For those that haven’t followed my journey, one of my largest sticking points is my job. Many people also struggle from this, but thought I would share my experience since this restart. Most of my job is film/video editing, meaning I sit at my desk 10-12 hours a day and barely move. However, I also occasionally work as part of the crew for films and television shows, which presents a different set of challenges.
I recently came across my first couple tests being on the road in 2021.
My Typical Challenges
As an editor, especially post-pandemic, I tend to not leave the house much. Clients send me hard drives, we correspond over email, I upload deliverables online. In fact, it’s not uncommon for me to realize I hadn’t used my voice out loud in days!
Being a freelancer is nice in that I make my own hours. The downside is that while I don’t report to a single boss, each client I have is like having a different boss. Deadlines get tight and leads to long and stressful days.
When things get incredibly busy, this can lead to 12, 14, even 16 hour days. It’s those times where I’m lucky to buy healthy food since with stress my will power always is the first thing to go. Having the time to cook is just out of the question! (I’m working on these things!)
When I worked a 9-5, finding and maintaining a schedule was much easier in every way. Schedule time to work out, time to cook, time to plan meals. With freelance’s ever changing workload, stress, and schedule, finding a set schedule with inconsistent free time is challenging. (Again, working on this!)
Challenges on the Road
When I’m not editing, I also take gigs working on-site in various positions, mostly in the camera department. This presents a whole different set of challenges.
On-site typically has a 10 or 12 hour minimum, with most of it spent on your feet. You don’t put enough effort to ever get your heart rate up, but you’re wiped at the end of the day. So I can’t say it really gets in cardio. However, I find I have the largest number of challenges when I’m working on the road.
These on the road jobs also have long hours, but often times they are out of town and even out of state. Depending on the situation I can be living out of a suitcase and in a hotel for weeks at a time! Not only do I fatigue from the long hours, but often times I don’t have access to a kitchen to cook meals (as if I’d feel like cooking after a long day anyway).
For meals, the crew usually goes to a restaurant of some kind. For me, it’s so easy to get into the habit of burger, crispy chicken sandwich, all the tasty but bad for you stuff that the restaurants offer!
Obviously, this lack of discipline has not yielded good results. Let’s just say my lack of posting here in 2018 correlating with a multi-month project away from home was not a coincidence.
Road Test #1 – Working in Wisconsin
I recently had my first test working on the road! This was a pretty good opportunity with a great company, plus they only needed me for a week, so it was on!
I started off decent, they provided breakfast, but I ordered oatmeal and fruit. Even took a picture to prove it!
With lunches, I tried to at least order a wrap and have veggies, or at least something non-fried as a side. I did well sticking to drinking only water and to keep the empty calories in check!
Unfortunately, as the week went on, the long hours started to take it’s toll. The sweet hotel gym I wasn’t able to take advantage of mocked me endlessly.
Then, the exposure to the elements happened. We worked solely outside and it was COLD and windy! Temps were in the 40’s Fahrenheit (4-10 degrees Celsius)! After a while, that craft service table just beckoned to me to eat something to stay warm. It didn’t help that my workstation was set up right next to it too! I tried to stay with nuts, but I’d be lying if I didn’t get into all the other snacks.
One day for lunch I ordered a baked potato, so that wasn’t terrible….at least it would have been if it wasn’t topped with pulled pork and mac ‘n cheese. It was delicious though, and I felt guilty after so I likely held back on other meals. A man with no momentum and decades of habits can only be pushed so far.
Complete transparency, I did stop and get some cheese on the way home. When in Rome, and it was great!
Road Test #2 – Family Trip
The weekend after, I went on a trip with the family to one of my niece’s dance competitions. I treated it as a mental health getaway, an excuse to unwind and just have some fun and get actual human interaction!
The result was almost the opposite. For meals I was…..okay. The oldest niece already planned out all the places she wanted to go; get dim sum one meal and tacos another meal. My sister told me she even told her classmates, “I’m having tacos and dim sum with my uncle this weekend.” Glad she has her priorities straight in preparation for the competition!
I knew less than ideal meals were coming, but I did my best to limit intake. On the most part I did well. Although one evening I did sneak more squares of pizza that I wish I had.
On the positive side, I DID take advantage of the sweet gym they had at the hotel!
I did a mix of everything, started with a free weights upper body routine, did some leg presses, and finished it off with some intervals on the treadmill. The older niece came down to “coach” me at the end. Trying to do a running interval with an 11 year old yelling “RUN UNCLE DAVID! THINK ABOUT THE DUMPLINGS WE’RE EATING LATER!” was a new experience, but pretty awesome nevertheless.
She did do a fantastic job of leading cool down stretches from what she learned in her dance classes. That was incredibly helpful, plus a fun bonding experience!
Conclusion
In conclusion, with my two tests on the road: meh. Could have done better, could have done worse. I’ve learned that I can’t expect perfection in these non-controlled environments. Besides, the goal is to NOT diet and actually change my habits.
If I lose weight in a controlled setting, I’ll gain it back as soon as I leave said setting…..which is precisely what happened in the past.
Like many things I’ve written about in here, I can stand to improve, however I feel I have learned a little from the past and acted upon it. So baby steps, slowly overcome the challenges, and keep pushing!