How to Stay Active While Working a Remote Desk Job

Remote work offers incredible flexibility—no commuting, customizable schedules, and the ability to work from home, or anywhere! But it also comes with a hidden challenge: staying active.

Without the natural movement of an office environment, it’s easy to spend long hours sitting still, which can impact your health, focus, and energy. But you don’t need to fit in major workout sessions to stay active while working remotely. Adding just a few smart habits to your day can improve your physical well-being, boost your mood, and keep you energized from your first meeting to your last task.

In this article, we explain key benefits of incorporating movement into your workday and how to make time for physical activity without sacrificing your productivity as a remote worker.

Why Is It Important to Stay Active While Working Remotely?

We often think of remote, work-from-home jobs as an opportunity to create a healthier, more balanced lifestyle. However, without the right strategies, working from home can increase sedentary behavior, leading to health risks and burnout. That’s why it’s essential to stay active while working a remote desk job.

1. Physical Health Benefits

Many workers are deskbound for a majority of their workday, which can lead to health issues such as poor posture and chronic pain. According to the Mayo Clinic, prolonged sitting is also linked to health risks like high blood sugar and high blood pressure, and can even increase the risks of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

However, moving more and sitting less supports better physical health. Incorporating regular movement throughout the day (even leisurely movement) can improve circulation and stiffness, reduce blood pressure, keep blood sugar balanced, and help you maintain a healthy weight.

2. Mental Health Benefits

According to Harvard Medical School, staying active improves your mood, reduces anxiety, and helps prevent feelings of isolation that can sometimes accompany remote work. Regular exercise can also improve self-esteem by giving you a sense of accomplishment. A simple stretch break or walk can release endorphins and lift your spirits.

3. Productivity and Focus Benefits

Taking strategic movement breaks during the workday can enhance your ability to concentrate. Physical activity increases alertness and helps clear mental fatigue, so you return to work with renewed focus and creativity. Even a short burst of exercise can increase blood flow to the brain, which can improve mental performance.

8 Ways to Add Movement to Your Remote Workday

Now that you know why it’s important to stay active while working remotely, let’s dive into simple ways you can add movement to your day without disrupting your workflow.

1. Invest in a Standing Desk

Standing desks are a great way to counteract the effects of prolonged sitting and have become very popular among remote workers. Standing desks are available in a variety of styles and price ranges, but if you’re on a budget, you can create one of your own by placing a box on top of a table or desk to increase the height of your laptop. You can also try a standing desk converter, which you can place atop your existing desk to raise your computer to eye level.

2. Schedule Strategic Movement Breaks

Staying active while working from home doesn’t have to be complicated. You can schedule regular breaks to ensure you stand up and move throughout the day. Whether you take a stroll on your lunch break or take short breaks to stretch your muscles every hour, by putting these breaks on your calendar, you’re more likely to be consistent.

3. Combine Movement With Meetings

Meetings don’t always have to be seated events. Try taking a walk during phone calls or standing during video meetings. Simple adjustments, like pacing while brainstorming or stretching before a call, can add up.

4. Optimize Your Ergonomics for Activity

Your work setup can also facilitate movement. You can use an adjustable chair, a sit-stand stool, an exercise ball, a balance ball, or a wobble board for short periods. You can also set reminders to correct your posture if you tend to slouch during periods of intense focus. Even minor ergonomic adjustments to your home office can reduce strain and encourage subtle movements that enhance circulation.

5. Try This Water Hack

In addition to movement, staying hydrated is critical to your overall well-being. To increase both your activity level and your water intake, keep a small glass of water at your desk. This will require you to get up more frequently to refill your water, ensuring you break up long periods of sitting while keeping you hydrated. It’s a win-win!

6. Don’t Eat Lunch at Your Desk

Take your lunch break away from your desk. If the weather is nice, consider taking a walk outside and making it a picnic lunch! If that isn’t possible, remember that just getting up from your desk to prepare and eat lunch in a different room of your home encourages movement and provides a mental break from work as well.

7. Use Under-Desk Exercise Equipment

If you have a standing desk, you can create a walking desk by adding a small under-desk treadmill to stay productive and boost your energy even while deskbound. If you have a standard desk setup, consider trying an under-desk elliptical pedal device. Both options will allow you to work and move simultaneously.

8. Incorporate Simple Desk Exercises

If you can’t or don’t want to purchase additional exercise equipment, no problem. You don’t need a lot of workout equipment to stay active while working from home.

These easy desk exercises will allow you to incorporate movement at your desk:

Seated leg lifts: Sit upright in a chair with one knee bent and one extended. Flex the foot of the extended leg to a 90-degree angle and slowly raise it until it’s about a foot off the floor. Lower it slowly and repeat. Then, switch legs and repeat.
Shoulder rolls: Sit or stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your arms relaxed by your sides and roll your shoulders up toward your ears, then back, down, and forward in a smooth, circular motion. Do that several times, then reverse the motion and repeat in the other direction.
Quick standing stretches: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and clasp your hands palms up toward the ceiling. Gently reach up and stretch, then slowly stretch to each side. You can also incorporate neck stretches, hamstring stretches, or any other stretches that feel good.
Wall push-ups during breaks: Stand facing a wall, at arm’s length from it. With your feet shoulder-width apart, place your palms on the wall at shoulder height, slightly wider apart than your shoulders. Then, bend your elbows to bring your chest toward the wall, keeping your back straight and core engaged. Next, straighten your arms to return to the original position, and repeat.

**How Remote Workers Can Stay Active and Productive**

Incorporating activity doesn’t mean sacrificing productivity! They actually go hand in hand. Below, we’re providing a few ideas on how to stay active while working from home and enhance your remote work productivity.

1. Set Clear Daily Intentions

Start your day by setting goals for your work tasks and your movement objectives. Be specific and write them down. For example, instead of “get more done,” set a specific goal, such as “Take Spike on a 15-minute walk during my lunch break.” Schedule short activity breaks, standing sessions, and mini walks just like you would any meeting or deadline.

2. Try the Pomodoro Technique

A popular time management strategy, the Pomodoro Technique involves setting a timer for 25 minutes of focused work followed by a five-minute active break. Before diving back into work, stand up, stretch, walk around, or do a few squats to get your body moving. By committing to focused work intervals followed by short active breaks, you can get more done in less time—and feel better while doing it.

3. Use Apps or Wearables for Gentle Reminders

Fitness trackers, such as Fitbit, Apple Watch, or smartphone apps, can send you reminders to stand up, stretch, or take a quick walk. Apps and wearables can also make it easier to set goals and track your progress. Some even let you gamify your activity, turning movement into a daily challenge you’ll want to win!

Build a More Active Remote Workday

By making small adjustments, committing to moving more throughout your workday, and staying active working remotely, you’ll feel more energized, productive, and healthier over time. Remember, you don’t need hours at the gym to stay active—you just need consistent, intentional movement built into your daily routine.

Remote work gives you the flexibility to design a work life that supports your physical and mental well-being. Start today by taking a few steps—literally—toward a healthier you, and explore the latest remote, work-from-home jobs on Remote.co to build a healthier, more productive work life!

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