Trainee: ‘What are your top tips for remaining healthy while busy at work?’

As a trainee you’re not in control of your own time, so you can’t up and leave for the gym mid-afternoon without getting a funny look from your trainer.
I normally go in the mornings before work, unless I’ve had a late night beforehand, in which case I prioritise sleep. Usually mornings before work starts are uninterrupted, especially if you actively choose not to respond to non-urgent emails.

Start a relationship with someone at your firm for easy access to high quality cardio, without having to leave the office.

I cycle to and from work which gives me an hour of “free” exercise 3-4 times a week. I say free in the sense that I don’t have to carve time out from anywhere else for it because I’d have been commuting regardless.

As intimated by some, it is part of the life of a trainee, but it is only limited.

I’d suggest, (i) not drinking alcohol, at all (nor smoking), (ii) get to bed as soon as possible, (iii) meal prep on weekends, so your food is organised before the week starts, (iv) get up earlier (you’ve gone to bed earlier), and (v) do half an hour of exercise every morning (with your extra time from getting up earlier).

In my experience, the above is the only way to lead a healthy lifestyle while practicing as a lawyer (in London). You also have to be very strict with your social time, and save it for the weekends. You don’t have time to be social AND healthy during the week.

Set a workout routine (e.g., gym in the morning on Tues, Thurs, Sat) and try your best to stick to it, adjusting for work requirements. I’ve found that if you don’t have a routine and just exercise when you feel like it, the inconsistency will suck any motivation out of you and all you’ll be left with is guilt.

Replace your personality with cycling.

I’d urge you to ‘look up’ and step back for a minute to gain some perspective and ask yourself what your priorities are? So, how important is work, how much exercise do you want to do, what do you ‘want’ to eat, do you enjoy socialising? It’s very easy as a trainee to get caught up on the hamster wheel – ie oh I’ve just found that I ‘end up’ ordering Deliveroo / I ended up going out for drinks 3 times in a week / I ended up staying late at work, and so on. It’s your life and you get to actively choose:-

1. Where you qualify (practice area, location and firm) – will dictate hours / expectations – and remuneration.
2. Your food / socialising plans – do you want to ‘say no’ to those social occasions so you can sleep? But what will the consequences of not going be – will that make you happy? Perhaps still go but (if you) end up staying til 1AM and drinking eight pints, stay until 8 except on birthdays or whatnot and perhaps try mixing with water too? Or whatever works. It doesn’t have to be ‘all or nothing’.
3. I found getting a routine going with bedtime and wakeup times, even at weekends, really helped me with health.
4. It sounds like you are seeking a better balance – it’s good you are self aware enough to notice and now it’s about taking action to change, but know that you can’t have it all.
5. Check your firm’s benefits – particularly when you qualify – can you opt in to a health assessment if you want some guidance? TMI for some but if you’re interested, better to have data to merge with the “I feel”.
6. Speak to your intake and others? Look at what the Associates do too, what’s the departmental culture? People say ‘coming in early isn’t valued’ but in my team, there is flexibility and nobody cares – the Partner cycles to the train and is in early but leaves at half 4/5 (and I’m a qualified lawyer and trainee supervisor and they always have) – you will be known as a hard worker not by your clock on/iff times but ultimately by MRH in my firm. If you disappear at lunchtime or spend your day gossiping in the kitchen then it will get noticed too. Again, you have to choose – am I defined as a hard worker? How approachable do I want to be? And so on. Your choice.

Some of the socialising will stop as you progress as people will “have less time” (their priorities will change) and so don’t worry too much as a trainee, but do recognise this is probably the first time you are away from any kind of structure such as uni or school where a lot of the timings are dictated to you, and the sooner you start to plan, the better.

Become a hairdresser at the weekends and evenings. Plenty of time on your feet and constantly using your hand and arm muscles plus you’ll get some extra dosh. Plus if law doesn’t work out or you want a career change you’ve got a ready made escape route plus a network of former colleagues who you can use as clients prepared to pay good amounts for your hair cutting services.