BY: ERIN M. WILSON
Originally Published: ISBA’s Standing Committee on Women and the Law: The Catalyst (August 2021)
When you hear the word “healthy,” the first things that probably come to your mind are exercising and eating right. Sure, those are two essential factors to looking and feeling your best, but there’s so much more that contributes to living a healthy lifestyle. Here’s a list of tips and tricks to squeeze some more “health” into your busy daily life as a lawyer.
1. Exercise
Yes, you probably saw this coming, the most obvious component of living a healthy lifestyle—exercise. As a busy lawyer, it’s hard to find time to squeeze time for exercise into an already jammed-packed schedule. The good news is, you don’t have to exercise for hours on end, or even leave your house, to benefit your health! Health professionals recommend 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily, and even the busiest of people can manage that.
There are tons of live and pre-recorded virtual workout class options available these days, like Altered Ego Fitness, which allow you to get your 30 minutes of exercise in without even having to leave the comfort of your own home. I have done this religiously since the pandemic started—the time is carved out in my calendar each day. In addition to the convenience of working out at home that these videos provide, they also offer a variety of workout styles so you never get bored of the same old workout routine. Plus, and maybe even the best part of home workout videos, you never have to think or plan ahead to create a workout regimen, instead you just get to follow the lead of the trained professional coaches.
Of course, there’s always the conventional route of having a membership at a regular gym to get your daily exercise. For those who have children but would like to utilize a gym, look for a local gym that has childcare onsite. Another amenity to consider when looking for a gym is whether it has a full locker room/bathroom with showers and dedicated space to get ready. If you need to jet off to the office straight from your workout, it’s essential that the gym has accommodations for you to get ready for the day before heading into work.
Lastly, taking a 30-minute walk around the neighborhood is always a great way to get your body moving and requires no equipment or facility at all!
2. Eating Right
As a busy lawyer working long, tiring hours, the last thing one wants to do is stand in the kitchen and make dinner. Even worse, face the ever-dreaded grocery store after a long day at work AND THEN have to get home and cook the food you just bought. It’s easy to opt for the convenient choices like take-out or Uber Eats, but those aren’t always the healthiest for us—or our wallets!
For those with crazy busy schedules, it may be a good idea to look into a meal delivery service like Hello Fresh or Blue Apron. Subscribing to a meal delivery service takes the pain of enduring the grocery store out of the picture and makes the process of preparing a meal pretty much non-existent. This alleviates the stress of coming up with meals for the week and then making them after work, off your plate.
Now, if you enjoy the experience of cooking your own meals, but struggle to find the time to shop for the ingredients, it’s time to set a scheduled grocery trip day! Kind of like the oh-so-popular concept of meal prepping, it’s a good idea to dedicate one day of the week to getting all of your groceries for the coming days so you’re only making one trip each week. Another great option is to download an app like Instacart, to sign up for grocery delivery service. This is a huge time saver, and so convenient as you get to choose the best time for your selected groceries to be delivered right to your door.
On first thought, eating healthy may not seem like the easiest lifestyle choice, but by implementing one of the tricks above, you can say goodbye to take-out and Uber Eats in no time.
3. Taking Breaks
Aside from the physical aspect of living a healthy life, it’s important to take time to nourish your mental health as well. When you’re working long hours and your brain is constantly on overdrive, you’re bound to reach a point of burnout. There are a few daily practices that can help prevent burnout. I can’t say that this is where I thrive, but hopefully you can do better.
First, you should set healthy boundaries to create a solid work/life balance. For example, putting a hard stop on work for the day like turning your computer and email notifications off at a specific time each day. If you don’t want to limit your email access during the week, maybe a better fit would be to set the boundary that you will not reply to emails on weekends and will only check the email at certain times on the weekends. Setting boundaries is highly dependent on your personal preferences and may take some trial and error. The bottom line is, it’s crucial to set boundaries to keep a balance between your work and personal lives, as too much of one or the other is harmful in more ways than one.
Second, which goes hand in hand with the first, spend time with friends and family! Constantly being surrounded by legal professionals and talking about law-related topics is great, but don’t forget about your loved ones outside the legal bubble. Make it a point to stay connected with friends and family on a regular basis to give your brain and body a break to relax and have light conversations. Spending time with people outside of the legal bubble is also a great chance to network in different areas, so it’s a double bonus for both your personal and professional lives! Maybe the best part about socializing is the fact we’re on our way out of this COVID pandemic, and can go back to some normalcy of meeting friends and family for drinks, dinner, you name it! Take advantage of the return to normal, and enjoy yourself surrounded by people you love.
Last, but surely not least, sleep! This may seem like the last item on the priority list most days, but sleep is essential for our brains and bodies to function properly. Put your computer and phone away at an hour of the night that gives you plenty of time to get a full 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
NOTICE: This blog is intended solely for informational purposes and should not be construed as providing legal advice. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have regarding this blog post.