I’m sure that, if I had asked you a few weeks ago, you would have agreed that the thought of working from home sounds like fun.

In the first few days, the novelty of avoiding the commute and abandoning the morning routine may well put a smile on your face.

But what happens when working from home becomes the new routine?

It’s important to remind ourselves that the routine we have become used to over the years can help us to burn calories and maintain our fitness.

When that changes, we have to make sure our physical state doesn’t suffer.

Factor in irregular eating patterns and we can end up inadvertently creating an environment that negatively impacts our health.

An obvious way to combat this would be to perform an aerobic routine for 10 minutes a few times a day.

And there are activities we can do that don’t feel like exercise but give you some benefits just the same.

These activities include singing.

Trust me, it’s a great way to get the brain and the body working together.

Picking our favourite songs to sing leads us to tap a toe or clap our hands. We can even do the air drums while sitting at the laptop. This gets our muscles moving, our heart works a little harder and the deep breaths you take to reach those high notes fill your body with oxygen, which helps you think clearer and feel better, thanks to a drastically improved mood.

A few minutes a day is all it takes.

Also try to maintain a routine of eating and moving, as this will help to maintain your body clock.

Stay safe everyone.

Stephanie Elliot is a Barrhead-based exercise and behaviour change specialist who uses the ‘PHAT’ (Positive, Healthy And Toned) approach to managing health and wellbeing safely. Send questions to @wakeupwithsteph or check out #healthinthenews

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