When I first started working from home I thought I would have more time for exercise and opportunity to eat better. The office where I previously worked was so demanding, I was most often too exhausted to exercise when I got home. And all the goodies in the break room at work were too tempting to ignore. I was looking forward to having more time to devote to nutritious meals and long walks in the neighborhood. It would be much easier, so I thought, to live the healthy lifestyle I had always wanted. It didn't take long for me to discover that it wasn't the never ending tray of sweets, or lack of time to exercise that was keeping me from better health. It was a lack of discipline. I found out that although I had the time, I didn't have the motivation. The absence of goodies was soon remedied by my love of baking. I was much more sedentary working at home than I had ever been in my life. So I ended up gaining weight instead of losing and eating less healthy than ever before. The temptation to snack all day is just one of the problems associated with working at home. Your time is your own and you can take a break any time you like. That means you can snack any time you like; at least I did. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get over the habit of procrastinating exercise. I convinced myself that I would squeeze it in as soon as I finished this project or that article. Soon the day was gone and so was the opportunity. To console myself I would munch on some comfort food and vow to start fresh the next day. If that sounds familiar, join me in taking a look at a few points to guide us back on track. • Drink plenty of water. Most of the time, quenching our thirst will quench our urge to munch on junk food. Making sure that your body is hydrated is a big component to improving overall health and mental alertness. Keep a container of cold water in the fridge and a capped bottle by your desk. • Keep healthier snacks available. Who wouldn't grab that donut or handful of chips if there wasn't anything else around? You know what foods are acceptable – it's the same list we have seen all our lives. One trick to steering you in the right direction may be to avoid making your favorite recipies. For instance, I don't particularity like peanut butter cookies; but my husband does. So I make those instead of my favorite chocolate chip delights. Lemon pie is another dessert I would not sneak a bit of – I would rather have wheat crackers and cheese. Then, to state the obvious, throw out the junk food. • Don't skip meals – it only makes you vulnerable to snacking. It will also rob you of the valuable energy and brain food you need to work at home. • When you need to take a break, don't go into the kitchen. If you can go outside, that would be the best way to avoid just sitting down somewhere else with a piece of pie in your hands. Even if you just walk around the yard a few times, it could be enough to wake you up and keep you going. • Exercise. It's been hammered into our heads for years. Why is it such a chore to most of us? Despite the known benefits, we put off exercising to the point of eliminating it altogether. Try breaking it down to smaller increments. Stretching, walking up and down the stairs a few times, one minute of jumping jacks or other such activities are better than nothing. • Dress the part. This may sound a bit far fetched, but I believe it makes a difference in how we conduct our day. It's tempting to stay in our sweats or P.J's. We like to be comfortable while we work, and after all, who's going to see? Dressing yourself in street clothes will make you more likely to get out of the house or get up and move around. There is such a thing as being too comfortable. Dress as though you are a working professional – just in a modified fashion. I find that just keeping my shoes on makes me more mindful of moving along during the day. It's too easy to curl up on the couch when my clothing cries out for relaxation. Small changes can lead to big changes. I am hoping that by instituting some small differences in my daily behavior, I will eventually find it easier to take the bigger steps to better health and better habits as I work from home. Jan Cline is a WAH grandmother, author and freelance writer. She is also a singer, songwriter with a lullaby CD on the market. You may visit her website at http://www.jancline.net or see her blog at http://precioustimesgiftsbyjan.blogspot.com. | 
