The Work And Health Dynamic
I never used to live such a sedentary lifestyle. Now I’m sitting on my but almost all of my waking hours staring at a monitor and typing on a keyboard. Between my 9-to-5 job and my own business that I’ve started up, I never seem to get away from it to get any exercise – or do much of anything else.
I’ve found that my productivity and energy levels have dipped to a record low. In this type of state I get less done in more time – not what most people are striving for. So how did I change this? I started getting a little bit of exercise everyday. First step was to just get moving. I go out for walks every night for 45 minutes. I do this just after dinner and before it gets too late and screws up the the second part of the adjustment – getting more sleep.
I had been working late into the night and surviving on less than 5 hours of sleep a night. I though I was being driven. The truth was the only thing that was being driven was my productivity – straight into the ground. Now I head to bed by 11 and get a full 7 – 8 hours of sleep. And with a little exercise everyday I now sleep better as well.
Next step, which I’m about to embark on is adding an hour workout session. Yes, exercise twice a day. The walks are nice to get the blood flowing and clear the head, but they don’t constitute real exercise in my eyes. I was a lot more active before, and plan to get back to that again. Plus, sitting in front of a computer for most of the day I also put on a good 25 pounds of unwanted fat. That has to go as well.
So my own personal prescription is 1 hour of cardio in the morning and a 45 minute walk after dinner, followed by a good nights sleep. We’ll see how much better I’m feeling and looking in a month. If present indicators are indicative of future results, I’ll have to say I’ll be looking and feeling pretty darn good.
And to take things to the next level, I’m looking at adding in some weight training during my lunch hour. I have a gym membership to a health club near my new office, so it’s time to start using what I’m paying for. The catch will be the fourth part of the dynamic – eating healthy. I’ll need to start bringing my lunch and eating at my desk.
You need to eat healthy in order to feel healthy, and to full this lifestyle change of working out several time a day. It isn’t that hard to do, except fitting it into my already hectic schedule. I’ll need to find time to exercise, grocery shop, cook, and work two jobs…the next question will be if there will be time for anything else? I’m not too sure at the moment. I’ve already cut back on my time in front of the television and replaced it with time working in front of my computer. I record all my favorite shows, and catch up on them when I’m feeling burned out and don’t want to do anymore work. I know I’ll also have to be a little more productive on the weekends as well.
The work and health dynamic is something we all need to consider. What good is working hard and earning money if you are fat, unhealthy, unhappy, and on your way to an early grave. Just something to think about.