This post is a slight departure from my usual design thoughts and dives more into the reality of working from home. With the accessibility of digital statistics, I recently stumbled upon something that caught my attention.
I consider myself a pretty active person. I’ve got a watch that tracks how many calories I burn, how many steps I take, and even how many flights of stairs I climb. Having this little device has shed some light on my daily habits—specifically how much (or little) I move.
There’s a common statistic out there: a healthy person should aim to walk 10,000 steps a day. While I believe this is a solid goal, it’s only part of the picture. Calories burned, diet, and other factors matter too. But since I started wearing my watch, I’ve come to realize that I rarely hit that 10,000-step mark. Even on days when I feel pretty active, I usually only reach 5,000 to 7,000 steps.
This led me to reflect on how working from home plays into my lack of movement. For those who commute to an office, the steps from the house to the car, from the car to the office, and the walking around throughout the day all add up. When you work from home, though, it’s a different story.
Just the other day, a friend asked me how many steps I’d gotten in? He had just got a new watch and was intrigued by all the new stats that he was monitoring for himself. I glanced at my watch—it was 1:45 p.m., and I was at a grand total of 195 steps. How could that be? Well, when you work from home, it’s easy not to move. It’s six steps from my bed to the bathroom where I brush my teeth, another 12 steps to the coffee pot, and 22 steps to my desk. All in all, it’s just 42 steps until I sit down to start the workday. Sure, there are a few more here and there, but by 1:45 p.m., without leaving the house, being under 200 steps is actually pretty believable.
This morning, I had to run a quick errand to pick up some breakfast items. Even though I drove to the store, the steps to the car, through the parking lot, and around the store added up fast. By 9 a.m., I’d already clocked just over 1,000 steps—five times the movement in a fraction of the time.
What I’ve taken away from this is simple: while working from home is great, and not sitting in traffic or dealing with a commute is fantastic, it’s crucial to stay mindful of my health. Moving throughout the day is something I didn’t realize I was taking for granted.
So if you’re working from home like me, remember to get up, walk around, and make movement part of your daily routine. It makes all the difference.