I was going through a Facebook feed from one of my Facebook groups, and I noticed something interesting- most of the people were complaining of how they’ve suffered from chronic back pains due to sitting for long hours.
One of them had to stop working for six months to seek medical attention. The pain was so severe that they could barely walk.
You see, working from home can be a luxury. For the people who have to go to the office every week, the idea of working from home seems like a vacation.
However, it’s not all glitter as it looks from a distance. Having worked from home for over one year, I can attest that it takes discipline, commitment, and hard work to maintain the physical and mental energy levels that are needed to perform.
When working from home, you are bound to sit for long hours to complete clients’ tasks. Unlike your employed friends, you don’t have to go out of the house to work. Therefore, it’s easy to develop a sedentary lifestyle whereby you wake up, freshen up, take a cup of coffee and sit behind a desk all day. Such a lifestyle can have devastating health effects on your body consequently compromising your productivity.
Obviously, you can not work effectively when you are suffering from chronic pain. Therefore, it’s critical to take care of your physical wellbeing.
One of the best ways to take care of your physical wellbeing is to start working out. But, you already knew this, didn’t you?
You already know that working as a freelancer can be hazardous to your health if you don’t do something about it.
So, why is it that many people know that working out is the solution to optimum physical and mental health yet few people get around to working out? Also, amongst the few who start working out, just a small percentage commit to it?
According to a 2019 press release by Body Building, out of all the people who make fitness goals during New Year Resolutions, 73% give them up. Some of the reasons cited as the primary cause include:
- Lack of time
- Difficulty in keeping track of the work out regime
- Difficulty in getting back on track after failing to keep up the workout routine.
A no-brainer solution to committing to your working out routine is getting an accountability partner- a workout partner. It’s a scientific fact that exercising stimulates the release of endorphins-the feel-good hormones. The feel-good-hormones are the reason why, after working out, you feel good and pumped-up. However, when you workout with a partner, the feel-good-hormones released are more compared to when you work out alone. This makes the workout session even more enjoyable. And you are more likely to commit to something that you enjoy.
“Exercise partners provide a powerful combination of support, accountability, motivation and, in some cases, healthy competition. “They can play the role of a teammate, co-coach, and cheerleader — all while working out,” says Michelle P. Maidenberg, PhD, MPH, clinical director of Westchester Group Works in Harrison, N.Y.
Therefore, my wife and I have committed to working out every day from 6:30 am to 7:45 am each morning. We keep each other on toes. Whenever either of us is feeling demotivated, the other person acts as the accountability partner. Being each others accountability partner has been essential in helping us to keep up with our work out routine for the last couple of months.
So, get yourself a workout buddy, an accountability partner. The work out partner should be somebody who shares the same goals with you and whom you respect; a person you wouldn’t want to let down. This way, you will be motivated to hit the gym together and support each other.
In conclusion, your income as a work-at-home professional is dependent on your productivity. Your productivity is dependent on your physical and mental wellbeing. Working out is the solution to super-charging your productivity so that you can increase your income. Therefore, get a work-out partner, there is strength in numbers. The partner will keep you focused on your work out regime, and they might be your key to unlocking your productivity.