It seems inevitable. When you work at home, you gain weight. There are a number of reasons for this, including the fact that you are sitting most of the day in your office, with not even a commute to force you to move. There’s plenty of food close at hand and most work at home moms rely heavily on caffeinated drinks to keep their eyes open long after the little ones have gone to bed, often with plenty of sugar added.

So, how can you combat the work at home spread? Here are a few ideas, but feel free to share your own in the comments.

Exercise

• Take the kids for a walk. This fulfills two purposes, getting you moving and having quality time with your kids.
• Join a friend. You’ll be forced to show up to walk or work out if you have someone to meet you and wait for you!
• Do office workouts. These might not be as effective as running for an hour a day, but even 10 minute workouts can help.
• Set up a bike system where you have to pedal to power your laptop. Nope, not a joke, I’ve actually found plans for these online! Imagine how fit you’d be.
• Take breaks. Get away from the computer or desk once in a while. Walk around the house. You’ll feel better and burn some calories, too. Try wrestling with the kids, jumping on the trampoline with them or just playing a game of tag to get your heart rate up.

Diet

• Keep healthy snacks already prepared, on hand. This makes it easy to grab a baggie of carrot sticks or apple slices instead of thinking you have no time and should eat those chips instead.
• Make lunch in the morning, like you would if you worked out of the home. This ensures that you eat a proper lunch not just whatever you can find.
• Keep water handy. A big bottle of water on your desk will encourage you to drink more, which in turn encourages weight loss, not to mention a healthier body.
• Go for diet. That aspertame in the Diet Pepsi might not be good for you, but neither is all the sugar in a regular one. It’s easy to down your entire day’s calories just by chugging several soft drinks.
• Don’t become a food blogger. Just putting that one out there since I’ve found that since starting Gourmet Mama, I’ve been eating a lot more!

What are your tips to prevent work at home weight gain?

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