Difference in Step Count WFH vs In Office
I thought this was interesting enough to post.
I am full-time remote with the exception of four weeks per year (one week per quarter) where I fly to another state and work out of an office. Week 1 shows my step count for my most recent week working from home (and is consistent with most weeks working from home) and Week 2 shows my step count for my most recent week in the office.
When I’m at home, my usual workday routine is to do an hour workout at lunch before eating back in my home office while working, go for a walk in the evening after I end work for the day and do a shorter workout at night before bed. Not all 5 days, but usually 3-4 days per week, depending on conferences, work obligations, weather, energy levels, etc. I also walk a lot around the house and my yard in between tasks. I have a small home gym in my garage where I do cardio, light weight lifting, etc. Nothing crazy.
When I’m in the office, my workday routine is to Uber to work, sit at my desk for 4 hours, take lunch (which I either order to the office or have at a nearby restaurant), sit at my desk for another 4 hours, Uber back to my hotel and order dinner to the hotel. I’m usually too drained to do anything once I get back to the hotel. In between tasks in the office, I generally just sit at my desk and check sports, news, etc. The office design is not conducive for walking around without a purpose. I managed to convince myself to work out at the hotel gym two nights after work this past trip but not for nearly as long as I would at home.
Obviously, I’m not telling anyone anything they don’t already know, but it’s always interesting to try to quantify how much healthier WFH routines can be. Also the drastic difference in step count doesn’t account for additional weight lifting when I WFH. Nor does it account for the extra hours of sleep I get each week not having to get up earlier to shower, dress, commute, etc.
Edit: I tried posting screenshots of my weekly step counts but I guess that’s not allowed.
Week 1 (WFH) - average daily step count: 10,985;
Week 2 (in office) - average daily step count: 4,557