Are You a Home Office Desk Potato?

	How not to be a couch potato when you work from home One of the downsides of my working at home is that I spend a lot of time at my desk. I have no reason to walk to a colleague's cubicle or take a walk at lunch with my fellow employees because I haven't got any. Basically, by working from home, I've become a couch potato in my home office. Or rather a desk potato. I'd heard and read about walking desks, treadmill desks, and standing desks—basically, work stations that allow you to stand or walk while working. Sounds confusing, I know, but it also sounded doable to me. Turns out I'm onto a good thing by finding ways to work exercise into my workday. Research shows that regardless of your exercise routine after hours, the more time you spend sitting each day, the higher your risk of heart disease. Evidence suggests your hips, spine, and shoulders suffer as well. "It's important to get up and move around throughout the day," says Julia Henderson-Kalb, a St. Louis University occupational therapist. "Exercise not only helps with how you feel physically, but it also improves your mind and your memory." If you don't own a treadmill or don't like the idea of walking and working, here are 4 ways that you can work at home or adjust things in your home office so you are less likely to be a couch potato throughout the day: Set up your laptop at a bar-height counter and stand to work. Even just the act of standing is better for your body than sitting still. Sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair. You'll strengthen your abdominal and back muscles, and improve your posture. Set an alarm to go off every hour to remind yourself to stand up and stretch. You can even keep a set of light weights next to your desk so that with each stretch break, you can do a few reps of weight lifting. Get in the habit of walking around your office when you talk on the phone. Since I started a daily routine of exercising from my desk, I've noticed that my back hurts less, and I feel less drained at the end of the day. I've also lost about 5 pounds. Those are "side effects" I'm happy to have now that I'm no longer a desk potato.