is it possible to stay healthy/fit in banking?
IB
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(Senior Baboon, 180
Points)
on 12/28/09 at 10:50pm
Does anyone who already works in banking have a perspective on this? I understand that the hours are bad and that we should expect a terrible lifestyle, but is it possible?
You would think bankers would be more productive if they could stay fit and eat well...






yes - all the kids I know og
yes - all the kids I know og to the gym like once a day if not twice
It's really up to you and how
It's really up to you and how you want to allocate your limited free time. Some analysts are more dedicated to working out than others. If you want to, generally there is time to go to the gym during dinner for an hour or so, and depending on where you work, a gym should be very closeby. On the flip side, it's very easy to eat crap food every day given that your dinner is free. You'll be stressed out and tired frequently, so falling into a bad pattern happens to a lot of analysts. Another option is to buy free-weights and exercise at home, which is the approach I took.
CompBanker
the eating healthy thing is a
the eating healthy thing is a HUGE challenge - i try t oeat salad most of the week but that gets boring and once in a while you just need a good bacon cheeseburger with fries
i have a pool and health club in my building so its easier to work out - some bb's have subsidized gyms so that helps too
Yes, it is definitely
Yes, it is definitely possible to balance working out and the job, but of course, sacrifices will have to be made at times. You will need to find a gym close by, or a 24-hour gym so that you can get into the pattern of hitting it up for a quick workout after work (yes, it's often late, but it is a matter of getting into the routine). Usually, if your gym is close, you will be able to scoot down for an hour or so in the evening (usually around dinner time, after some seniors start to leave and before the evening tasks really become doled out, or when you pass some work up the chain for review). Bottom line: it is definitely possible to make the time for a healthy lifestyle complete with weight lifting, but it will, as everything in banking, require some sacrifices now and again. For more on this topic, check out this article:
http://www.bankonbanking.com/2009/06/02/life-outsi...
and
http://www.bankonbanking.com/2009/06/23/a-banker%E...
IBanker
BankonBanking.com
I drop 20 pounds during my
I drop 20 pounds during my analyst stint... and all the analysts I was working with were pretty slim too...so I guess it is possible. The thing is to manage stress, some people eat to release it, some don't eat...
I personally do some boxing and running just to release the pressure. On another side, nearly all the guys I know that work in IB/PE/ER are pretty much fit though...
Goto the gym when you are not
Goto the gym when you are not at work, and don't eat crap. Duh.
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watch what you eat,
watch what you eat,
dont eat shit, thats the
dont eat shit, thats the biggest mistake...
also, be proactive, make sure no matter how tired you are, get a small 15 minute run outside or some pushups and curlups before you go to sleep, or even right after you wake up.
I know plenty of people who wake up early before work to workout, or some even go to the bank's gym in between downtime...
If you want to stay fit, you
If you want to stay fit, you really need to try - it's going to involve sacrificing free time to head to the gym. It also gets frustrating because it's impossible to establish any sort of routine. Just when you're starting to get to the gym consistently, form a habit, and see some results, one of your deals could blow up and you won't be able to work out for 3 weeks. Frustrating, but you've got to do something to try to stay in shape anyway.
The takeout dinners are what is really deadly. It's hard enough to get healthy takeout anyway, but after a long week of getting dumped on, not sleeping, etc - all you want is to treat yourself to a steak or a juicy cheeseburger. Ordering the salad again for the 4th time this week gets rough. Then again, I'm a stress eater - I know some guys in my class that just wasted away because they couldn't get a bite of food down when under stress.
Bottom line - work out when you get the chance, because your unpredictable schedule and SeamlessWeb conspire against you.
- Capt K -
"Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
most of the talk has been
most of the talk has been around eating less or healthier....for me, I am a skinny person and its hard for me to gain weight. In fact I lose weight easily. I feel the most healthy when I work out + eat 5 times a day to maintain my weight.
so is it possible to eat 5 times a day in banking? Do they care if you eat while you're at your desk? Can you even go out and get food that's not lunch/dinner time?
Yes, you can eat multiple
Yes, you can eat multiple times a day as long as you don't make a mess all over the docs you are working with, printouts, etc - in other words, don't get an overstuffed sandwich and drop it all over the corrected pitchbook you are working on. Beyond the mess, it is fine to keep protein bars, powder, fruit, sandwiches, etc at your desk to have during the day at little down times here and there. If you want to get a snack, it's fine as well since the majority of analysts and above will take at least a few breaks throughout the day to walk it off and grab some coffee, etc - you can just grab a quick snack instead. Your not shackled to your desk, since, at the end of the day, bankers have upgraded to those nifty ankle tags (in the form of a blackberry) to keep you from going to far and to reel you right back in when need be, haha. But seriously, in general, you will be able to eat several times a day and go out to grab a quick snack/meal as well.
IBanker
BankonBanking.com
You definitely can stay "in
You definitely can stay "in shape" and "fit" in finance, but I have personally found it difficult to be at the same level of fitness I was able to achieve in college. For a stretch in school, I was in great shape. I would play basketball for an hour or so almost every day, and then would work our (weights) for about an hour on top of that about 5 days per week. Since I was so active, I could eat pretty much anything I wanted (within reason) and not have to worry about it. I looked great, felt great and was really happy that the hard work in the gym paid off.
Since then, I went into my upperclassman years, drank more, ate more, worked out less an definitely put on a lot of weight. I made a committment to myself recently (past 6 months) to try and get back to the way I was in school. I joined a gym, work out for about an hour 5 mornings per week (short cardio and then lift) and try and eat healthy. While I have lost some weight, and look better, it's nothing compared to how I used to be.
What makes it difficult is the pure fact thy you are sitting at a desk all day literally not moving. My biggest form of exercise on days I don't work out is the 5 block walk to the subway in the morning and the 2 block walk to get a salad at lunch. With almost NO movement, you burn almost no calories. With that, as the above posters commented it is extremely easy to find yourself eating crap. Even of you have a salad for lunch and dinner, you inevitably find yourself snacking throughout the day, drinking coffees, etc, all of which add up.
In order to get into great shape (at least for me) you have to eat a lot, but also work out a ton and burn a lot of calories. This is nearly impossible when all but 2 of your waking hours are spent in front of a computer. I never thought I would miss having to walk all over campus to get things done, but I do.
Hope this helps.
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I understand where people are
I understand where people are coming from and saying that its easy to eat food that isn't the best for you when its paid for, but on the flip side I don't. When I'm given $30 to spend on a meal, I'm ordering Sushi, Thai, Indian, etc. When I'm by myself or its on my tab I never spend $20-30 on delivery.
I believe that having your meal paid for allows you to eat better, not worse.
"I don't think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature."
-John D. Rockefeller
Thanks for all of the
Thanks for all of the replies. I guess the toughest thing would be choosing between working out and sleep. How flexible are your banks with dinner orders? Wouldn't it be easy to stay healthy if you could order/buy something at whole foods?
Drink a lot of water, go to
Drink a lot of water, go to the gym at least twice a week, do not smoke and keep an eye on your food.
Since you won't have nearly
- eat well - don't
Is it possible to stay fit?
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yeah after doing the summer
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I'm making it up as I go along.
Patrick Bateman seems to have
I found it easiest to stick
great thread. would you guys
"Ride your bike. Drink good beer."
- Fat Tire Amber Ale
SirBikealot wrote: great
Wow, this is an absolutely
I go to the gym in my
Watch out for the free
whateverittakes wrote: Ditch
20 minutes of HIIT 5x per
craigmcdermott
lg0718 wrote: Oh and most
"Ride your bike. Drink good beer."
- Fat Tire Amber Ale
Pretty much all those bullets
hiit wrote: Pretty much all
Can someone explain what HIIT
CompBanker
I'm obviously a big fan of
A quick synopsis of high
Psh ill just use my
I am a HUGE fan of HIIT. It
Anyone looked into P90X?
HIIT on a treadmill? eeehh,
"Ride your bike. Drink good beer."
- Fat Tire Amber Ale
CoreAsset wrote: I am a HUGE
hiit wrote: Pretty much all
whateverittakes wrote: - 30
"Ride your bike. Drink good beer."
- Fat Tire Amber Ale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
First off, HIIT does improve
whateverittakes
hiit wrote: Pretty much all
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whateverittakes wrote: hiit
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“The American father is never seen in London. He passes his life entirely in Wall Street and communicates with his family once a month by means of a telegram in cipher.” - Oscar Wilde
jneil wrote: First off, HIIT
First of all, staying fit and