Below you’ll find a list of the posts on this blog that describe my own and guest posters’ experiences of alternative work set-ups and other ways we can strike a balance between working hard to run our own businesses and keeping mentally and physically fit and healthy.

Although I used to own dogs and went out for walks on a regular basis, years of sitting down in front of the computer translating have taken their toll on my body. Given that I have neither the time nor the inclination to go to the gym or yoga and Pilates classes, I decided to switch to a stand-up desk set-up in January 2015 and began alternating between sitting and standing. As I’m not a fan of standing still either, I bought a cheap mini treadmill to go underneath the desk and later added a Steppie because walking on the treadmill all day is quite tiring and not practical for some jobs.

In 2018 I unfortunately developed plantar fasciitis, quite possibly caused by the repetitive motion of walking on the treadmill as I had upped the amount of time I was spending on it. This condition was often extremely painful, sometimes made it difficult to walk and took over a year to get better. I still get the occasional niggle in my foot.

As using the treadmill is out of the question because I don’t want to suffer from plantar fasciitis that badly ever again, I took up running at the start of 2019 and started attending parkrun (5K runs) every Saturday morning. That was all going quite well until I increased my mileage a year later with a view to training for some 10K runs and I injured myself again (in different places) and had to rest. This was followed by a fall on my knee towards the end of a run in July 2020, which put me out of action for a couple of months.

A good website to go to for articles on alternative desks and tips for a healthier lifestyle is: Healthy Freelancers. And this article on ConsumersAdvocate.org reviews a number of standing desk options. This article by Arabella Frost also gives good advice on what to look for when deciding to get a treadmill desk setup.

You’ll also find some info about workstation set-ups on the Health & Safety page in the Links & Tips for Translators & Interpreters section.

I have also listed some recommended reading posts in the Work–Life Balance section of the Interesting Articles for Translators & Interpreters page.

1. Treadmill Desks for Freelancers
2. Answers to Your Questions on the Pros and Cons of Using a Stand-Up Treadmill Desk
3. My Tailored Sitting/Standing Desk Set-up by Allison Klein
4. From Standing Out to Standing Up by Andrew Morris
5. The truth and nothing but: 2017 update on my stand-up desk set-up with treadmill and Steppie
6. When the unthinkable happens and giving up work isn’t an option
7. On Loneliness, Friendship and Resolutions
8. A New Year’s approach to exercising for freelance translators seeking a perfect work–life balance by Louise Taylor (Tomedes)
9. The four o’clockish in the morning club: a tale of insomnia
10. UK Pensions Basics for Freelance Translators by Sarah Bowyer
11. 5 Tips for Working from Home by Desiree Villena
12. The First 5K is the Hardest: How I Became a Vegan Runner