The working from home phase of lockdown has become the normal and even in Manchester, it will continue as businesses adapt to a new hybrid of working ethos. The highlight is living in a city like Manchester means you have so much on your doorstep for exercise, relaxing and distraction from your desk.
If you are new to working from home then this lockdown has made you change the way you live your day for work. Many have found working from home a joy, many have found it a balance and others have found it to be monotonous. The funniest thing about this is you have been given an opportunity to reshape the way you work, the hours you work and well how you live your life.
As a Manchester based face to face personal trainer my working day is balanced between working from home, working remotely or bing in the gym. Every element of my day is set up to ensure I am productive, motivated and focused on my own mental wellbeing. But is was not easy and getting it right takes time and well adaptation. Like training, you have to plan your nutrition and training around your day job and all the other hobbies you have.
Working from home means more time for you and less time at work and if you have not got this yet then, then you need to make some choices. If you were at the office you would get up early, hit the gym and start your day with the commute and at the end of the day you would log off and start your commute home. This now means, get up early and complete the workout planned for the day at home or outside, shower, eat breakfast and have 30 minutes of you time to either do something for yourself like yoga, read a book listen to music or do something to get ahead of tonight like put a load in the washing machine. Means lunchtime you can empty the washer, sit and have lunch on your balcony and do some lunchtime yoga before going back to your desk.
As you are reading this I can see you pulling faces and saying,”Yer, I wish.” Your job is exactly the same as it was before. Your hours have not changed and your role is the same. You gain so much from this if you choose to. People who stay in bed and have found the extra hour bed a joy are now the ones who are more stressed, less organised and are lacking motivation to get their workouts done. Working from home for most will be the new normal with the chance to go into the office when required for days of face to face meetings. You have been given on average 90 minutes back Monday to Friday, down to you how you use it.
Set yourself up for the win, my clients in Manchester and up and down the UK are smashing out more progress in lockdown than they ever thought they would. All because they have a mindset change,, accountability and a coach making sure they stick to what they sign up to. Many have found using my Inferno Fitness App with a planned out week so motivating and engaging they have made massive progress towards their goals. The win is they have done what i have just outlined above they kept a routine like pre lockdown and made it work in their favour.
Take my client Emma:
Wakes up everyday at the time she would to get ready for work and drive to the office. She gets up, weighs in, checks her app and then heads out for a morning walk. Sometimes this is with the dogs but now living back in the city, is just a habit to get out for a minimum of 30 minutes. Home, shower, breakfast and ready for 9am to log on for work.
Her lunches are never interrupted as she has made it clear to her boss and team, lunch is her hour and she needs to leave her desk. She does either a 10 minute HIIT session, 10 minute core session or a 10 minute stretching circuit. Grabs her lunch and even sometimes gets out for another 20 minute walk, aiming to get her 9,000 steps in.
She logs back on and works for the afternoon, at 5pm she logs off, get changed and is either ready for a short walk, ready to smash out a resistance workout or has an hour of just normality before a 6pm HIIT session. This is repeated Monday to Friday, swapping in some yoga and horse riding and a rest day where she is focused on getting out for those essential steps.
Why is this so successful because she know what she needs to achieve, she puts herself first, she is adaptable to the week and moves things around where she needs to. Plus she has to check in on Sunday and be ready for a 15 minute zoom sessions with me to review the week.
This didn’t happen over night this is now 10 weeks of working with Inferno Fitness Academy to build up a working routine that works for her with her job, gives her the accountability she needs and best of all the enjoyment of working out while working from home.
I am the same, I make sure I food prep, I have my diary set for the day, I am flexible and above all put my exercise and health first. You are no good to your bosses if you are burnt out, you are not going to enjoy work if you cannot step away.
If you are struggling to find that balance maybe it is time to invest in yourself and get some accountability. I am here for you to help you change your lifestyle one habit at a time and to ensure you become the best you. Try the 12 Week Challenge and see what you can accomplish to get back to the new normal after lockdown.