Working from home may sound appealing, with the promise of a nap to escape the dreaded commute and the chance to keep your pajamas on all day.
But it could make you fatter, according to a study today.
Brits burn almost 800 extra calories and walk an average of 3,500 fewer steps when they do WFH.
Experts recognized that your lounge can turn your office into a ‘friendly working environment’.
However, they warned that it can ‘lack structure and routine’, potentially causing problems for your waistline.
Brits burn almost 800 extra calories and walk an average of 3,500 fewer steps when they do WFH. Experts recognized that your lounge can turn your office into a ‘friendly working environment’. However, they warned that it can ‘lack structure and routine’, potentially causing problems for your waistline
Sixty percent of respondents admitted that they are unhealthier in their own home. Many cited having fewer temptations as the top reason why they are healthier on days they are in the office. Others admitted that having other people around them encouraged them to be healthy
Registered dietitian Brookell White of MyFitnessPal, who conducted the survey of 2,000 hybrid workers, said, “This can make it easy to enjoy the comforts of home and grab snacks you might not have in an office environment.”
Sixty percent of respondents admitted that they are unhealthier in their own home.
Many cited having fewer temptations as the top reason why they are healthier on days they are in the office. Others admitted that having other people around them encouraged them to be healthy.
According to self-recorded data, respondents consumed an average of 2,752 calories while working from home.
This was 791 calories higher than the 1,961 recorded for an average office day.
For comparison, a McDonald’s Big Mac contains around 493 calories, while a Greggs sausage roll contains 329.
A KitKat, meanwhile, contains 209 calories.
Respondents were also asked to use their phone, Fitbit watch or Apple watch to calculate how many steps they take each day.
Among employees working from home, the average was 4,518 – well below the recommended 10,000 per day.
Researchers at MyFitnessPal found that Brits, by comparison, walk an average of 8,087 steps in a working day.
Nearly half of respondents (45 percent) also admit that they often don’t go out while working from home.
Before the pandemic, only one in eight of us were remote workers, and in many cases this was only some of the time.
In what has been the biggest acceleration in employment in decades, just under half of the UK workforce – more than 13 million – have swapped full-time office work for flexible work that allows them to log in from their living room. kitchens and residential studies.
The poll also found that respondents claimed to consume five snacks on WFH days, compared to three when working in an office.
More than a third (36 percent) also admit they eat when they’re not hungry – and almost one in three (30 percent) don’t get dressed until lunchtime.
Ms White said: ‘If you are concerned about your nutritional intake or overconsumption, keeping track of your meals and snacks can help you understand the beneficial nutrients you are consuming, and the other nutrients you may be consuming too much of.’
One of her tips for ensuring a work-from-home day mirrors an office day includes going for a run or walk before and after work – as well as going back and forth to the office and taking occasional breaks throughout the day.
It comes as experts have suggested that working from home has exacerbated poor mental health and feelings of loneliness, especially among those who are vulnerable.
But Brits have taken to working from home with more enthusiasm than most of our European neighbors.
A global survey earlier this year found that British workers spend an average of 1.5 days a week logged in from the study, dining table or patio – compared to an international average of 0.9 days.