Benefits of Working From Home

Working from home these past couple months definitely has its challenges – trying to do patient visits while my 3 children do school at home, not to mention my talkative parrot Dixie who likes yelling “Hungry” during visits keeps things interesting, to say the least!

I know this pandemic has been extremely stressful for all. Many have lost loved ones, many have been sick, many have lost their jobs. But I’d like to talk about one positive: control of the environment. What do I mean by that?

Well, until 2 months ago, most of us were all stuck at work behind a desk most days, with little control of the environment. Now, we are able to work from home, doing phone calls and zoom meetings. I quickly learned that I don’t do well talking on the phone sitting all day – I’m a pacer. So, I started doing my patient visits on my moving workstation. It wasn’t long before I did other things while moving as well.

This past weekend, I participated in teaching an obesity medicine course for other health care providers. I gave two lectures – both were done from my moving workstation. In fact, I walked 5 miles while I was lecturing! I got lots of positive comments from attendees that they thought this was cool.

What I didn’t tell them is that while “attending” other talks, I was out and about – went for a long hike with my kids one day while listening to lectures, and today went mountain biking all morning, all the while listening to several excellent talks. In fact, I felt like I was having a “Cheat” day – not a day where I ate junk, but a day where I was doing an activity I love – mountain biking – while most people would have been sitting at a desk.

What about you? Can you go for a walk around your neighborhood during a work call? Can you get a sit/stand desk, under-desk pedals, or a moving workstation? Can you work from your exercise bike? How can you “Cheat” and move while everybody else is sitting?

Food for thought 🙂

-Dr. Lazarus