Health warning as study finds hybrid workers have 800 more calories on WFH days
The number of people working from home (WFH) has rocketed in recent years, with more than half of all UK employers currently offering remote work - but health experts have warned this could be causing havoc for our health.
A recent study, carried out by MyFitnessPal, has found that Brits walk around 3,500 fewer steps and consume nearly 800 calories more when they WFH. The experts warn that a “cosy working environment” can “lack structure and routine”, meaning employees are less strict with their diets.
Registered dietician Brookell White, of MyFitnessPal, said: “This can make it easy to indulge in the comforts of home and reach for snacks you may not have in an office setting.” The survey of 2,000 hybrid workers revealed that people consume an average of 2,752 calories when WFH, as opposed to 1,961 in a typical office day.
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Overall, 60 percent claimed they are unhealthier on WFH days compared to when they are in the office, with processed junk foods, such as crisps, biscuits, chocolate and sweets being the most common snacks. Around 56 percent noted fewer temptations as the main reason they are healthier on office working days.
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Others said there are healthier lunch options near their place of work, while 36 percent were encouraged to be healthy by having other people around them. Participants were tasked with using a Fitbit, phone, or Apple Watch to calculate their daily steps, with 4,518 emerging as the average number taken on a WFH day - well below the recommended 10,000 a day.
Almost half said they often don’t leave the house at all when WFH. In contrast, Brits walk 8,087 steps on an average when they work from the office. What’s more, the research found that respondents claimed to consume five between-meal snacks, as opposed to three when they’re working from the office. More than a third (36 percent) admitted to eating when they’re not hungry and Brits look in the fridge or cupboard out of sheer boredom six times a day when WFH.
Brookell added: “If you’re concerned about your nutritional intake or overconsumption, tracking your meals and snacks can help you understand the favourable nutrients you are consuming, and the other nutrients you may be consuming too much of.”
The expert shared her advice to help remote working feel more like an office day. She recommends including exercise into your routine, such as going for a run or walk before and after work - to mirror going to and from the office.
Brookell suggests eating balanced treats and taking intermittent breaks throughout your work day, this can include walking around the neighbourhood or doing lunges. This poll comes as recent figures show that over 13 million Brits have traded office employment for flexi-work, which allowed them to log-on from their homes.
According to the NHS, adults aged 19 to 64 should do some type of physical activity everyday to reduce their risk of heart disease or stroke. The health body says that adults should aim to:
Do strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least two days a week
Do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week
Spread exercise evenly over four to five days a week, or every day
Reduce time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity
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These weekly targets can also be achieved with several short sessions of very vigorous intensity activity or a mix of moderate, vigorous and very vigorous intensity activity.
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