Pantry challenges of working from home

By Sophia McDermott, Lifestyle Coach & Fitness Expert. 

After the pandemic started in 2020 there have been so many changes. For so many of us our home became our workplace. Myself included, my living room desk became my main office. It was great in a few ways and not so great in other ways. For me personally, juggling homeschooling and working from home was a bit of a test. Sticking to schedules and maintaining boundaries was a challenge, but I knew that this was the only way for some semblance of sanity and order and to keep up with my health and fitness routine.

Health & fitness routines (while working from home)

With the workplace now at home, for so many of us this means that food is permanently and constantly available in the kitchen just across the way. 

So how do we curb the cravings and constant snacking? How do we stick to our meal plans and healthy eating?

Without boundaries this can be really tough to manage and this is where I feel that being pertinent about maintaining boundaries and schedules pays off in regards to maintaining a health and fitness routine.

I personally tend to head to the kitchen when I am bored or when I am feeling overwhelmed with my workload and need a mental break. I am sure that many of you can relate to this. What other things tend to have you heading to the kitchen right in the middle of work?

Practicing a few techniques daily to make sure not to head straight to the kitchen to snack when feeling bored, overwhelmed or stressed is key. Some of these things might seem strange but I want to share them with you because they have been really helpful to me. So here goes…

Top tips to stick to healthy eating (while working from home)

1/ If your home workspace is open place, create a visual door that you step through when you start your work time. In order to 'step out of your office' you need to open this virtual door.  So by creating a focused intention to make a  designated workspace create that boundary or separation.

2/ "The best way to resist temptation is to resist temptation." If there is junk food that you love and you know no matter what, you'll eat it if it is in the house, then don't bring it into the house. That means that when you are grocery shopping, don't buy it. 

3/ Have healthy snacks available at all times. 

Set a day (often Sunday) and prepare lots of healthy snacks that are quick and easy for you to enjoy throughout the day. Nothing fancy, just chopped veggies with hummus based dips, organic greek yogurt, baby cans of tuna, sliced apple with peanut butter. 

4/ Have loads of water and tea available. Sipping tea throughout my work time was a great way for a mild distraction. Green tea gives me a bit of a lift and it's very refreshing. Sipping on tea will keep you feeling full for longer and make you less likely to want to head to the kitchen for  mindless snacking. 

For me, I found that by creating these boundaries and having healthy snacks available, make a big difference and keeps me on track in my health and fitness routine and keeps me staying in shape. Give these suggestions a try to help stave off the snacking while working from home and let me know how you do.