Can’t find time for fitness and weight-loss? That’s why it’s go home on time day…

Work has changed since the days your Dad hopped on and on the same bus each day, and sat down to dinner at 6. In fact, Australians are currently working an average of 70 minutes unpaid work daily.

Why is this so? Businesses with in-your-face-KPI’s (like retail where the customer is hovering in front of the till) are great for work hours – it’s mad when you’re on, and it’s off when you’re off. Businesses with more autonomous roles and less immediate KPI’s tend to attract self-motivated employees, who will gladly come in a bit early to avoid the traffic and indulge some focus time before their colleagues arrive. In most autonomous roles, some overtime from time to time is normal, but when it interrupts some other aspect of your life – family, fitness, weight-loss, the food you eat – who are we kidding? A consequence of all this is hour-creep – not having enough time to do all the things you need or want to do.

According to The Australia Institute, this can have negative consequences for your physical and mental health, your relationships with loved ones and your sense of what is important in life. One in four Australians report needing to go to the doctor but being ‘too busy’. Work also prevents us from getting enough exercise, eating healthy meals, and other things that contribute to our wellbeing.

This phenomenon has a broader social and economic impact. In France, when they reduce the working week from 38 to 35 hours, unemployment decreased, and close to a million jobs were created. Think of what that would do to the economy. So, if you’re in an office and are reading this sometime before 5, it is your social duty to log-off, go home, and go for a walk in the park right now!

Progress Update
Weight-loss Status Update: Being too sick to move from couch to kitchen might have helped on the weight-loss front.
Fitness Status Update: Little to say here – what’s good for weight loss is rarely good for fitness.
Stress Relief Status Update: Hours move differently when you’re sick, you see the shadows change and somehow it doesn’t matter…

Yours,

The Dark Mistress Of Denial
The Balance Blog – A reflection on virtual life versus embodied life; ostensibly finding sunshine, holistic fitness, natural weight-loss and stress relief for an obsessed workaholic screen addict, with the occasional dig at the World Wide Web.