Flex and Focus: How Movement Breaks Help Work-From-Home Parents Thrive
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When you’re a parent, you need to be able to move (often quickly!). You might need to pick up your baby or chase your toddler. Maybe you want to help your preschooler learn to ride a bike or play catch with your Little Leaguer. Plus there’s laundry, dishes, and carpooling. For all of these activities, you need to be capable of moving freely. And that’s why movement breaks are crucial when you work from home.
But many home-based workers risk being glued to their desks for hours. This becomes an even bigger issue when you’re a parent who doesn’t always get a chance to work uninterrupted. Maybe you haven’t realized the toll this takes on your body and mind. Movement breaks combat the effects of prolonged sitting and boost your productivity, too.
This article explains why why movement breaks are crucial when you work from home. It also shares four ways stepping away from your desk will help you stay sane and flexible for your kids – and yourself.
Movement Breaks Can Prevent Stiffness and Pain
You probably already know that sitting in one position for hours creates tension in your muscles and joints. Your neck, shoulders, and back suffer from poor posture and extended sitting. And that can be disastrous when you are also an at-home parent. Young kids especially make lots of physical demands on their parents.
When you take a few minutes to step away from your work throughout the day, you don’t just give your brain mini-breaks. Here are some benefits for your body if you take some time to stretch and move:
- improved range of motion
- released tension
- better joint flexibility
- maintaining the spine’s natural curves
Stiffness and pain from prolonged sitting are the most common reasons why office workers visit a chiropractor. If you’re suffering, a chiropractor might be a good source of treatment and advice on how to improve your alignment and posture while you’re working.
Taking Action Restores Energy Levels
Do you feel sluggish when you sit still for long periods? That’s because the inactivity slows down your circulation.
So if you’re depending on coffee or energy drinks to get through your work, take action. When you stand up and move around, your heart beats a little faster. And that pumps fresh blood throughout your body. This improved circulation delivers oxygen to your brain and muscles, helping you feel more alert without caffeine.
You could go for a quick walk (if you have a dog, they’ll thank you!), dance to a song or two, or try a quick stretching video for office workers like the one below to get your blood moving. Think about things that will stretch your body and nourish your soul, too. You’ll be happier and more energized when you go back on parenting duty.
Movement Breaks Improve Your Productivity
Taking a quick break can seem like an interruption to your workflow. But did you know that strategic pauses for movement enhance your focus and efficiency? So if you want to do more in less time, work sprints with movement between can get you there better than a marathon session in front of your computer. That’s because, just like your body, your brain receives less oxygen when blood flow decreases. And that leads to that familiar afternoon fog.
Breaks where you get a chance to move around give your brain time to process information and approach problems from fresh angles. You might return to your desk with new ideas and solutions you didn’t see while you were staring at the screen.. Like many remote working parents, you could discover that you finish your work faster when you take regular short movement breaks. As a bonus, you’ll probably make fewer mistakes, too.
As a WFH parent, you probably always have housework to do. Why not increase productivity even more by using your mini breaks for a repetitive task like folding laundry or doing dishes? Your body gets the movement it needs, your mind has space to reset, and you’ll clear a chore or two off your to-do list, too. Check out our time-management ideas for work-from-home moms for more ideas.
Activity Breaks Reduce Serious Health Risks
Your health is another reason why movement breaks matter when you work from home. When your work is sedentary, you’ll be healthier if you offset it with activity.
Here are some potential health concerns linked to prolonged sitting:
- heart disease
- diabetes
- poor circulation
- slowed metabolism
- limited mobility
Taking breaks to move helps you reduce these risks. You’ll energize your metabolism and your cardiovascular system, too. Regular activity also keeps your muscles and joints engaged.
These small actions over time can add up to significant health benefits over months and years of remote work. And that means you’ll be a happier, healthier parent for your kids, too.
Speaking of being a happier parent, why not try a mini-dance routine with your kid? This 5-minute mommy and me dance video is cute, fun, and energizing!
Conclusion: Mini Moves Can Bring Major Gains
Taking active movement breaks as you work from home can be a game-changer. You can use them to target physical discomfort and fatigue. Setting a timer to remind you to move every 30 to 60 minutes or scheduling your movement breaks between meetings or tasks makes them easier to remember.
We’ve covered a few reasons why movement breaks are crucial when you work from home. But maybe the most important is that when you feel better, you’ll be a better and happier parent for your kids.