Making It Work As A Work-From-Home Mom

Working from home is both a blessing and a curse when you’re a mom. You can save on childcare, but it can be challenging to get your work done without any distractions. So how do you make it work as a work-from-home mom?

On top of everything else, it’s difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle that keeps you feeling charged and focused. You don’t want to be caught off guard now that it’s almost cold and flu season. To help keep you on the ball — at work and in the home — here are a few tips you can use to maintain a balanced lifestyle while working from home.

Sleep in your workout clothes

It can be difficult to wake up early to squeeze a workout in before the kids get up. But you can find the motivation by sleeping in your workout clothes the night before. This way you don’t waste any time getting ready and struggling to find your workout leggings.

If you’re a single parent or your partner works the nightshift, stick to a workout routine that doesn’t require you to leave the house. Running on an indoor treadmill or following along to a pilates DVD is a great idea to stay fit. Even an hour session of moderate intensity martial arts (don’t break the furniture!) can burn up to 500 calories.

Remember to soak up some sun

It’s all too easy to stay indoors all day when you work from home. You get the kids ready for school, make sure they get on the bus, make a cup of coffee, and settle down to work until the kids get home again.

But a lack of daily sun exposure can actually be bad for your health. Experts recommend getting between 10 to 30 minutes of sun exposure per day to maintain your body’s healthy blood levels.

So how can you make sure you’re getting the sun exposure you need? After all, even with 60 million people visiting beaches throughout the year, you don’t exactly have time to visit the beach or walk the boardwalk every day.

During your breaks, consider going outside to sit on the porch or walk around your neighborhood. A short, brisk walk will not only be good for your heart but you’ll be soaking up the sunshine, too.

Keep healthy snacks on hand

You probably have healthy snacks on hand for your kids to grab when they get home from school. But it’s important to have healthy snacks around for you, too.

Did you know the average person in the U.S. eats more than 11 pounds of chocolate a year? To avoid reaching for those sweet and salty foods while you work or need motivation, keep baggies of baby carrots, green pepper, or baked banana chips on hand.

When you already have snacks prepared, you’ll be less tempted to reach for foods with empty calories.

Keep your head up!

In the social media era — when everyone’s best lives are constantly on display — a lot of us feel pressure to look our best 24/7. The reality is that almost all of us will face things like dimply thighs, dark circles, and bad skin days. That’s just how life is! Unfortunately, some of your peers may have old-fashioned ideas about work-from-home moms. So when you’re feeling down, remember this simple fact: you’re not just a work-from-home mom, you’re an entrepreneur. And with up to 400 million entrepreneurs operating worldwide, there’s a growing number of Americans choosing to work from home. In fact, up to 5% of the U.S. workforce is working from home nowadays.

Looking for work from home positions in Detroit?

Here in Southeast Michigan, there are actually a ton of companies that provide opportunities for an enterprising work-from-home mom. In particular, companies like Amazon, Progressive, LiveOps, and QuickenLoans often post remote openings for workers in the area. When conducting your job search, use key phrases like “remote positions” and “work from home” to find positions. Keep in mind that established companies will likely have the best opportunities, as there are many fraudulent “make money from home” job postings on the Internet today.

Tt can be a struggle to maintain a balanced lifestyle when you need to focus on getting your work done and parenting your kids. By following the tips above, you can put yourself on the right track to taking better care of yourself as a work-from-home mom.

Struggling to get in shape? Click here to read our beginner’s guide to working out as a busy mom!