I hear you…it’s tricky, distracting, lonely, overwhelming and frustrating sometimes to be working from home. Even more so if you have littles around and you are also playing the role of educator. Here are a few tips I’ve been sharing in my practice to help you optimize your time working from home.
Create Rituals
Set up some habits in your day that are consistent, and as best as possible, stick to them. What is the best time for you to work? When do you need to help your children’s learning? What type of daily structure and schedule will support you? Instead of free-flowing everyday perhaps defining your tasks a little more concretely will help.
Find a Commute Alternative
Where can you recreate the time you may have had in your car driving to work? What if you used that time to go for a walk instead? Or found some way to give yourself the gift of that time?
Move your body!
Sitting all day is not good for your body or mind, but neither is standing! Break up your day and postural habits with breaks! Even if it’s just a few minutes, your body will thank you.
If you need a quick stretch or movement routine check out this blog post.
On today’s show we’re talking to Bruce Young, a local resident living a great life. He and his wife run Live, Life, Fit in Thornbury, and he’s also been involved in CrossFit and Adventure Racing. Now he is committed to a healthy lifestyle for himself and others.
Maintaining balance in his approach is what keeps him motivated and moving in the right direction. For people who are new to fitness he recommends shopping around the edge of the supermarket, avoiding processed foods, and starting where you are when it comes to fitness.
Tune in for a lot of great tips.
For more information check out this blog post about food choices.
Hungry for more? Check out the rest of the Rock Your Health Podcast episodes! If you’re more of a reader than a listener, you may prefer checking out some blog posts! If you love conversation, reach out here, I’d love to hear from you!
Are you dealing with ‘new parent posture’? Your new baby arrives in the world, and for the first few months you spend many hours feeding them, rocking them to sleep, and staring down at them lovingly while they are in your arms. Then, after a few weeks of this consistent posture, you find yourself with some pain and stiffness in your neck and shoulders. Sound familiar?
I call this “momma posture” but I know many dads that also can relate to this!
Truth is, physically there isn’t much difference between staring down at your phone or laptop and staring down at the newest addition to your family!
The posture is the same, which results in a tremendous amount of strain on the muscles in your neck and the associated vertebra in both your cervical and thoracic spine.Here are a few tips to help minimize this strain for you:
Switch arms when holding baby. This is good for you and good for them! Your arms will get a rest, and you’ll develop strength in both arms in this position. Your child will also benefit in that their vision, hearing and sense of body position (think brain development) will also get stimulation from both directions. Carry your baby right from the beginning so that you easily develop strength to hold them as they progressively gain weight. *Read this blog post on whybabies should be in their car seats only when travelling.
Use a variety of slings and carriers. I’m a huge fan of baby-wearing because it’s good for a child’s physical and emotional development, but also because in my experience it can make life as a parent easier! With your child securely attached to you your hands are free to hold the hand of another child, pick up your groceries, fold laundry, work on your laptop, or do anything else! Using different types of carriers minimizes the repetitive strain on your spine and shoulders and will help prevent injuries. When choosing a carrier there is always 1 specific guideline I give all parents watch this video
Stretch your neck and shoulders! When not looking down at your child, think about reversing the position of your neck. Tilt your head forward and back, turn your head side to side, roll your shoulders in circles forward and back, and hold your hands behind your back and open up your chest for a really great stretch. Doing these moves will help break up the repetitive strain on the muscles in your neck, upper arms and shoulders to compensate for forward postures. .
