Make Sure you Move!
July 30, 2009 by Allison Boyer
Filed under Jobs
Freelance writing is a great job, but it isn’t a very active job, unfortunately. My first year of freelancing, I gained weight. A lot of weight. An alarming amount of weight. My lifestyle in terms of diet and exercise didn’t change much during this time period.
Ok, I don't look like her just yet...Image: sxc.hu
What changed was that my job no longer required me to climb up and down two flights of stairs to make copies, walk a few blocks to the office, and be a go-fer around campus for my boss.
To top it off, I moved to a city where I didn’t know a ton of people, so I was going out less and sitting at home with a book or movie more. It doesn’t seem like much, but when you arent really moving much, you’re going to start putting on weight.
A few months ago, I said that enough was enough, and now I run with a friend every other day. Man, talk about out of shape. It was rewarding to drop some bulk right away, and I’m feeling much better about myself in general, even if I may never see my college weight again. That’s the point – being healthy is important, and as a freelancer it can be easy to forget that.
Have you gained weight as a freelancer? What do you do to stay healthy?
Since I went solo at the beginning of this year, I’ve packed on a few pounds, as well. While most people can’t tell the difference, I certainly am self-conscious about it. The gain is mainly attributable to mindless stress eating in front of the TV/DVD at night as a way to escape from the anxiety of having to make ends meet and support my family. To combat this, I’ve heeded the advice of my brother, who is a certified personal trainer and owns his own fitness center: *Do something that you enjoy and will want to keep doing regularly.* I’ve returned to rock climbing after a 7-year hiatus. It’s so much fun that I don’t even think about the fact that I’m burning calories. And making personal time for myself has been a welcome respite from the constant deadlines and pursuit of new business. -Tom
Congrats on getting back out there, Tom! I run with a friend, which makes it more fun. You’re right about the personal time, too. It’s a much needed break during my day and def cuts down on the stress eating later.