How to handle the heat in your home office

None of us really expected to be working from home for so long, but here we are, in the middle of a hot summer, with no air conditioning in sight. Some of us might be finding it hard to sleep at night, tossing and turning because it’s a little too hot for our taste. Then, when we wake up, we throw open all the windows and… still no respite.

Don’t worry, we’re all going through the same thing! So we’ve come up with a few practical, somewhat creative, ways to keep you cool during home office so you can concentrate on finishing your work just in time to catch the late afternoon sunshine.

Roll up your carpets

This might seem a little strange, but carpets actually trap and retain heat, so if you have any heavy carpets in your work space, we suggest rolling them up and putting them away until winter. The wooden floors allow air to travel through your apartment more easily, which means that your building will be ever so slightly cooler with bare floors. It’s a simple trick, but it works wonders!

Take advantage of your lunch break

Open air swimming pools are now welcoming Urban Sports Club members across Germany. In most cases you’ll need to book a slot on their website to ensure there aren’t too many people swimming at the same time.

So we recommend taking full advantage of your lunch break and using the time to go on a trip to your closest Schwimmbad. 45 minutes swimming lengths in the fresh air will cool you down and help get you ready to work hard for the rest of the afternoon.

Eat light

Eating hot, heavy food actually raises your body temperature, so take the time to re-think your daily meals. For example, are you eating porridge for breakfast? Great! That’s super healthy, go figure! But did you realise your healthy hot porridge is turning you into a human hot water bottle? 

We have a great alternative – overnight oats. In the evening simply pour your porridge oats into a bowl, add your favourite fruit such as frozen berries, chopped apple and banana, and add a sprinkling of cinnamon or honey to taste. Then pour (plant based) milk or water over the bowl and cover with a plate or put it into a lockable box. Put it in the fridge and in the morning, voila! You’ll wake up to a cool, creamy bowl of soft, fruity oats. Delicious!

Switch off your tech

Did you know that even when technology is on standby it generates heat? So check your apartment to see if there’s any technology you could turn off. TVs, chargers, clothes dryers, anything. Try switching your tech off from the plug and see if you cool down a bit!

Workout in the morning

If you’re struggling with heat in the home office during the day time, then we recommend getting your workout in before you start working rather than afterwards. It’s much cooler in the morning so you’ll have more energy to go out there and get your sweat on, and afterwards you’ll have a cold shower to wash away the heat and bring your body temperature back down.

If you usually do HIIT or Cross training , then it might make more sense to do a more relaxed form of exercise during the hot months, such as Pilates, yoga or Barre. You’ll still tone those muscles but you won’t get your heart rate up so high which means you can save your sweat for the days where it’s over 30 degrees!

We hope these tips will help you stay cool during home office – and if not then finish your work quickly, get outside and use your Urban Sports Club membership to check-in for a SUP, wakeboard or water-ski session. We won’t tell anyone!