By now, we’ve been in work-from-home mode long enough for us to revisit healthy habits. I know I’m not the only one who has started to eat lunch in front of my computer! Last week I committed to getting away from my desk for at least one hour each day. If I’m on your Instagram feed you’ll have already followed along, so I’ve included more great one-hour breaks for you to try at the end!
Monday Baking
I started the week baking mini apple pies. It was rather ambitious considering I didn’t have enough time to bake them fully. BUT, this wasn’t bad news since the baking process was finished for dessert that night. Fresh-baked apple pies for dessert on a Monday night? Yes, please!
I am an “eyeball cooker”, meaning I eyeball ingredients most of the time. My mom is an AMAZING cook that takes this approach with most things, so I inherited this talent thanks to her. Fair warning, eyeballing works better with cooking than with baking… choose wisely!
What I learned? I’ll roll out my pie crust thinner for next time.
Tuesday Workout
I’m a dedicated gym-goer because it helps me release stress and find my balance for the day. While lunchtime workouts aren’t new for me, I treated this one like a little midday escape—it got me away from my desk and gave me a much-needed reset. Just a heads-up: my gym still limits workouts to an hour to manage building traffic due to COVID-19 protocols, and yep, I wear a mask while working out. Here’s Tuesdays upper body routine:
Workouts are great when you work from home because it releases stress, gives you more energy, and improves your mood – it’s the perfect recipe for a work-from-home break.
Wednesday Walk With a Podcast
Those that have followed me for a while know that I am obsessed with podcasts. The rain held off so I went for a refreshing 45-minute walk while listening to the “Snapchat vs. Facebook” season of Wondery’s Business Wars podcast.
I’m pretty big on walking, usually squeezing one in during the morning as a “commute” to get into work mode, and again in the evening to wind-down before bed. Highly recommend, especially if you’ve got an easy-listening podcast queued up. 10/10.
Thursday Lunch With a Friend
I planned to have lunch over zoom with a girlfriend of mine, but we shifted to a lunch walk instead since (A) the whole point of this was to avoid desk fatigue, and (B) my friend needed to take her aussie shepherd, Merlot, to blow off some steam. I absolutely adore Merlot, and you will too!
Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has us seeing each other less, phone call walks with friends has been a great way to stay connected.
Friday Car Oil Change
Ok, I admit, this doesn’t sound exciting. BUT. Getting an oil change got me out of the house, out of the neighborhood, and I got to take care of an errand I would’ve done on the weekend. I was also able to squeeze in about 25 minutes of reading time. I’m still making my way through “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” by John Perkins, which is his account into the behind-the-scenes moves that shaped a lot of today’s global politics. I was reading a previous version of the book, so skip my version and pick this one up:
Reflecting on my week
I’ll come out and say it: it was HARD to get away from my desk. I often find a good rhythm where I can keep working – it’s easy when you like what you do! However, I notice I feel tired by the end of the day if work straight through without breaks. The two main things I noticed this week were that I felt more resilient and had more energy, and I had the patience to pick up a hobby in the evening. Both good things!
Over the course of the week, I had some great suggestions come through Instagram. Some of the activities that @professionalwomanblog followers are doing are:
- Turn out the lights, light a candle, and do an hour of yoga
- Meal prep an elaborate recipe for dinner
- Pour a cup of tea, walk to the park, and read a book
- If you have a hammock, snuggle up in a blanket with a hot drink and a good book
- Pull out your craft supplies and make cards, sew new cushion covers, etc
- Put on a show and colour in an adult colouring book
- Start a painting and work on it each lunch break
- If you play music, get it out on whichever instrument you play
- Try a YouTube dance lesson
