Working at home gives you great flexibility in your work hours, but like most jobs, it can make it easy to build some unhealthy habits. From sitting at your desk too long each day to having unhealthy snacks readily available, these things can take a toll on your health. Here are some simple habits to add to your day..

1. Work on your snacking habits.

There are a couple of things to consider with your snacking habits – what and how much.

What you snack on may be the more important of the two for many people. Are you snacking on potato chips or carrot chips? Candy or fresh fruit?

Quantity matters too, but it can be harder to overdo it on healthier foods. Let’s approximate a one ounce serving of potato chips as having 152 calories and 10 grams of fat.  One ounce is not much of a snack, especially when it comes to potato chips, so you probably aren’t satisfied. When was the last time you ate that little of a package?

Compare that to carrot chips, where a 3 ounce serving is 38 calories. That’s a bigger serving, but a lot fewer calories and no fat.

I don’t count calories in my own diet, but I do try to be generally aware of when I’m making a more or less healthy choice in what I eat.

You can make choices at home to make healthy snacking easier. Have chopped vegetables that you like available in the refrigerator. Keep fresh fruit around. Don’t buy chips or candy too often, so they aren’t in the house and readily available. Unless your resolve is better than mine, temptation will get the better of you too often if you keep unhealthy treats around the house.

2. What are you drinking?

What are you drinking while you work? Coffee’s a fair start to the day, depending on how it’s made. It can be healthy or unhealthy, depending on what you put into it. Coffee can have a variety of health benefits, although you still should not overdo it.

Now, if you head out to the coffee shop and get a blended coffee of some sort, it may not be so good for you. Just think about all the added calories and fat. Some of these drinks can run 500 calories or so, and really add up over time.

Water is generally your best choice. I keep a bottle of water at my side when I work. It’s the simplest way for me to stick to healthier drinking habits. My bottle is insulated so my drink stays cold and doesn’t sweat all over the place. The straw top means even spills are minor if I knock it over accidentally. It helps control what might otherwise be a very bad soda habit – I never developed a taste for coffee or tea, so if I want caffeine, soda is usually my choice. I try to not have it in the house too often because I know I will give in eventually.

3. Take an exercise break.

You should not sit at your desk all day if you can help it. Getting up to deal with the kids isn’t usually exercise, and the interruption doesn’t come at a good time when you’re working. Your exercise breaks should be something that come when the break makes sense.

Think about the kinds of breaks you would have in a job outside the home. 15 minutes every few hours is a nice start. Get away from your desk and take a walk or do a simple exercise routine. A little bit of time being active can have a lot of benefits.

4. Consider a sit/stand desk.

One of the purchases I’m excited about for my new home office is my sit/stand desk. I’ll be receiving it later this month. The price was great, and I will be able to sit or stand throughout the day, which I hope will be good for me. I’m considering a balance board for those times that I can afford the slight distraction, as even a little motion is better for you than standing still.

A standing desk may or may not have health benefits. It may not even be that much better than sitting. Some feel that they are more productive when they’re standing, however. The price I got on my desk was good enough that I feel it is worth a try – I would have had to pay a similar amount to get a good quality desk that I could only sit at. A cheaper desk would no doubt have to be replaced in a few years.

Make sure you understand the ergonomics of using a standing desk. The height of your desk should be set so that your elbows are bent at a 90 degree angle while you work. Too high or too low puts a strain on you body.

You probably should not stand all day at your desk. It’s better to sit part of the day and stand part. Mix it up based on what you’re doing and which works better. And don’t forget to walk around – that’s even better for you.

5. Look at something other than your computer monitor.

Focusing for too long on your computer monitor puts a strain on your eyes. Make sure that you look away periodically throughout the day, and focus on something at a distance. A window in your office can really help with this.

6. Stretch.

This one is easy to combine with a sit/stand desk, although you can do it regardless of your furniture. Stand up occasionally during your work day and stretch.

7. Take a nap.

This one can be hard to do, but there are benefits. Not only can napping help you relax and feel less fatigued, it can improve your work performance.

You don’t need a long nap. 10-30 minutes can be plenty. Too long may leave you groggy. And if you can’t nap, don’t worry about it – it’s not for everyone.

The post 7 Healthy Habits to Remember When You Work at Home appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.

Spring is a great time of year to think about your family’s habits and what you can do to keep your kids healthy. The weather is getting better in most areas, and even when it’s bad you can think about what you would like to do as a family to build better habits.

Gardening

Whether you’re in a home or an apartment, gardening can be a fun, healthy habit. If you aren’t into digging in the yard or don’t have one, you can plant herbs and maybe some tomatoes in containers.

Growing your own herbs or other foods can encourage a lot of healthy habits. My kids love to nibble on freshly picked basil leaves and mint leaves, for example. They also add a great flavor to your cooking.

Get Outdoors

Turn off the TV and the computer and play or exercise as a family outdoors. A walk around the block is a wonderful family activity you can do in most areas. Alternatively you can go to a park or play in your own yard together.

Play Indoors

No, not on the computer. Not video games. Well, maybe some of the more active video games; the Wii Fit; does have some good points when you’re trying to be healthy and active.

Then again, you can make room for the kids to dance. Younger kids in particular will love this. A bit of music and some encouragement and they’re off.

Creative play is fun too, especially for the younger children. Help them build a fort. Put on a puppet show. Encourage silliness.

Don’t Forget the Chores

Yeah, no fun and sometimes hard to enforce, but chores are good for the entire family. It helps to keep your home functioning and clean. Even very young children can help. The sooner you get started the more of a habit it will become for everyone.

If you’re having trouble getting anyone to do chores, consider a chore chart or other motivation. My kids love their magnetic chore charts, and we set rewards for accomplishing their chores on a weekly basis. It’s still possible to slip up and start ignoring the charts, but once you have the habit they’re quite helpful. Or you can consider alternatives that work better for your family.

Walk to School

At least where possible. I live within blocks of my daughter’s school, and due to the traffic involved, walking can actually be faster than driving there. It’s just about a 7 minute walk by myself, 10 with kids.

If it’s too far to walk, it may not be too far for riding bicycles with kids who are old enough. Schools in my area only allow that for grade 3 and up. You’ll save gas and get a nice bit of exercise.

Walking to school can also be a great time to have a conversation with your kids. They don’t have to be on any big topics, just whatever comes to mind.

Keeping your family active and cutting back on the TV and computer habits can help you to enjoy your time together more. Certainly there will be times that you need a break from doing things together, but overall it’s a good way to make special time together on a regular basis.

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When you’re home with the kids all day, they get to know all your habits, good and bad. Children are very observant and even if you think you’re pretty sneaky about some of your bad habits, they probably know about them.

Sure, you try some of those foods that you really don’t like but want your children to experience. I do that when it’s something my husband likes but I don’t. It can be challenging at times, and some of my food preferences my kids do know about, but I do the best I can.

And while there are ways you can sneak vegetables into your children’s food, better yet is to teach them how to enjoy them. You may find only a few at first that the kids like to eat, but it’s a start. It doesn’t matter if they only want to eat frozen corn or peas, they’re vegetables and a much better part of a snack or meal than many other foods. If you’re dealing with a picky eater you take what you can get and set the example for something better.

Some of what you can do may be very subtle. Things like using olive oil instead of vegetable oil in cooking so that you’re using a healthier kind of oil when you need it. Young children won’t get it. But as they learn to cook it will be something to talk about.

Being healthy is about more than teaching good eating habits, of course. Healthy eating matters quite a bit, but so does exercise and making other good choices.

In our family, formal exercise isn’t really a priority. However, we’re currently taking daily walks. We found some hiking trails just a couple blocks from our house. The kids enjoy them even more than the local playgrounds. We all come home dusty and a bit tired from these hikes, but we’re all getting exercise just as a matter of routine and the kids are learning about nature.

Now if I could just convince my son that they are “ladybugs” and not “potato bugs!”

The idea is to just make physical activity routine. We set the expectation and try to live up to it ourselves. We don’t do everything we expect of the kids; they’re often sent out to play in the back yard while I work on my computer. They learn to spend time away from any electronic entertainment and I get peace and quiet to work.

Your own bad habits can be a bit of a challenge. I can explain away my computer time because it’s necessary to how I earn a living. But actual bad habits can be more problematic.

Think about any parents you know who smoke. It’s much less common than it used to be; I don’t think any of my close mom friends smoke at all. But if you have a bad habit such as smoking or even biting your nails, children do notice and it’s harder to explain why they shouldn’t.

While it may not stop your child from picking up the habit in question, simply admitting that yes, you have a bad habit can be helpful. You’re being honest and it gives you a chance to explain why it’s a bad habit in an age-appropriate way. Sometimes kids will cheerfully try to get you to stop.

No one is a perfect parent, and I wouldn’t suggest trying to be one. But you can work out ways to set the examples you want to, and try to break out of the old routines that aren’t teaching your kids what you really want them to learn.

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