Work and Work Out

[#1]

Hello everyone

 Just curious, how does everyone balance their routine, or what is their workout routine while doing a desk job?

 I personally go for a run or hiking and start working in the afternoon. 

[#2]

I have been hiring other freelancers to work out for me.

(But thus far I feel like I am not getting the full benefit of their exercise. So I may be doing something wrong...)

[#3]

haha I really wish, something like that, to be possible 😂

[#4]

There is is no balance in freelancing, whatever anyone says.  All those pious dos and donts are just figments of people's imagination of how they would like freelancing to be, but it isn't the case. You will sometimes surface to the top and get a lungful of air and you will sometimes grope around in the muddy depths blind, unfocused, and miserable.  I wouldn't have it any other way, but it doesn't suit everyone. 

[#5]

Did you follow your usual policy of hiring five freelancers and only keeping the one who's doing the job right? You need to dump anyone who's just sitting around drinking beer and watching TV when they're supposed to be providing you with vicarious health and fitness.

[#6]

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Preston H wrote:

I have been hiring other freelancers to work out for me.

(But thus far I feel like I am not getting the full benefit of their exercise. So I may be doing something wrong...)

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I've just gone one step further. I hired a doctor on Upwork who told me exercise is bad for you, which is exactly what I wanted to hear. I didn't know you could get such great medical advice for $5 an hour.

[#7]

🤣Love it!

[#8]

I have a VR headset that I use most  week days. It's handy because I can use it to work out in the spare room without having to go out to a gym and back (which takes too long for my liking).

[#9]

All kidding aside... The original poster presents a serious question that all of us need to deal with.

Below: Screenshot from Disney/Pixar's "WALL-E" (2008).

[#10]

I just got back from sitting in a mansion in Florida on the ocean and I think in 10 days I've gained 10 pounds living like the 1%, so I have some work to do after the first -_-  BUUUUUUT normally, I run or lift weights almost every day. Just an hour in the morning and then I start work around noon maybe 1pm and work later in the day.

It's not that hard to fit in something when you work from home. I tried so many times in corporate but I could only do it either 5am (nard NOPE) or 6pm so I went at 6pm and never lasted because I hate working out in the afternoon. Now I have a gym buddy and we work out at 10am at the gym 3 times a week so it keeps me going.

I have a Fitbit too and recommend it to track your goals.

[#11]

My daily routine consists mainly of carrying a pile of fresh coconuts from downstairs up to the balcony. It's much heavier exercise than it sounds! 

And once a week or so, on a day when my legs feel close to the same as when I was still running half marathons for fun, I try to challenge myself to do a reenactment of Jumanji 2, the mandrill scene: the local monkeys over here chase after you if you happen to passed right through their territory or if you picked up a coconut or two and they thought they just caught you red-handed. Those little **Edited for Community Guidelines** can be so fast! 

Disclaimer: Do not attempt this at home without professional guidance. These tropical stunts require years of training to be executed safely. But if you do, only steal an empty coconut husk, not the whole thing. That will piss off the monkeys slightly less. Stay safe.

[#12]

Mikko hasn't anyone ever told you that  there is a time and place for everything, but constant repetition of a joke that only you find funny can get you labelled as the all-time bore, particularly when someone poses a relatively serious question. 

I'm sure Upwork would give you a coconut slot all your own if  you we all asked nicely, but in the meantime, railroading other people's posts IMO is pretty bad forum etiquette. Just sayin' ... 

[#13]

I walk/run 3-5 miles a day. Usually start the day with 3 miles with my dogs, then 2 more miles in the afternoon/evening. Plus yoga/ballet a few times a week. It took me a while to learn to put my self-care time first, prioritizing it over work, but it got to the point I was so tired and "sick" that I had to re-prioritize. 

Nichola is right, the idea of balance is a myth. It's not about balancing but prioritizing. I'm trying to convince my mother of that right now, because she's working herself to an early grave and not spending time with family, and no one is going to care how much she worked when she's gone...

Obviously time management is important, but if you don't have your health (both physical and mental) you are no good to anyone. So I followed Jen's advice on another post a while back where she mentioned she does all her stuff first in the day and clients can wait their turn. 

I use my prime hours for myself, and work can get my next best hours. 🙂 

Also I have a desk that raises and lowers and a folding treadmill that I sometimes walk on while I edit or do research. Sometimes even during client calls since I'm just talking. 

[#14]

I live at the top of a steep hill and don't own a car, so there's no real need for a workout routine.

[#15]

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Christine A wrote:

I live at the top of a steep hill and don't own a car, so there's no real need for a workout routine.

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Do you trudge uphill both ways to get groceries in the snow? 

You know, my dad used to claim that...too bad I know he grew up in Florida where it's flat and never snows. 

[#16]

LOL. It doesn't really snow here either (on the rare occasion when it does, everyone freaks out - you'd think that it was a napalm strike rather than a few snowflakes), but I've done plenty of trudging in the rain - does that count?

[#17]

I have an exercise bike in my office. Doesn't get much use. My goal for 2022!  😏

[#18]

I have a pair of dumbbells, a barbell, a pull-up bar, a bench, and some resistance bands, and I'm using some of these daily. I go for walks in the morning before starting work.

And while working, to make sure I'm not sitting for too long, I break it up every 30 minutes or so to do specific exercises learned from Jeff Cavilier of Athlean X. Mainly inspired by these videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-7ZWPCWv0U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3PZZyoXnKU

- C. out.

[#19]

I just watched these videos and the exercises bring both a fresh perspective on micro workouts and motivation. I´ll be trying them out tomorrow. Thank you!

[#20]

I have a regular threadmil and a VR treadmill. But I'm not using it enough. The weirdest thing is that just walking outside for 30 min is easier than walking on a treadmill the same time.

[#21]

I tend to be the opposite, probably because we have terribly hot summers and sort of nasty winters.  I don't have, and won't buy, a treadmill nor will I go to the gym with the Covid flying around.  I did walk a couple thousand steps yesterday, outside and am quite proud. (I am having a really hard time getting my legs to work because of severe back problems.)  I also go up and down our stairs a few extra times a day.  It isn't much, but it's something!

[#22]

Depending on the weather and temperature, I like to go for an early morning walk of at least a mile. Then do a little workout when I get home. Lately it's been too chilly in the morning to comfortably walk.

[#23]

I'm a Latin American dance teacher, so I dance, dance, dance