Walking: easy wellbeing for self employed

Walking: easy wellbeing for self employed

Working, travelling, and staying fit: how to manage wellbeing for self employed? It is possible, but you need to be mindful of it.

For digital nomads with wanderlust in their veins, health sometimes takes the backseat as we try to wrangle our lifestyle and stay on top of our career goals. There are constant challenges – where to stay and work, and how to make money!

Wellbeing for self employed: the simple trick

Being exposed to different climates and environments can take its toll if we aren’t careful. Wellbeing for self employed and digital nomads means keeping fit. But, this can be hard because we usually don’t stick to one place long enough to invest in a gym membership.

What can we do if we want a toned, healthy body that we’re proud of?

It’s simple, we can walk.

Wellbeing for self employed in a city means taking a break for a half hour stroll

Walking burns a ton of calories

According to Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, we need least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise each week. If you break this up into small chunks, it means you can exercise for 30 minutes five times a week and get the full benefits. But you need moderate to high-intensity kind of aerobics to pull it off.

Walking offers just the kind of cardio you need — easy to do, and even easier to modify depending on your time and level of physical fitness. If you keep a leisurely pace, you can burn around 70 calories per mile. The more you increase your speed, the more you can burn. If you walk at a brisk pace, you can burn anywhere from 300-400 calories an hour.

 

Here’s a calculator that can help you count the calories. If you want more accurate results, you can always use a pedometer or a Fitbit bracelet that will measure everything.

If you’re quite out of shape right now, walking is a great idea because it allows you to start things at your own pace. You can then slowly increase intensity as you grow stronger and get more stamina. You might even be forced into walking as you globe-trot if you choose a style of travel like house and pet sitting.

Walking has a lot of health benefits

Walking doesn’t just burn calories, it also speeds up your metabolism. Even your passive metabolic rate can rise. This means that when you’re resting, you’re still using more energy than before, and your body starts melting fat quicker.

Regular walks are also great for improving your cardiovascular health and your immune system, and helping your overall muscle tone. Your leg, lower back, and core muscles will particularly benefit from this type of exercise.

Wellbeing for self employed and digital nomads is really important - get outside for a daily hike or walk wherever you are in the world

Hiking destinations are perfect for digital nomads

Want a surefire way to make yourself stick to an exercise regimen and finally get in shape? Take a hiking trip.

For a digital nomad, this can be a great experience that provides the perfect opportunity to blog about something extremely interesting. It also means you’re taking a big step for your health and you won’t be making any more excuses.

There are plenty of options to choose from, like the short and fun Inca Trail, to the memorable Camino de Santiago that can take up to a month to finish. The Camino is renowned for being a deeply transformative experience that lets you experience Spain the way you never have before. It’s very good for people who plan to work the entire time because you’ll generally have internet access for most of the hike.

Other good options would be The King’s Trail in Sweden, the Yosemite Grand Traverse in California, and the Bay of Fires in Australia. If you want a huge challenge, then take the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in the United States. It’s one of the longest and most beautiful of routes, but it’s difficult and it can take half a year to finish.

Not a fan of hiking? No worries…

If you really aren’t a fan of hiking, city breaks are the next best alternative. Sightseeing often means you have to cover a lot of ground on foot. Since you are too busy looking at said sights, you will not even notice how many miles you are covering.

Some of the best cities to walk in include Prague and its magnificent castles, and Boston with its historic routes. Also, you’ll want to get lost in Paris and its endlessly charming streets, then there’s Venice, where walking might be the only option, but you wouldn’t want it any other way.

 

Walking is great if you find exercise boring

If the main reason you’re not in good shape is that you find the whole idea of exercise kind of dull, then walking is a great choice for you.

Why?

It’s easy to multitask as you stroll. Put headphones on and listen to your favourite soundtrack, audiobook, or podcast, or take your camera with you and get some work done for your blog. You can take some stunning photos while you explore the city you’re currently in.

This option is perfect for a digital nomad or the self-employed who need unique and interesting ways to capture a journey, whether it’s in your backyard or further afield.

How to manage your time

Same as always, do it by setting a goal.

If your life is too hectic, organising a specific time when you can go and take a walk each day can help immensely. If you want, you can use a walking exercise as a rest from work. Determine a schedule that lets you work a few hours non-stop, but then take a half an hour hike to clear your head, get your focus back, and get inspired again.

Enjoy the ease of walking! This simple aerobic exercise can help you get in shape, and if you’re a digital nomad who craves to be inspired, it also offers you the opportunity to further indulge your wanderlust by exploring every destination on foot.

 

About the author:

Rebecca Brown is a translator by day, and a traveller mostly at night. She is an expert on living with jet lag – and packing in tiny suitcases. You can read more of her exploits at RoughDraft.

 

Getting motivated when you’re struggling

motivated

I’ve been finding it difficult to get started lately. It’s unusual for me, but this does happen on occasion. Like many of you, I work for myself, I’m really busy and my to-do list is always extensive.

Each day it includes a merry mix of all the elements I’m meant to include in life – fitness, nutrition, meditation, keeping an eye on my goals, managing clients, calling my mum, caring for the dog, paying my bills and writing. Lots of writing for work! Usually it’s because I have so much to do that I speed through things in an attempt to get everything done, but this past week or so I just can’t seem to find the motivation to conquer it. I skip out on going to Pilates, emails are driving me insane so I often procrastinate on them, and same with many of my social media tasks. I end up stuck on mundane tasks that I don’t have to think much about, but I’m left in the evening with either a lack of excitement about the day that’s just been, or I’ve not ticked off much of my to-do list.

I don’t like either situation, and neither is ‘me’. I am usually very good at time management – if I could just keep from feeling fuzzy headed and lacking enthusiasm! I’m also at a point in my business where I’m working a LOT but I’m working at bringing in new clients and money, working on the business, pitching etc. Consequently I’m working all the time but for little financial return. I don’t mind this, but I think it’s potentially getting me down a bit. Can you relate?

I’ve identified:

1. I reckon I’m lacking in support and contact with others, and therefore am left floundering on my own for most of the day.

2. My list of things to do is too big, and I’m getting overwhelmed, and therefore instead of starting, I’m struggling with where to start.

3. I’m also quite tired so potentially something health-wise I need to rectify.

I bet I’m not alone on this front though. Does anyone understand how I feel? Do you have any advice?

I’ve taken a step toward my goal of building my online business and also digital networking by signing up to a 30 day blogging challenge with the Simple Blogging Network. I hope that by doing this I’ll be pushed along to blog more/regularly but with the bonus of receiving engagement and feedback, and also the opportunity to interact with others.

I’ve also done a bit of Sunday afternoon reading about getting motivated when you’re struggling, and have discovered a couple of interesting articles. One is a couple of years old, but really helpful, 16 Ways to Get Motivated When You’re In a Slump, by Loe Babauta. From this piece I gleaned that I am probably focussing on too many things, although, it’s hard to narrow that down when the items on my list to follow up on each day are about building the business and hopefully bringing in dollars.

And in amongst that, I need to fit in health and fitness time which is an important goal to me at the moment too (but often put on the back burner if I’m ‘behind’ with work). Nevertheless, perhaps narrowing my goals is something I need to address sooner rather than later, so I’m working towards a more defined ‘something’ rather than a whole heap of things.

From these one or two narrowed goals, I liked his suggestion of looking for something each day to inspire towards those goals, for example, if fitness is important, or even a goal of ‘getting motivated’ is critical, then reading something about these things in the morning to get fired up about it is a good idea.

Another feature I enjoyed was this one from The Huffington Post by James Clear, with particular reference to exercise, but I think the tips apply to many situations. He discusses the “pre game routine” that’s “so easy you can’t say no”. It’s kind of like taking baby steps towards getting going, and creating a routine so that the day – or what I’m meant to be getting into each morning – is shuffled into motion without a hitch. So, perhaps my pre-blogging routine is to settle in with a cuppa and just write for 15 minutes…

Anyway, food for thought, and I at least feel a little better about being proactive about solving this issue. Who knows, maybe with Monday morning tomorrow I’ll be back on board. Feedback and comments always welcome though.

Sarah Blinco