks. Perhaps this could even improve overall team productivity!
Having limited access to gyms can make working out lonely, unless you live with a partner who is also keen on achieving their fitness goals. The survey found that nearly 1 in 5 couples who both work from home say they work out together during the day.
Additionally, not having access to traditional workouts appears to have brought out some couples’ creativity in terms of exercising, as over 1 in 10 (13%) who are working from home say they have attempted viral fitness challenges together.
With the rise in popularity of video-sharing social networking platform, Tik Tok, emerged numerous fitness challenges for couples to try together, such as the #PlankChallenge, #BoxChallenge and the push-up #LevelUp challenge – a unique and rewarding way to up your workout game and learn new party tricks with your partner!
Ben Avenell for Pull Up Mate says: “If you are still working remotely during these times of social distancing, you may have had to set up a home office in a space that isn’t entirely suitable for its newfound purpose. After all, we couldn’t have predicted these current circumstances and not all homes have space for a full desk-and-chair set up.
“If you are unable to utilize an adjustable or stand-up desk, try positioning your laptop at eye level on a pedestal or some large books, instead of lower down on a surface. This means you won’t have to bend or hunch at an uncomfortable angle for long periods of time and could improve your overall posture.”
- Do you find working from home makes it easier to achieve a better work-life balance, or more difficult? Please share your experience/views in the comment box below. We’d love to hear from you.
