Career and fitness?

I'm not sure if you're talking about a competitive Wall Street type of financial services job, but I have found the expectation is that you put in the hours and still work out. The further you get from Wall Street, both physically and philosophically, the less this applies. This is based on my observations in a Fortune 500 financial services company. You should also consider what the potential stress levels will do to your health, if 12 hour days (and weekends?) are the base expectation.

dbkyser wrote: »

Most of my life I put my family and career first. Fitness was always put to the back of the line. I am seriously thinking about making the priority family and fitness, as long as I can still provide and have a life.

I always tell people...if you don't take care of you and your health who will take care of the family when you can't...

Make your health a priority so you can prioritize family over work.

I did not switch careers but how many hours I worked specifically for my health and family. Extra hours at work and commuting meant a tired mommy who feed the kids frozen pizza and was too beat to play. Fewer hours means I actually save money on food because I have time to cook from scratch, and I can get in my workouts and save my mental and physical health.

My health is way more important than my job! I refuse to let type 2 diabetes and heart attacks just move on in in my 40s as seems genetically programmed into my fathers side of the family. They(health issues on that scale) will have to fight to get to me!

mulecanter wrote: »

Sounds like you answered your own question. 12 hours a day is crazy talk--I don't think it's sustainable. Your health should always be your top priority--you lose it and you will regret it.

ya, burnout is eminent

dbkyser wrote: »

Has anyone changed careers, or taken a less paying job for the sake of fitness?
I may have a chance to get back into the finance business but it is 12+ hours a day mostly behind a desk. I am not sure its worth the extra money for what it will do to my fitness.

If it pays well and you like; try getting a treadmill desk. Some of them are convertible to a standard sit down desk.

I have a standing desk and I am constantly moving at it. Slow butt kickers, knee lifts, etc... It really helps. Even in a 12 hour day, there is always 5-10 minutes available for a walk to keep up the activity level. For my daily workout, I just get up at 4:45am to get it in. It's hard to skip a workout when you're hardly conscious.

I would never take a pay-cut for the sake of exercising more, but you could figure out ways to get exercise in during your 12-hour workdays. Consider an adjustable desk (also known as standing desk) that will allow you to stand and move versus just sitting in a chair all day. Take the stairs whenever you have to walk between floors in the building. Park in the furthest spot away or highest deck in the parking deck and walk it. See if you can plan your work hours to allow for fitness before or after without losing out on quality of life. If you work 7a-7p, you can get up and hit the gym at 5 a.m. for a good workout, and still have your evenings with family and/or friends.

I make my time in the gym a priority and always find a way to work it around whatever job I'm in. If the job I was in made it extremely difficult, unless it was my absolute dream career I would be looking for a new one!

Last year I changed jobs from a fairly active job with messed up shift patterns to a 9-5 desk job. I don't love the sitting down aspect as it requires more work to prevent lower back or neck problems. I do love the times though. I've always had enough sleep, and I get a regular training partner.

Opportunities are there to work overtime but I only take it on a weekend as I'm training most weekdays. The O/T pay is very good, but I still have priorities and I would have to be pretty financially desperate to spend my evening working instead. Even then I'd probably train before work (and I hate mornings!) AND I'd be looking for a better paid job that covered my requirements without having to work over 40 hours.

It all comes down to priorities. My main priority is being able to support myself, pay my bills/mortgage. I will not quit a job for the gym, I will just look harder for a new one. Other priorities are a job that gives me opportunity to progress financially , that I don't dread going to each day, and that also gives me a good work - life (ie: training) balance.

I prioritize quality of life. I could make a lot more money if I were willing to commute into Boston, which I am not.

At lunch today I went for a 108 minute hike. I did yoga before work and gardened afterwards. I didn't do any of that when I had a 10 hour day with an hour commute on either end.

what it will do for fitness?

What about what it will do for your quality of life in general? Here's my thing... unless you are following a passion and doing something that fulfills you every day, i will NOT EVER give up literally half my life towards someone else's dream. We never know what's going to happen in life and i think it's important to find out happiness and joy day in and day out. This means eating the right foods, taking care of our bodies, maintaining good mental health and a positive mindset. Health is wealth.

No amount of money is worth it to me to compromise on these values i have. I will make enough money to live, but there is no reason for me personally to kill myself for an extra paycheck. What's the point in making all that extra money when you've now compromised your happiness, have no time to use it, and are miserable all the time?

I dont know... this is just my opinion. I would say especially this is the case since you mentioned wanting to spend time with your family. At the end of the day, you need to decide what your priorities in life are. I made my priority in life to be happy, do something that fulfills me, and to always treat my body with respect above all else so this situation wouldn't even be a question for me.