I’ve have had the pleasure working from home the last 21 years. However, if you are new to this game and had to transition quickly, from working in an office to working inside the home, it can come as a surprise and leave you feeling mixed emotions of a blessing in disguise and a curse, especially when it comes to the freedom of choice in the kitchen, over eating and lots of spare time.

Having total flexibility in terms of our daily schedule, some of us may assume there is no real reason or challenge to stay on task. Let’s face it, you are probably finding you have more free time at the moment. Such as, saving on travel to and from work, and no more running around after work. Including, going to the gym, picking up groceries on the way home, sporting activities, kid’s activities, and the school pick up. Nonetheless, working from home can get gloomy and boring and feel like being stuck inside on a rainy day. Hence, without routine, discipline and structure, you may start making poor food choices and easily find your head buried in the fridge, looking for something to nourish yourself and dead out of snacks by afternoon tea.

So here are some tips, to help you stay on task, manage your day, develop some routine around your working day and have enough food left in your fridge for dinner.

Managing your work environment.

1. Create a specific work space in your home. This is extremely important in terms of your focus, creativity and separation from your personal space. And try to keep this area to a designated coffee and tea zone only. This may help ensure that snacking is limited to only dedicated mealtimes. On this note: Scheduled mealtimes will come in handy.

2. Keep a routine. When you get up in the morning, do what you usually would do, for example, shower, have breakfast and travel to work. (Now obviously in this current climate we are not going to be driving or walking to work). But if you can, enjoy at least half an hour in the garden doing some kind of physical activity, like walking around the garden, around the block or kick a ball with the kids. This will get you mentally ready for work, increase oxygen to the brain and release some endorphins to make you feel good about your working day.

3. Schedule mealtimes. This will keep you focused on your work, give you a break from your computer at lunch and something to look forward to throughout your day.

4. Eat without distraction. When your mealtime does come around, be sure to find yourself a quiet place to enjoy your meal, for example in the garden or on the porch. Now if you do have kids at home your lunch may not be so quiet. But the quiet I talk of is from the technology within the home. For example, phones, computers and television. Thus, will bring your focus on eating mindfully without distraction and the temptation of eating in your lunch hour at your desk, computer or on your phone.

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5. Be snack organised. If you prepare your snacks ahead of time, for example having fresh fruit, yoghurt and nuts on hand, is a sure way to know that you are making a grab for these items first instead of discretionary choices especially when you do get hungry. Having snacks already sorted in your Go Stax container will also help with portioning your snacks out. You can find the link here if you need to order some.

6. Be snack healthy. Healthy snack ideas can sometimes be tiring especially if you tend to eat the same foods day in and day out and get bored easily. So now is time to think of snacking outside the square. For instance, a boiled egg or a tin of tuna makes a great snack. Why? Because they are protein rich that keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Other examples include, chia seed pudding, protein balls, nuts, chopped up veggies or a salad (A bonus that add to your 5 serves of veggies a day), fruit, cheese, Ryvita crisp bread with avocado, ricotta or cottage cheese, dried fruits, plain Greek yoghurt, a small cob of corn, a small serve of chicken breast without skin and cherry tomatoes.

7. Out of sight out of mind. If your self-control and willpower are likely to be tested throughout the day, as those crunchy choc chip cookies you baked on the weekend are calling your name, get someone in your home to either remove and or hide certain items from your sight, or you put them in an area out of your line of sight to keep cravings at bay.

8. Drink more water. Keep a carafe of water at your desk and add water flavouring, such as a squeeze of lemon or lime, maybe a strawberry or two popped in there to look pretty as well.

9. Watch portion sizes. A simple solution that helps manage portion size is to swap back to a side plate, small bowl and or use smaller utensils. In addition, dividing your plate into segments of ¼ protein, ¼ carbohydrate and ½ plate free vegetables (meaning free of carbohydrates) and watch out if you are use condiments (dressings and sauces) that may contain high amount of sugars and fats that can contribute to your overall calorie intake. You are looking for low fat sauces or dressing but add no more than a tablespoon. You can find bonus Portion size worksheet here

10. And find a few times throughout your week to exercise. This is especially important in this current climate of being told to stay at home and in doors. As all kinds of physical activity are of benefit to your general health and wellbeing. This can be as simple as taking a power walk around the perimeter of your block, cleaning the house, going up and down the stairs if you have any, washing the car and or doing some intense gardening, like weeding. Just as long as you can get your heart rate up.

If you are new to exercise or you need to do is start off small with just a few minutes of exercise at a time. As any exercise is better than none, and this slowly gets you used to being more active. In addition, if it's more convenient for you, you can do short spurts of activity like 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there, such as during your lunch hour, before work or in the afternoons. Every action by itself may not seem like much, but they all add up. Your mission is to work up to at least 30 minutes on most days of the week to get the full benefits from exercise.

11. Last but not least. If you have children in the home whom are also home from preschool/ school, then the struggle is real. You may be feeling overwhelming pressure by helping your kids navigate their day with schooling and or staying entertained, whilst you try to do work. When this happens, many people can overfill the day and create too much structure. It’s an uphill battle, but there is a way you can be productive without getting tired and frustrated. And it requires involving your kids in setting their self-care strategies. You may ask them the night before, what they would like to do when you break together? For example, read a book or kick a ball in the garden. Set up their routine as well. Have them walk with you in the morning or be in the garden. And still keep up with making their lunch box. You may also have a phone alarm go off each break, so they know when it’s time to put their pencils away or shut their computer screens and get organised, so you can all stop and eat together. At the end of the day structure is key when it comes to self-care and working from home.

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If you were hoping for more direction on health and well being, check out my 12 Week Nutrition Program that teaches you a holistic approach to health and takes a closer look into self-care, sleep, stress, mindset and movement. You can find the link here…….