Every time I work on a particularly challenging project, I am reminded of all the reasons I don’t work out. I can feel the burn when I work and I am almost always sore afterwards (the same “good” sore folks get after a work out). We’ve all seen the shows and read the articles about “alternative” work out methods (i.e. dancing, doing housework, doing yard work, playing with the kids, etc, etc)…. Well my “alternative” is my career.
As an interior designer, I never know what challenges may come and what I may have to do to overcome them. Houzz published a great article (several actually) about what decorators do; of note in this particular article is item #5:
5. It’s physical work. Beyond shopping, styling, running errands, and driving, most decorators do a lot of heavy lifting. A typical day could see your decorator hauling furniture, painting, hammering and tackling other chores more often associated with construction workers.
The Decorologist shares, “It’s not as glamorous as you imagine that it is. I lift and move furniture, haul merchandise from stores for clients, put myself in precarious positions to hang art perfectly (I fell down someone’s stairs just last week), and sweat a lot.
For as long as there is work to be done, I will have a full body workout. I go to client sites on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (work out days); this is my regimen:
- Cardio = painting, running errands, shopping
- Upper body (arms (biceps, triceps), chest, shoulders, and back) = Painting, lifting and hanging decor, lifting and changing out overhead fixtures
- Lower body (legs (quads, hamstrings, calves), and glutes) = lifting and moving furniture (lift with your legs)
- Abs = ALL of the above
Perhaps this infographic will help illustrate my point….
I reserve Tuesdays and Thursdays for shopping, paperwork, planning, budgeting, and (virtual) meetings. So I suppose those are my “rest” days – time for my body to recover? Yah, I suppose.
When people ask me if I work out I usually have some crazy comment or look that clearly reads “never THAT”. Instead, I think I will start saying “of course I do, EVERY day of my life… I’m an interior designer with 4 kids and a husband!” 😉
