15 February

How To Stay Fit As A Freelancer?

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One could say that freelancing is the lazy man’s way out of office-going. It involves working and generally doing everything from home, digitally. The travel to and from the workplace and all the running around is taken out of the equation. Seems like a dream, right? Your body would say not. Sitting around all day with the least amount of movement leads to sluggishness, lethargy and god forbid, obesity. The brain is active undoubtedly, but the body needs activity too.

So how do you keep your body, mind, and soul active through long hours of staying cooped up at home?



GO FOR A JOG EARLY MORNING

Exercise induces the release of adrenaline and dopamine hormones which regulate metabolic activity and excitement in the body. Running not only gives your body a good work out but the pure the air in the morning also freshens up the mind. Exercise also helps in preventing and managing chronic diseases. Change your jogging route every now and then to keep things from becoming mundane. Follow the run with some stretches to make your muscles more flexible. This is the first step towards lifestyle modification!

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DO YOGA

Early morning is again the best time to do yoga. Nevertheless, this particular form of exercise can be done anytime throughout the day. A calmer, and less strenuous form of physical exertion, yoga is predominantly focused on breathing and stretching of muscle groups. This can be the go-to routine for off-days from the gym, or days you are too lazy to go out running.
The benefits of yoga are endless, researchers have found that yoga outplayed aerobic exercises at improving balance, flexibility, strength, menopausal symptoms, pain levels among seniors, daily energy level, and social and occupation functioning, among other health parameters. Yoga does a lot more than relaxing your body and making you more flexible. It can help you lose weight just like a gym can, it lowers the risk of heart malfunction, helps you sleep better and calms your mind. As I said, the benefits really are endless, you cannot lose with Yoga!

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JOIN A GYM/ZUMBA CLASS/FITNESS GROUP

As mentioned in previous articles, (insert link of networking article) a freelancer needs to get out and find social groups to relax and have fun with after work. Joining a community product like a gym, or a fitness class will encourage you to interact with more people. This serves the dual purpose of networking and exercise.

It need not have to be very long hours, how much ever is feasible according to your physical capabilities, is enough to maintain your fitness. Joining somewhere with a friend, or a fellow freelancer is helpful because then you have someone to push you when you just want to stay in bed and binge eat. Not to mention, your body could really use the exercise. In fact, various studies have shown that exercising also helps boost your brainpower and also sharpens your memory. So, what are you waiting for? Go get that annual gym membership NOW!

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EAT, AND EAT WELL

Yes, your diet is also a vital part of maintaining fitness. Freelancers tend to follow their own rhythm and time directory - waking up whenever, eating at odd hours, sleeping late into the night. These are unhealthy habits that stem from too much freedom and flexibility at hand.

It often happens that work overpowers the mind, and without any external alarm systems or people to remind you, you end up skipping meals or binge eating fast food on a regular basis. Eating out every day, or ingesting a majority of processed or junk food plays havoc with the bodily system and no matter how much you exercise, cholesterol and high carbohydrates turning into fat, have a good possibility of being retained in the system.

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Cook your own food at home. If you can’t cook, hire somebody or have a monthly subscription to a mess that makes healthy home-cooked food. Include green leafy vegetables, milk, and protein in the diet. For non-vegetarians, you know what to eat without this article telling you; avoid fried meat and red meat as much as possible. You should replace junk with fruits and salads. A diet enriched in vitamins and minerals will boost your immune system, keep non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and obesity at bay and also help your mental health.


SIGN UP FOR NATURE WALKS/ MARATHONS/ HIKES AND TREKS

Now that you’ve earned money by freelancing, what are you going to do with it?

Instead of gorging on lavish dinners every night, how about investing in a good camera or hiking kit and chasing the wanderlust dream you’ve always had? Going on beautiful walks, hikes and treks brings one close to nature and you would be surprised to know of the cathartic effects it has on the mind and spirit. Gather some friends and set out on a hilly adventure, or sign up for a camp-out and make new buddies there. Consider these as alternate holiday options, and we assure you, nature is much better than window shopping!

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Get up and get moving freelancers! Remember, ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. 



Read 1495 times Last modified on Monday, 17 February 2020 15:32
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Anwesha Roy

Anwesha Roy is a Journalism student, somewhat expert artist and aspiring to be an expert in graphic design. I like writing, reading, and performing my poetry. I intend to be in the print media industry and make a change in the world by bringing my ideas to life and help the poor and impoverished in different parts of the world.

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