Ideally, you’d think that just because you work from home it should relatively simple to find the time for exercise in your schedule. However, you’d be surprised at the number of excuses that can come up to stop you from committing to a schedule. In order to keep fit even when you work from home, it’s going to take even more grit and determination to put in the time and effort to exercise regularly. Because you’re so close to your comfort zone, your body and mind will try and work against you and bring you to the lowest possible energy expenditure level. Although that’s a defense mechanism to keep the body alive as long as possible when food supply has been cut off, under normal circumstances it’s got a more scientific name: lazy-butt-on-couch-itis

If you’ve ever worked in an office, you would likely have set the alarm clock for an unearthly hour to be sure to make it to work on time. When working from home you may not have to beat the rooster to the sunrise but getting up a little earlier will let you be done with exercising before your day actually begins. Constantly thinking about how good you have it in comparison with daily commuters will help keep you motivated.

Maintain a fixed routine for your day that includes your exercise program that way you’ll avoid the inefficiency of a flexible schedule and still get your daily calorie burns in. Don’t forget that ‘anything that’s worth doing is worth doing now’. Let that be your daily mantra against procrastination, and you’ll feel like a new person in a week; mentally powerful and on your way to being physically fit. You can even try saying no to those little impingements on your time like personal phone calls, casual callers and unimportant domestic obligations – that will help you follow your schedule at least until it’s internalized and you no longer need a written schedule.

If it’s difficult for you to go out to the park and jog or take your cycle for a long morning spin, try getting some home exercise equipment like an elliptical trainer or a treadmill. Something smaller might be more suitable if you’ve got a space crunch – try a stair-stepper or an X-Factor that you can attach to your door frame. Get a skip rope as well, so if you have a few minutes you can go for some hard cardio.

It doesn’t really matter what type of exercise you opt for – the important thing is that you are consistent and stretch yourself to reasonable limits. As you progress along your path to keeping fit even when you work from home, you’ll start to feel good about yourself, and will truly be on the road to good health and a long life.