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Note from Adam
While most other design students were accumulating new addictions and practicing unhealthy habits, I witnessed guest writer Grant Parrinello shed pounds and find a balance between diet and design. Grant learned how to manage his diet and his time while also saving money, and so can you! This article assumes you know that pizza and Ramen may be quick and cheap but are far from healthy. Think beans, veggies and tons of protein. If you would like to delve deeper, the links below will provide you with many details about healthy eating.
The Science of Fat-Loss: Why a Calorie Isn’t Always a Calorie and How to Lose 20 lbs. of Fat in 30 Days…Without Doing Any Exercise (This is my current diet and I’m loving the constant energy levels!)
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When I started design school I weighed 280 lbs. (mostly fat). I’ll spare you the details of how I became that way. When I graduated, I weighed 200 lbs. (mostly muscle) thanks to exercise and diet. There are no other shortcuts worth taking. Here are eight tips to help you get on a healthy track.
1. Think Leftovers - Cook enough for several meals at a time. If you spend a half hour on a recipe that makes four servings, you just saved yourself a whole lot of time. Get some food containers to keep leftovers in. Glad containers are the best on the market because you can use and reuse them for several years.
2. Buy Raw or Unprocessed Foods – These are usually less expensive, and they will afford you more control over the meals that you prepare and consume. Spend sometime browsing AllRecipes.com for ways to quickly turn raw ingredients into finished healthy meals.
3. Shop Smart – Use coupons and take advantage of sales whenever possible. If the first grocery store you visit is charging an arm and a leg for beef, find another place in town to buy beef from. When you find a good deal, stock up. Make sure to also bring a list with you. A trip to the store can take over an hour if you are just browsing the options.
4. Be Energy Conscious – If you are going to be doing an activity that requires a long period of sitting (i.e. sketching or CAD), don’t eat a full meal immediately before. Instead, keep a healthy snack handy that you can pick at while you work. Full stomach + sitting = nap time.
5. Make Time to Exercise – Even if it’s just 40 minutes per day. Regular exercise will keep you from getting ill, and it will increase your overall energy levels. I recommend 20 minutes of intense aerobic and 20 minutes of intense anaerobic exercise.
6. Save Money on Gym Membership – If your school has a gym, use it! Also keep in mind that there are many workout routines available online via YouTube. You can either make weights or check Craigslist for people who are moving and getting rid of equipment.
7. Let Your Mind Wander – Think about your projects while running or doing aerobics. There is something about exertion and pain that changes the way the mind works. I have had many breakthroughs on my designs while running.
8. Avoid All-Nighters – Budget your time wisely and work on a project little by little everyday. Make note of your deadline and estimate how much time it will take you to perform the work. Then, multiply your estimation by 3, and divide that number amongst the days between the present date and the deadline to find out how much time you need to devote each day. Your health and creativity will improve if you are consistently getting enough sleep, and the results will always be better than someone who jammed all the work into the last few days.
Life is about priorities. Obviously you want to be a good designer, architect or artist because you are going to school and spending a lot of time and money to do so. But, if you come out of design school smoking like a chimney, with a beer gut and an addiction to Redbull, you have sacrificed your health to the gods of design stress. Life is hard to begin with. A life well lived is even harder. The poignant Nike corporate mantra of “Just Do It” reasserts itself. A designer with a disciplined mind is a powerful thing.
Grant Parrinello
Grant Parrinello is a designer working and living in Los Angeles, California. He studied Industrial Design at Arizona State University’s School of Design. Parrinello likes to draw, sculpt, write, build things, philosophize, run around, and he has the uncanny ability to break anything he touches. He is interested in everything. For more information, visit www.grantparrinello.com.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
this article is great because it is about two of the things that i thought were great about school; food and grant. i too was impressed by grants physical transformation. i hope it was symbolic of all our metal transformation. thanks for the inspiration.
hmm…interesting post. almast makes me wish i was back in school…almost. good tips though. bravo grant
*almost
really good post thanks, made me think.