overworked

finchest

hi there,

my name's susie and i'm new to the forums. i joined my fitness pal a couple years ago but never really invested time or energy into seeking motivation and support, and i realize now that it would help me so much more to have that sense of community. so here i am!

i'm self-employed and overworked, and find that my biggest obstacle in health is my work. frequently i end up working 16-20 hour days, 7 days a week (because i am trying to keep my business afloat) and in doing so, i don't take time to exercise (don't HAVE time to exercise!), don't sleep properly, am loaded with stress and eat what's convenient. (not fast food! but a lot of microwave meals and a lot of snacks.) and in general, i feel awful when my work takes over like that - but also feel like i'm obligated to let it, because i'm self employed and i need all the work i can get. it's a vicious cycle.

i'm a vegetarian of 20 years. i love veggies, but when i'm busy, i don't make it to the market to get fresh foods.
i definitely eat more when i'm feeling worse. but my biggest challenge by far is staying active. i work at home alone. it's easy to trick myself into "ok, tomorrow i'll do it"

there's more about me in my profile, but i'd love to find other people who deal with the same challenge of prioritizing work over health - as well as any vegetarian buddies who will just remind me to stay on top of my goals, which include eating wholesome choices.
thanks for taking the time to read!

jojopel

Request sent. Being self-employed has great advantages, but it's not always easy.

finchest

lately i'm not feeling the advantages! remind me of them again? j/k

thank you for being supportive & looking forward to getting to know you and the other self-employed folks who are forcing themselves to find time to live life well.

jenj1313

I don't work as much as you do, but I tend to do 12-14 hour days. Add commuting 30 min each way and that adds up. I'm a physical therapist, and I love exercise, but sometimes my days are just so draining that I don't have it in me to stop at the gym on the way home, much less put on my running shoes once I've walked in the door.

I also started MFP a couple of years ago (I think I've started 2-3 times, actually), but never did the interactive stuff and always fell off the wagon. So here I am again, trying to make more of an effort this time.

One thing I've found lately that's helped with the activity level, btw, is a kick-boxing / strengthening class that meets between my office and my house. They go 6 days per week, 45 minutes per class. 3 days are kick-boxing, 3 days are strength training with bands. There are people of all different fitness levels in the class, and you can adjust the workouts to be harder or easier depending on how much you push. I wasn't sure I'd like the class format at first, but the external motivation is awesome, and the fact that the workouts are under an hour really helps. We work hard for the whole 45 minutes, so it definitely burns some calories. I know I've gotten stronger and more defined over the past 4 months and I managed not to gain weight between Thanksgiving and Christmas (a first for me over the past 5 years). Now I just need to work on my eating on a more regular basis to get the weight off too.

Feel free to friend me if you want... I could always use more motivation!!

finchest

sending you a friend request now! i bet the social component really helps, so let's do it!
your kick boxing class sounds awesome. i'm a member at the Y and have done kickboxing in the past (sorta: tae bo); i'm going to aim to take a kick boxing class this month there based on your recommendation! maybe it'll be just the trick for me.

one thing i've started doing is yoga in the evenings before bed. it's a good way to wind down. i just log it as "gentle stretching" because i know it's not the "athletic yoga" of something like bikram, but i feel stronger and relaxed when i do it. 12-14 hour day is more my norm, too - 16-20 is when i'm at my worst.. it's very rare i have a day under 12 hours though.

looking forward to getting to know you both better!
susie

finchest

any other vegetarian and/or self-employed folks out there? holler at me!