To ensure that you stay fit and productive in the home office in the long term, you need the right furnishings and equipment. 9 tips for more exercise, better well-being and a healthy back in the home office.
Since the Corona crisis, many people have become unable to imagine life without working from home. Since we are all currently spending a lot of time working from home, it is extremely important to set up your home office as optimally as possible. After all, 64 percent of employees complain of health problems caused by working from home. Back pain, muscle pain and headaches are the main problems that plague employees.
Setting up a home office – what do I need?
But what is the optimal equipment for a home office? Your employer should provide you with basic things such as a good laptop, a monitor, a fast internet connection, an ergonomic mouse and keyboard, a headset and possibly a rolling container so that you can work efficiently at home.
Tip: We explain here how you can design your workplace ergonomically correctly and what you need to do so.
But what modern office furniture, equipment and "helpers" should your home office have so that you stay fit, active, in a good mood, healthy and productive in your home office? We have collected ideas to help you feel comfortable in your home office. 9 must-haves for more exercise, better well-being and a healthier back in your home office.
Not like that! The right equipment is extremely important, especially when working from home. Too little exercise and an unhealthy way of working - e.g. lounging on the couch and not sitting at your desk - can quickly lead to health problems.
Home office tip 1: Place plants
This tip sounds banal, but it is worth its weight in gold for general well-being in the home office. Plants help to permanently improve the indoor climate in your home office. With a few plants in your office, there will never be a "bad atmosphere" again. Another positive effect: plants have a calming effect. Especially when you have few opportunities to go outside, the green houseplants create a pleasant splash of color in the room and help to reduce stress.
Ideal houseplants for your home office
- Succulents: very easy to care for, require little water
- Lucky bamboo: requires little light. Very suitable for dark rooms
- Elephant's foot: suitable for very bright locations and direct sunlight
- Spider plant: very suitable for improving the indoor climate
- Aloe Vera: needs a lot of light. Only needs to be watered every 3-4 weeks
A colorful mix of different plants brings a "lively" splash of color to your home office. The lucky bamboo (plant in the foreground) is also very easy to care for.
Tip: Take a daily walk through the park, or even better, through the forest. A study by the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim (2019) has shown that trees and flowers have an enormously positive effect on mental well-being and help reduce stress.
Home office tip 2: An office chair that promotes movement
This tip is from the "no brainer" category. When it comes to office furniture in the home office, an ergonomic office chair is of course the most important thing. Without a good, functional desk chair, even the best technical equipment is of no use! You should therefore make sure that your home office is equipped with a chair that keeps you moving even when you are sitting. Because: constant, light movement while sitting strengthens the back and promotes an upright sitting posture. You can also breathe deeper on a chair that allows your body to move freely. This increases the oxygen content in the blood, improves concentration and stimulates circulation. Another advantage: active sitting is good for the intervertebral discs. These are always evenly loaded and thus stay healthy.
Tip: The legendary active office chair Aeris Swopper combines all the features you need to sit ergonomically and in motion.
The Aeris Swopper is the space-saving solution for your home office. The active office chair keeps you fit and moving at work.
For me, the Aeris Swopper is the ultimate home office discovery. I finally don't have any more back pain.
“
Margaret Meincken
Freelance copywriter and satisfied Aeris customer
Home office tip 3: Noise-cancelling headphones
In our digital world, we are constantly bombarded and distracted by thousands of impressions, bright colors and social media. But noise also causes immense problems for many people working from home. Street noise, construction work in the house, the bell of the parcel delivery person or the neighbor's music: noise is an omnipresent and annoying companion in the home office.
Headphones with noise-cancelling function help you to block out these distractions and concentrate fully on your work. Especially if you want to work on a project in a focused manner, noise-cancelling headphones offer you a good way to reduce the noise of the outside world. And the best thing about it: less noise means less stress, less stress means better general well-being, better general well-being means a better work-life balance...but we digress. Let's move on to home office tip 4.
Tip: You can get noise-cancelling headphones for between 50 euros and 300 euros. It's best to get advice from a specialist retailer and test different models on site.
Home office tip 4: A height-adjustable desk
In addition to the office chair, a height-adjustable desk - for example our Aeris Active Desk - is the second home office furniture that is essential for movement during working hours. Regularly switching between sitting and standing keeps you fit, stimulates your circulation and improves the oxygen supply and thus your general well-being. In addition, standing up is good for your back and posture. That's why no modern home office should be without a sit-stand desk.
Ideally, the ratio between standing and sitting should be 40-60 and you should change every 30 minutes at the latest.
Tip: If you don't have a height-adjustable desk, you can quickly and easily convert your normal desk into a standing desk using a desk attachment. The attachments cost between 80 and 200 euros.
A height-adjustable desk significantly improves your workspace in your home office. By alternating between standing and sitting, your circulation is stimulated and your back muscles are strengthened.
Home office tip 5: A stress ball on the desk
People who spend a lot of time typing on the keyboard often have sore and tense muscles in their hands. If you don't use an ergonomic mouse and keyboard, this pain is almost inevitable. The tension can spread from the arms to the shoulders and neck area after just a short time. A small helper that can prevent these problems very well is a stress ball. Squeezing the squeeze ball has benefits for the body and mind:
On the one hand, the muscles in the fingers and the palm of the hand as well as in the forearms are loosened and relaxed. On the other hand, squeezing the stress ball - as the name suggests - relieves stress. Especially when stressed and overloaded, people tend to resort to so-called "displacement activities" in order to distract themselves for a moment. Squeezing and squeezing an anti-stress ball is ideal for reducing this tension. After a few minutes of stress relief with the squeezing ball, you can return to your project with a fresh head. And your hands will thank you too.
Tip: Use the stress ball several times a day for a few minutes. Just 2-3 minutes in between is enough to train and relax the muscles in your hands.
Home Office Tip 6: A Balance Board
Training on a balance board keeps you fit and helps clear your head.
A balance board is the perfect home office training device for in-between times. A balance board keeps the whole body moving and has several advantages. In addition to improving your coordination, it trains your sense of balance and works numerous muscle groups. Training on a balance board strengthens the muscles in the feet, legs and torso and helps against sore legs. You also train the deep muscles in the back area. This prevents poor posture and back pain. Another advantage: the movement gets your circulation going and increases the blood and oxygen supply from the brain to the tips of your toes. This means you can go back to work with a fresh head after just a few minutes.
Admittedly, keeping your balance on a balance board is not easy, but practice makes perfect!
Tip: If you have never used a balance board before, start with a beginner's model to get started with balance exercises. It's best to seek advice from a specialist retailer. Just 5-10 minutes of daily training will noticeably improve your sense of balance after just a few days.
Home Office Tip 7: A Desk Organizer
Order is half of life. OK, we don't want to exaggerate, but a little order on the desk is very important for general well-being. A structured way of working saves you a lot of stress and time. So that you at least no longer have to search for things on your desk, a desk organizer is an inexpensive must-have for your home office. This way you always keep an overview.
Tip: Use the last 5 minutes to tidy up your desk every evening. This will help you mentally switch off from your workday and create a structured environment for the start of the next day.
Home Office Tip 8: Aeris Muvmat Standing Mat
After tidying up your desk, this home office must-have ensures you get plenty of exercise. Our Aeris Muvmat is the ideal addition to your standing desk. Standing on hard floors is hard work for your body and harmful to your intervertebral discs in the long run. The standing mat with a 3D structure ensures that you always keep moving slightly when working at your standing desk. These micro-movements stimulate the foot reflex zones and thereby improve blood circulation in your legs. By constantly adjusting your posture, the intervertebral discs are evenly loaded and thus ideally supplied with fluid.
Tip: A study has shown that using an anti-fatigue mat such as the Aeris Muvmat has been proven to improve short- and long-term concentration. If you use a standing mat, you will work ergonomically correctly in your home office and be able to concentrate better on your projects.
Standing on the Aeris Muvmat stimulates the foot reflex zones and thus relaxes the muscles in the legs.
Home Office Tip 9: A foot massage roller
What the stress ball is for the hands, the foot massage roller is for the feet. This little helper should not be missing from any home office workstation. An occasional foot massage stimulates the foot reflex zones. This stimulates the nerve pathways throughout the body and relaxes the muscles. A foot massage roller is an ideal helper for relaxation and stress relief, especially for people who like foot massages.
Tip: You can get foot massage rollers for under 20 euros. Using them for 5-10 minutes is enough to relax and stimulate the muscles in your feet and legs.
5 more home office tips you should definitely consider
- Regular ventilation (shock ventilation)
- Drink enough
- Be sure to take breaks
- Provide enough light
- Keep an eye on time management
