I get several emails a week about this and that and thought I’d answer some questions I get most often here.
How tall are you?
I’m right smack in the middle of average at 5’4.
What diet plan do you follow?
Right now I’m dabbling in a world without refined flours and sugars. Cutting back on dairy. Cutting back on grains. And cutting back on processed foods. I eat vegetables, meat/poultry/fish, fruit, nuts, some dairy and brown rice.
What kind of exercise do you participate in?
I do strength training once a week and for the past two weeks I’ve been doing Zumba three times a week and Jillian DVD’s the other days.
Have you met your goal weight?
Nope. Not yet.
What do you do for a living? What does an average day look like? How did you get started freelancing? What are your biggest career struggles?
I am a freelance designer and writer. I also make a small line of handmade jewelry and I blog. On a typical day I wake up around 6am, eat breakfast and check all my internet stuff (email, facebook, blog, twitter etc.), around 7am I start writing. Around 9am I take an hour break (food, stretching, fresh air, email). At 10am I’m back to writing until noon when I eat lunch. If I have design work to do I will go and do that after lunch (sometimes before lunch). After that I come home, eat dinner, do more work, exercise and then relax.
Most days look like this depending on what I have going on or if I have any deadlines.
I got started by making the decision to do it. Working for myself has been a goal of mine since college. Having an office job never felt like a long term solution for me. I like working with people rather than for them. Bosses tend to feel like they have ownership and control over you, and that’s a feeling I never got used to. If I want a raise, I work harder. In the office world, it’s up to the guy signing your check. It’s also nice not to have to check in, ask for days off, take time to go to an appointment or just have a “me” day. That will never ever get old.
Struggles with balance. Getting over fears. Setting limits with other people. Owning my time. And finding respect for what I do. A lot of people in my life have no idea what I do. Sometimes being at home is perceived as “doing nothing” or being unemployed, but I work harder than most people in office jobs. I pay for my own health insurance. Every dollar I make is important to me- I don’t take my work for granted. It’s also hard for people to see what I do as important or valuable because my title wasn’t handed to me through a job description. It’s important for me to share what I do with other people and let other people know that this lifestyle is possible for anyone if you’re willing to work hard and find focus. Also having a business name and website is beneficial for legitimacy.
What is your goal weight?
Honestly, I will skip down the street at 180. And wouldn’t sneeze at 190. And will praise the skies at 200, but for my height I should be under 140. That’s a long ways away though.
Do you have children? Do you want children?
No and yes. I’m in a place where I’m (we’re) not actively trying, but would be okay if it happened. Maybe when I’m 30 I’ll warm up to the idea. I have a lot of fears when it comes to having a child: loss of privacy, pain, vulnerability, unsolicited advice, expectations…I could go on I’d also like to be in a better place physically (and mentally).
Who designed your blog?
I did with the help of my husband. I just created a header and the custom graphics. I’m using a wordpress template for the rest.
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2) It takes about 30 minutes for me to get over the “lead legs” feeling. I forced myself to walk up the giant hills three times. By then, I felt like I could keep going. Tomorrow I will stay out much longer.