The Healthy Freelancer
Okay, time to share some personal money information with you: Until recently, my husband and I — two young, healthy freelancers — were paying more than $550 per month for health insurance that did not cover brand-name prescriptions or many medical tests. We just switched over to a Health Savings Account with a high-deductible insurance plan, which means that we’re now responsible for paying for most of our healthcare costs out of our pockets, and we’re gambling that we can stay healthy enough to save those extra dollars every month.
Since we freelancers pay through the nose for health insurance (and insurance doesn’t cover nose injuries due to high healthcare costs), I’ve become very interested in staying healthy on the cheap. Since I’m mainly a health and nutrition writer, I also have the scoop on where to find information and resources on healthy living. Here’s what I’ve found. (Some of these tips may seem basic — but if that’s the case, why aren’t more of us following them?)
Prepare to Live
Spend some time once per week cooking and cutting up lean meats like chicken breast, making hard-boiled eggs, and chopping veggies. An hour or so of prep-time will yield enough healthy salads, stir-frys, and pita sandwiches to last through the week. You can also make healthy meals and stow them in the freezer so you’ll always have something good to eat, even when you don’t have time to cook.
Supplement Wisely
Last winter I went through a period of feeling terribly depressed, and in a moment of desperation I went to a homeopath who sold me a month’s worth of vitamin supplements — for $125. (I know better than that, I swear — but like I said, I was desperate. She also sold me some tarantula venom, but let’s not even go there right now.) I recently interviewed a nutritionist who said that a vitamin is a vitamin, no matter what the price or how fancy the packaging. Some of the pricier vitamins contain vast quantities of certain vitamins. Sounds great, until you realize that our bodies take what they need of water-soluble vitamins like C and excrete the rest, giving you what the nutritionist called “The most expensive urine in town.” Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) can build up to toxic levels if you take too much. So invest a few bucks per month in a basic multivitamin as a kind of “health insurance” on top of your healthy eating, and skip the costly brands.
Join the Gym
Many of us penny-pinching freelancers claim that the gym is too expensive. But you can often find deals: I pay $20 per month for a membership at Planet Fitness, and I’m allowed to being a guest every time. I bring my husband, which means that we’re really paying $10 per month each. You can also ask your local gym to waive the initiation fee or give you a discount. According to one of my fitness sources, gyms often run membership drives where they’ll waive or discount the fee, and they may even do you this favor at other times if you ask nicely. If you’re lucky enough to have health insurance coverage, find out whether the plan will pay for part or all of your health club membership. (Oh, and do I need to tell you that after you join the gym you need to actually go there and do cardio and lift weights?)
Be Proactive
Get your yearly physical exam even if you have to pay for it yourself, and get all the tests you need at your age. Visit the dentist for an exam and cleaning twice per year. Do breast self exams or testicular self exams (depending on, you know, your gender). If you can’t rely on your insurance to take care of you when you get sick, staying healthy is up to you. (Well, it’s always up to you, but there’s even more of an incentive to stay healthy when you have to shell out lots of cash every time you get sick.)
Put the Kibosh on Colas
Y’know how recovering alcoholics can’t have even one drink or they fall off the wagon? That’s how I am with Pepsi…one of those babies, and I just want more, more, more.
Studies show that even though beverages like colas have plenty of calories, they don’t fill us up. When people ate jelly beans before a meal, they ate fewer calories at the meal to compensate — but when they had a calorie-laden beverage before eating, they consumed the same amount of calories they would have eaten anyway. Sugary drinks like sodas and juice drinks (or as I like to call them, “froot jooces”) are expensive and full of sugar to boot. Healthier drinks include tea, seltzer with a splash of fruit juice (I like pomegranate juice), lowfat or nonfat milk or soymilk, and, of course, plain old H2O. I don’t like water, so I keep a bowl of lemon slices in the fridge to help perk up the flavor.
Stretch
I love stretching. I guess that makes me weird, because I’ve read that most people skip it. Stretching keeps you flexible, helps you keep stress at bay, and works out the kinks that form when you’re sitting at a desk typing words all day. If you don’t already have a good repertoire of stretches that you like to do, try a stretch deck.
Do What You Love
Instead of cutting out Ho-Hos (which I chose because they have “ho” in the name), forcing yourself to take the spinning class from hell, and making yourself meditate even though you’d rather put spikes through your forehead, try to find healthy things you love. Enjoy baked sweet potato fries, get a massage, indulge in a glass of wine (hey, they’re now saying that white wine is healthy, too!), join your friends for a long walk, steal some “me time” and take a yoga class or do a Tai Chi video. Staying motivated is easier when you actually prefer the healthy choices.
I work for a major research university/medical center in the Southeast that even has a world-class dieting center. It absolutely stuns me how many people who work here are dangerously obese and don’t care. The cafeterias do a heck of a business on the sodas, sweets, and greasy offerings, and then these people waddle off to their jobs of lecturing the patients on healthy lifestyles.
I became a vegetarian several years ago, and I have felt better ever since (I did it for my own health and the health of the animals). I buy as much as I can afford from the natural food stores (Earth Fare, etc.), and, boy, can I feel the difference when I indulge in Lay’s greasy potato chips. I can almost feel the sludge slowing down everything in my veins! I find I don’t need as much of the healthier food, too.
Unfortunately, what tanked my freelance business was a car accident that wasn’t even my fault. There I was, minding my own business and even driving a bit under the speed limit on a backroad when an old geezer broadsided me in the driver’s door. No health insurance…and his insurance didn’t cover everything. So now I’m back in the dreaded office job, trying to survive the bullying and telling myself that at least now I have health insurance and will eventually climb out of the bad-credit hole that one accident put me in. I admire full-time freelancers so much. I’m hoping one day I’ll have the guts to try it again…maybe if I move to an area where I can go everywhere on horseback and park the car for good….
All good ideas, Linda. We have a high-deductible health insurance plan, so I like to avoid doctors’ offices as much as I can. A couple other money-saving health tips:
– My insurance company has a free 24/7 health line you can call. There’s always an RN there to answer your health questions and advise you whether you really need to see a doctor. I’ve called a couple times and got great advice that saved me about $200.
– Some insurance plans offer weight loss benefits, as well as gym benefits. Studies show if you’re overweight, losing just 5 percent of your weight has measurable health benefits. My plan, for example, pays $200 toward everything from inpatient weight loss programs to Weight Watchers.
– This is pretty basic but especially during the winter, wash your hands. A lot. And keep them out of your mouth and eyes. I worked in a childcare center during college. During the first few months on the job, I was sick all the time. One of the head teachers told me the trick was to wash my hands every fifteen minutes or so with warm water and soap. From that point on, I didn’t get any more colds.
– Get a flu shot. In many communities they’re free or low-cost. Check your town’s health department, the VNA, or even local drugstores and supermarkets.
Jacqui, ugh. I was in an accident (not my fault) about 15 years ago and it was ridiculous what I had to go through, even with my insurance company. I’ve known people who were at fault for accidents, and they barely had to do a thing because the insurance company lawyers handled it all for them.
And your job story is scary, too, but not too shocking. I’ve been to a lot of major hospitals here in Boston and it’s scary how many extremely overweight people wear medical coats or are lurking in the smoking areas outside the hospital.
Great post, Linda!
Here’s a related idea for a future post. Might you be able to offer some suggestions for writing in the midst of mood swings/depression/emotional challenges? I’m not asking you to bare your soul, but perhaps you’ve come up with a few tricks for turning in quality copy in the midst of emotional upheaval? I find it’s difficult to be creative under such circumstances, and usually try to use such times to take care of mindless administrative work. Sometimes, however, I’ve got deadlines, and of course I’m not about to e-mail an editor and ask for an extension because of an emotional crisis. Any tips on how to keep going on the dark days? I’d guess lots of us have had our share of these. Grazie!
Jacqui -
That’s terrible about your accident. I’m so sorry that you had to go through that.
I used to work at big university health system before freelancing, and I was always shocked at what people ate, and how much they smoked, especially the doctors. My ex boyfriend is now a resident (non-smoker), and he says that a good chunk of his fellow residents are smokers. Oy.
Jacqui, I’m sorry to hear about your accident.
Renee, great idea for a future post! As I mentioned in the original post, I was horribly depressed and constantly sick last winter, so I could use this info myself. I think that one important point is to have a support network you can turn to when you’re too depressed/anxious/whatever to work. I’m fortunate that my husband is also a freelance writer, and he picked up the slack and also did my interviews for me when I ended up with bronchitis and a sinus infection (at once!). But even if you lined up an intern, a virtual assistant, or a writer friend who wants extra cash to help keep things going until you’re back in full form, that could work. Sounds pricy — but it’s not as pricy as waking up from your depression/whatever to find out you have no work!
Maybe I’ll work on this idea later this fall. Thanks again!
I love your blog, Linda and Diana!
I think there’s a connection between your healthy tips and Renee’s question on mood swings, etc. I changed my eating habits several months ago to concentrate on keeping my energy steady all day and trying to avoid the dips (y’know, that awful 3:00 slump). As much as possible, I gave up refined carbs, especially things that “seemed” healthy but in fact weren’t. I no longer eat cereal for breakfast unless it’s oatmeal or homemade granola, where I know it’s made with whole grains. I don’t eat crackers and rarely eat cookies and other refined starches (but I’m no goody two shoes — I still love ice cream). Probably the most important thing I’ve done is to start the day with protein — poached or scrambled eggs and low-carb toast. If I do that, I’m not hungry for quite some time, and I don’t get the sugar cravings. I found that my energy was a whole lot better but so was my mood! It’s a way of preventing those crisis times, rather than needing to get through them. The whole approach (much more rigorous than I’m explaining here) is outlined in a book called The Schwarzbein Principle.
Elaine
This is a great topic! Even though most of us know better, it seems like our health is the first thing we compromise when facing deadlines or chasing leads.
Excellent pointers here. Stretching – yes! But, sometimes I’m so caught up in what I’m writing the hours go by and I haven’t moved. Maybe I need to set a timer, but I hate to interrupt the flow.
Elaine, I followed the Schwarzbein Principle (written by a Dr.) a few years ago with great results. Thanks for the reminder. I need to pull that book out and refresh.
Those are great points — we should concentrate on getting healthy now instead of worrying about how to get better when we’re sick.
I think a timer is a good idea for “stretch breaks” if you often forget to get up and take a stretch. You can also set your computer to flash a reminder every hour or so. Aren’t there special programs that will actually remind you to get up AND give you ideas on what stretches to do, or am I imagining things?