Last week, I asked a simple question and one which bloggers and Internet freelancers often ignore: What do you do to stay healthy?. Such a question is easy to ignore, and any discussion of the topic is easy to dismiss as irrelevant mumbo-jumbo. But I can assure you that it's not.
I also made the case in that post that health is a topic of vital importance. Think about it. Why do you work? You work, fundamentally, to preserve and enhance your own life and the life of your family. Many of us get so obsessed with work that we forget why we do it, and in the process, neglect the very things we work for: ourselves.
As a blogger, your well-being should be something you think about. You should pay attention to the state of your body and the state of your mind. Do you find yourself feeling sluggish a lot of the time? Do you find yourself feeling depressed? These are signs that your body is giving you that are indicative of something being wrong. By taking these signs seriously, you can use them as cues for action.
The good news is that I can personally attest to the fact that respecting and committing time to the health of your own body can pay huge dividends. Your mind will be clearer. Your motivation to act and be productive will get stronger. Your ability to interact with and enjoy other people will increase.
Over the last two years I've been systematically trying to take my body seriously. I've taken its cues and made every attempt to improve my overall quality of life. Below, I've listed 23 tips that will help you do the same.
Twenty-Three Health Tips For Bloggers
1. Before you drink coffee in the morning, drink a glass of water (keep a steady supply of water at your desk). This will help minimize the negative fidgety-buzz that coffee can give you.
2. Start your day off with a 20 minute walk
3. Walk away from the computer at least once every two hours and take a step outside
4. Keep at least one 10-25 pound dumbell by your desk, and use it at least once a day when you notice that your in the middle of a productivity funk.
5. Eat one small meal every 2-3 hours
6. Start your day off with twenty minutes of Yoga or Pilates. I'm personally a fan of the GAIAM series.
7. If you can't sleep, take a sleeping pill. Sleep is critical to your overall well being. Just make sure not to take sleeping pills more than 3 days in a row.
8. If you feel sluggish, get down on the floor and do some push-ups
9. If your mind feels twitchy, it's probably because you've had too much coffee. Drink some water and get some fresh air.
10. If you feel depressed or sad, immediately find a friend on AIM or in a private forum to talk with. It does wonders.
11. Buy an odometer/speedometer for your bike. Then go for a bike ride around 2pm each day. It'll give you a "second-wind" for the day. Challenge yourself to go a little bit further and a little bit faster each day.
12. If you're in a healthy relationship, have sex at least once every 3 days. I'm dead serious about this. It can be critical to both mental and physical stability.
13. If you're addicted to IMing, porn, RSS reading, movie watching, shoe shopping, music searching or whatever else dominates your time.... TAKE BACK CONTROL OF YOURSELF and YOUR TIME ... addictions of any kind are not healthy - a healthy person has full control over him or herself.
14. Once a quarter, try something new. A hobby, an online project, a daily habit. Trying something new and succeeding at it is both physically stimulating and mentally liberating.
15. Buy a dog. While a puppy may result in mental torture and sleep deprivation for a few months, the benefits are pricless. Dogs lift your spirit and can give you the incentive you need to take a walk. But please don't buy a dog unless you are serious about giving it a walk at least twice a day.
16. Try detoxing your body for a week. When I'm feeling really bad physically, I use two principles: A) Drink nothing but water and B) Eat nothing but fruits, vegetables and nuts
17. Get some sun. Seriously. Half an hour of good skin exposure to the sun can revive the body.
18. Find an excercise partner to help stay motivated. If you can't find an exercise partner, motivate yourself through the habit forming stage with a massively enticing reward (50 inch Samsung LCD with a PS3 anyone)?
19. Minimize your intake of processed breads and carbs. Keep a healthy stash of nuts and fruits (grapes and walnuts are a great snack) to satisfy your snack cravings.
20. Guys, challenge yourself to work on the beer gut everyday for 10 minutes and stick with it. Take that challenge as seriously as you take your latest internet project or fantasy football team. Girls, challenge yourself to work on the cellulite areas. Take that challenge as seriously as you take your latest internet project or the your desire to get your 101st handbag.
21. Don't drink alcohol after 7pm. Not only can it prevent you from sleeping deeply, but it can also result in more carb-based weight gain. Or...you might wake up the next day with a bad headache;-)
22. Challenge yourself to save alcohol and desserts only on the weekends. Your body will feel much more stable during the week if you keep it toxic free.
23. Your mental health demands that you are working on projects that you enjoy and that elicit creativity. If you find yourself bogged down in meaningless, tedious work, start taking the steps to transition into healthy, rewarding work by carving out time each day to pursue your own interests (rather than those of your boss - even if your boss in an alter-ego of yourself;-)
Get some sun?
I live in Northern Ireland. What's this 'sun' thing you talk about Ryan? :)
Good post by the way. I'm starting to spend an hour on the cross-trainer during TV time (what a multi-tasker!), and the odd country walk for some fresh air. I actually find the walks give me a bit of perspective and being away from the computer for a while allows you time to gain perspective.
Great Advice
When I lived and worked in the city, I walked everywhere. Here in suburbia, there are no sidewalks and it's tough finding time when you work at home and tend to your family. This year I decided I absolutely needed to take time for me and get into shape. Every day as soon as the bus leaves I go for a walk on the local bike path - about a mile and a half. Not only am I getting much-needed exercise, but as Gerard mentioned about it's a great way to gain perspective.I also cut a lot of unhealthy stuff out of the family diet. The guys protest a little but they're mostly good sports about it.
I think it's easy to forget about your health when you're sitting behind a desk all day. One day you're getting dressed and realize you can't fit into your jeans anymore. Definitely make your health a priority.
Good one, Ryan.
Yes, that is a picture of
Yes, that is a picture of my beer-gut. And yes, I'd love for you to add to the list!
Siesta...
Most people have a natural downturn somewhere between 1:30 and 3:00 in the afternoon. A 15-30 minute nap can work wonders (your mileage will vary) and revitalise you for the rest of the afternoon. Be sure not to oversleep as that can leave you sluggish and behind the eight ball until bedtime. Something like Pzizz is excellent for a controlled relaxation/nap for a defined period of time.
Unfortunately for me I work in an office and there is nowhere comfortable I can disappear for 15 minutes to recharge. It's a shame that so many industrialised societies frown upon the midday siesta. I'm absolutely convinced that it would increase productivity, but us public administrators get accused of being lazy enough as it is without adding siestas to the mix.
Great Thread
I've been working out for probably 6 or 7 years consistently now all through my later college years and through graduate school. Although this doesn't cover everyone, I can say that even for the busiest of schedules that staying in shape and being motivated about it will do wonders for your confidence, energy and work drive. Putting that 1 hour in, whether it be by taking 1 hour from precious sleep or TV/hobbies is well worth it. Once you get hooked you'll never stop!! Great post!!!
Thanks Sufu. As you say.
Thanks Sufu. As you say. The key is to just freakin' do it and ask questions later. Soon enough it you'll be hooked.
Don't Type so much
I've been blogging about this since January(Link to feed category), but I purposefully use Dragon Naturally Speaking to write about 40-50% of my articles.
It gives my hands and wrists a break. Amazingly, its even better for reducing eye strain. It definitely requires mental training to learn to compose by voice instead of through your fingers, but the benefits are worth it.
PS, that's not a fat guy, that's my mother, where did you find a prenatal picture of me still in her womb?
Not to many people realize that my mother carried me in her womb for 10 years.
Good Stuff
Nice read. You can read something on similar lines at my blog here: http://desinotes.com/five-ways-to-handle-stress
i like this website and
i like this website and especially tip #12!
Great outlook
The way you are incorporating realistic, can't-afford-not-to-do-them habits is very inspirational. That is exactly what I try to tell my clients to do (I am a personal trainer). Would you like to write something for my site, FitLink.com? I think you can reach a lot of people and would love to help.
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