3 Ways to Stay Consistent with Health Goals as a Traveling Freelancer
Posted on May 11, 2018 by Shampaigne Graves, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
Staying consistent with a wellness routine is difficult when your work is remote and your location is ever changing.
I’m currently enrolled in an accelerated freelance writing course that teaches amateur writers the tools that seasoned authors use to maintain a successful and consistent career as a freelance writer.
Similar to other online courses and seminars, my program began with a pros and cons list of being a freelancer.
Besides the most obvious negative aspect of inconsistent pay; the development of unhealthy practices was a prominent concern that I noticed.
With countless hours in front of a computer screen, and no real reason to leave your home, apartment, or pajama bottoms; being a freelancer is the sedentary career your health teacher warned you about.
Growing up in a health conscious family, and having an education in exercise science doesn’t exactly make you a health nut. I have never attempted whole 30 because I’m absolutely positive my sugar withdrawals would be similar to those of a recovering cocaine addict. I live on a steady wardrobe of spandex, cotton and polyester; and my only motivation to workout is so that I can shimmy my ass into the expensive party dresses I wear out on special occasions.
Those aren’t my only motivations. Maintaining the credibility of being a health and fitness coach is also a concern. However, the aforementioned drivers are the most authentic.
Needless to say, I too struggle with making the best choices for my personal wellness. With a heavy travel schedule, completely remote workload and limited availability of nutritiously dense options while traveling; I have to make conscious decisions to make my health and fitness a priority.
Try some hotel yoga. I wrestle with lower back pain from wild sleeping, fully booked flights, and sleeping away from home. My morning yoga sessions help to relieve the pain associated with my aching spine. These sessions also help me to center myself and focus on the beauty and excitement of the day. Being able to travel the world, complete passion-filled work and amplify my voice in the world is a privilege I never want to take for granted. Taking time to honor the moment each morning through yoga provides me with mindful space that is so needed in my day.
Go vegetarian. I practice intuitive eating. Which means that I follow my body’s natural rhythm and listen to my gut (no pun) when it comes to what and how much I can eat. A practice that really helps me to stay on track during the week or while traveling is to stick to a vegetarian or vegan diet during the day. I give myself a break at dinner time, however, I usually end up sticking with a mostly veggie rich meal and lean protein for dinner. I still indulge, however, I find that I do so less often when practicing eating intuitively.
Select a hotel with a wellness center. Traveling and vacation seem to go hand in hand. While in a new city, we often want to just forget about our regimes, routines, and schedules. By making sure that there is a fitness facility in whatever hotel we select, I eliminate the excuse of not having anywhere to workout. Working out in an on-site gym is also a nice change in routine with my fitness regime. I usually complete my workouts at home with guided training videos. I detest the pomp, frills, and showmanship of the gym crowd so being able to get a great workout at home is really important to me. However, it is nice to mix up my body weight training with weights at the gym. Also being able to use the elliptical for cardio days is priceless when I have back to back coaching sessions scheduled but still need to squeeze in a quick workout. But the best part about training in a hotel gym is that it is almost always empty. With most hotel guests in vacation mode, and not concerned with days off from their wellness routines, hotel fitness accommodations are hardly ever utilized.
Dedicating space in your schedule for health and fitness regimes is difficult especially as a traveling freelancer. Although it is not impossible. By implementing small lifestyle changes, you can achieve big results in finding the wellness practices that fit into your life.
