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What’s your mental picture of a freelancer?
A person hunched over a computer?
Someone dutifully updating all the social media channels?
Or glued to a smartphone?
The great part about freelancing is you can do it anywhere. The downside about freelancing is that you can do it anywhere. That means you might struggle to stop working.
To shut off your computer or put your phone away. Your work is always there–just waiting for you.
It can be hard to walk away and focus on other parts of your life, like fitness. But, it’s essential! You have to take care of you.
Here are five tips for fitting fitness into your freelancing day.
And by fitness, I don’t mean heading to the gym, or anything like that. I just mean incorporating movement purposefully into my day. You don’t have to leave to be active!
Five Tips for Fit Freelancing
1. Work in Chunks
Breaking your day into bite-sized chunks is the best way to maximize your output. Your brain will be recharged, ready to focus.
Want to try it? Make a list of 3 things you want to accomplish today. Sit down and work on one of them for 15-20 minutes. Then, stop.
Get up, take a stroll around the block, or do 30 jumping jacks. Get your blood flowing.
If you have kids, get down and play with them for 15 minutes.
When your break is over, tackle your to-do list again. Keep it up, and before you know if, everything will be checked off!
2. Stand While You Work
This one simple change will keep you on your feet throughout the day. You can walk in place, do squats, or go up and down on your tip-toes.
The more you move, the better it’ll feel! Your body will thank you.
3. Get a Pedometer
When my husband bought me a FitBit, I thought it was a waste of money. But, I strapped it on and started counting my steps.
You never really think about how many steps you take during the day until you can see the number. It’s motivated me to move more, to ensure I meet my daily step goal.
This is the one I have–it’s a Charge
4. Don’t Make Your Kids Get Everything for You
I used to do this ALL the time. I’d be working, and need something from the printer. Which is upstairs. So I’d holler for one of the kids to fetch it for me.
They did. While I sat.
It wasn’t a very good example to be setting. I was just being lazy!
Now, I make it a point to go get things myself. Especially when it involves the stairs. I need to climb more of those!
5. Clean the House Quickly
Do you know how many steps you get just by cleaning? It’s crazy!
Once a day, we throw on some music, set the timer for 15 minutes, and get to work. I sweep all the stuff into the middle of the room and the kids put it away.
Then, we wash windows, clean the bathroom, or tackle something else on our cleaning list. Don’t stop until the timer beeps!
We all work hard for 15 minutes.
It’s a great way to get natural movement into the day. And it keeps the house looking fairly good–win, win!
What are your best tips for incorporating more movement into your day?
I know I need to keep improving, and would love to hear your ideas!
Are you a fit freelancer? What’s your best advice for someone just getting started in the fitness area?
Lisa Tanner is a former teacher turned homeschooling mom with 11 kids. She's also a successful freelance writer. Lisa enjoys helping other busy moms find time to start and grow a side hustle of their own.
