| Since we freelancers pay through the nose for | | | | 4. Be Proactive |
| health insurance (and insurance doesn't cover nose | | | | Get your yearly physical exam even if you have |
| injuries due to high healthcare costs), follow these | | | | to pay for it yourself, and get all the tests you |
| tips for staying healthy on the cheap. | | | | need at your age. Visit the dentist for an exam |
| 1. Prepare to Live | | | | and cleaning twice per year. Do breast self exams |
| Spend some time once per week cooking and | | | | or testicular self exams (depending on, you know, |
| cutting up lean meats like chicken breast, making | | | | your gender). If you can't rely on health insurance |
| hard-boiled eggs, and chopping veggies. An hour or | | | | to take care of you when you get sick, staying |
| so of prep-time will yield enough healthy salads, | | | | healthy is up to you. (Well, it's always up to you, |
| stir-frys, and pita sandwiches to last through the | | | | but there's even more of an incentive to stay |
| week. You can also make healthy meals and stow | | | | healthy when you have to shell out lots of cash |
| them in the freezer so you'll always have | | | | every time you get sick.) |
| something good to eat, even when you don't | | | | 5. Put the Kibosh on Colas |
| have time to cook. | | | | Y'know how recovering alcoholics can't have even |
| 2. Supplement Wisely | | | | one drink or they fall off the wagon? That's how |
| Last winter I went through a period of feeling | | | | I am with Pepsi...one of those babies, and I just |
| terribly depressed, and in a moment of | | | | want more, more, more. |
| desperation I went to a homeopath who sold me | | | | Studies show that even though beverages like |
| a month's worth of vitamin supplements -- for | | | | colas have plenty of calories, they don't fill us up. |
| $125. (I know better than that, I swear -- but like | | | | When people ate jelly beans before a meal, they |
| I said, I was desperate. She also sold me some | | | | ate fewer calories at the meal to compensate -- |
| tarantula venom, but let's not even go there right | | | | but when they had a calorie-laden beverage |
| now.) I recently interviewed a nutritionist who said | | | | before eating, they consumed the same amount |
| that a vitamin is a vitamin, no matter what the | | | | of calories they would have eaten anyway. |
| price or how fancy the packaging. Some of the | | | | Sugary drinks like sodas and juice drinks (or as I |
| pricier vitamins contain vast quantities of certain | | | | like to call them, "froot jooces") are expensive |
| vitamins. Sounds great, until you realize that our | | | | and full of sugar to boot. Healthier drinks include |
| bodies take what they need of water-soluble | | | | tea, seltzer with a splash of fruit juice (I like |
| vitamins like C and excrete the rest, giving you | | | | pomegranate juice), lowfat or nonfat milk or |
| what the nutritionist called "The most expensive | | | | soymilk, and, of course, plain old H2O. I don't like |
| urine in town." Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) | | | | water, so I keep a bowl of lemon slices in the |
| can build up to toxic levels if you take too much. | | | | fridge to help perk up the flavor. |
| So invest a few bucks per month in a basic | | | | 6. Stretch |
| multivitamin as a kind of "health insurance" on top | | | | I love stretching. I guess that makes me weird, |
| of your healthy eating, and skip the costly brands. | | | | because I've read that most people skip it. |
| 3. Join the Gym | | | | Stretching keeps you flexible, helps you keep |
| Many of us penny-pinching freelancers claim that | | | | stress at bay, and works out the kinks that form |
| the gym is too expensive. But you can often find | | | | when you're sitting at a desk typing words all day. |
| deals: I pay $20 per month for a membership at | | | | If you don't already have a good repertoire of |
| Planet Fitness, and I'm allowed to being a guest | | | | stretches that you like to do, try a stretch deck. |
| every time. I bring my husband, which means | | | | 7. Do What You Love |
| that we're really paying $10 per month each. You | | | | Instead of cutting out Ho-Hos, forcing yourself to |
| can also ask your local gym to waive the initiation | | | | take the spinning class from hell, and making |
| fee or give you a discount. According to one of | | | | yourself meditate even though you'd rather put |
| my fitness sources, gyms often run membership | | | | spikes through your forehead, try to find healthy |
| drives where they'll waive or discount the fee, | | | | things you love. Enjoy baked sweet potato fries, |
| and they may even do you this favor at other | | | | get a massage, indulge in a glass of wine (hey, |
| times if you ask nicely. If you're lucky enough to | | | | they're now saying that white wine is healthy, |
| have health insurance coverage, find out whether | | | | too!), join your friends for a long walk, steal some |
| the plan will pay for part or all of your health club | | | | "me time" and take a yoga class or do a Tai Chi |
| membership. (Oh, and do I need to tell you that | | | | video. Staying motivated is easier when you |
| after you join the gym you need to actually go | | | | actually prefer the healthy choices. |
| there and do cardio and lift weights?) | | | | |