I’ve talked about the importance of fitness for web workers many times before. A side effect of spending our days working online is that most of our working hours are spent sitting in front of a computer, so we should make a special effort to fit some type of physical activity into our daily habits. Having software to track my progress makes a big difference in my motivation to work out. I like being able to see that I ran faster or further today than I did yesterday, which helps me to always try to work a little harder everyday to keep the trend lines moving in the right direction.
This week, I’ve been playing with the RunKeeper iPhone app to track my workouts. I wanted to play with something different to track my runs, and some friends have been using RunKeeper, so I thought that I would give it a try. RunKeeper has been around for a while, so it is only new to me, but I like it way better than I thought I would. Read the rest of this entry »
Staying fit is particularly important for those of us who spend our days sitting in front of our computers. Exercise provides many benefits, including keeping your brain working better, improved mood, longer lifespan, increased stamina and reduced risk for many health issues. I’ve written before about how I use technology to keep myself on track and motivated about my fitness regime. This weekend, I ran across a great new fitness tool that uses the GPS functionality of my iPhone to automatically map my workouts and provide me with data including speed, distance, altitude, maps, photos and more.
MotionX-GPS for the iPhone comes in two flavors: a free Lite version with somewhat limited functionality and a full version currently available for $2.99. I used the Lite version for my evaluation, but I’m already thinking about upgrading to the paid version. I gave it a pretty good test with a 1.5-hour, 5.3-mile workout over a combination of city streets and a hike up a local mountain, but there are so many features packed into this app that I wasn’t able to test absolutely everything. Read the rest of this entry »
Whenever I feel like I’m battling to get writing done, and losing, I can hear my mom saying, “You’re human, not a machine.” She’s right. We’re all going to have days when we hit the wall and can’t muster up energy to do our main jobs. And that’s OK!
Instead of feeling guilty, I do other tasks that matter to my business but aren’t my main job, tasks that don’t require the same energy or “mood” as writing does. Whenever the writing muse decides to take a break without my permission, I can work on editing or reviewing tasks instead.
But even if I don’t have any reviewing or editing lined up, there are some tasks that almost everyone can do, guilt-free, regardless of your career. Try one of these next time you hit the wall. Read the rest of this entry »
We all have those crazy ideas that we really want to make happen, and they sound like a great idea for a brief period of time until we talk ourselves out of them. I will admit to having a few wild ideas on my web worker wish list, and I’m just crazy enough to share them with you. These ideas come out of nowhere in the middle of the night, during my shower or while working at my desk, and they brew in my mind just long enough for me to start doing some research, but most of them don’t stick around long enough for me to make them happen.
Last week, I wrote about staying fit as a web worker. While I know that fitness is important from both a physical and mental standpoint, I sometimes resent the time away from work. Yes, I can listen to podcasts and even sometimes do some email or feed reading while I get fit, but I wish I could do more. Enter wish list idea #1: workout workstation. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s been a while since we’ve had a fitness post on WebWorkerDaily. The web worker lifestyle tends to be a sedentary one with many hours spent staring at the computer. Many web workers, and I put myself in this category, have a hard time getting away from work long enough to work out, but it is time well spent that will benefit you in the long run. Exercise isn’t just about losing weight; it has so many benefits for web workers, including keeping your brain working better, improved mood, longer lifespan, increased stamina and reduced risk for many health issues.
Last July, Mike Gunderloy wrote a post covering three fitness resources for the deskbound. His post discussed reducing tension and pain with stretching, trying isometrics instead of the gym, and getting more active. These are all great suggestions, but I wanted to add a few more that work for me. Since we, as web workers, spend our days in front of the computer, I’ll focus on a few online techniques to help you get (and stay) motivated to get off your butt. Read the rest of this entry »
If your New Year’s Resolution to get fit is still under construction 21 days later, here’s a quick set of Web 2.0 sites combining social networking, online record keeping and solid health and fitness information for your consideration.
Note – If it has been years since you’ve last worked out, and years since you’ve had a medical checkup, I’d strongly suggest you bookmark this post, get a physical, and then come back.
Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve talked about the importance of fitness for web workers many times before. A side effect of spending our days working online is that most of our working hours are spent sitting in front of a computer, so we should make a special effort to fit some type of physical activity into our daily habits. Having software to track my progress makes a big difference in my motivation to work out. I like being able to see that I ran faster or further today than I did yesterday, which helps me to always try to work a little harder everyday to keep the trend lines moving in the right direction.
Web Work 101: How To Escape The Cubicle
