Working in Production: 7 Ways To Stay Healthy + Balanced While Constantly On The Go.
Working in production can often mean long, physical work, especially on shoot days which are typically 12-hours. If I’m lucky, shoots can wrap after 10-hours, but I always plan for 12-14-hour shoot days. While I’m working very hard right now to move from Art PA to set dresser or set decorator/buyer, I’m still doing a lot of PA work to pay the bills. PAing is also always a great way to network, learn new skills, and meet new people, so take as much work as you can when you’re just starting out.
To be honest, PA rates aren’t always the best even with the long hours, and freelancing means sporadic and last minute work, so currently, my career doesn’t allow me as much time as I’d like to decompress, go to doctor’s appointments, clean the apartment, and just adult overall. It’s safe to say that with all of this, I’ve been finding it hard to stay balanced with my social life, sleep, nutrition, and exercise. While I’m still working hard to find a healthier balance, I feel that I’ve been able to find some solid tips + tricks for working on set that I think will be great for anyone in the industry or anyone with an on the go job, who’s looking for ways to be healthier and better balanced all around. Some of these tips will be more geared towards women or for my fellow industry peep’s, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these tips + tricks made sense for anyone who might be extremely busy and constantly on the go. Keep in mind, I’m not a doctor nor am I certified in anything; these are just things that have worked for me that I’m hoping might work for you too.
1. Make A List Of “On Set” Food Rules
Craft Services always has awesome snacks, and more often than not, the unhealthy snacks are more abundant than the healthy ones. For those of you who don’t know what craft services is, it’s a department within film and television production that provides the rest of the cast + crew with snacks, drinks, etc. It’s basically an awesome free snack buffet. When I first started working in production, I definitely took advantage of the free food and beverage. Who wouldn’t?! But eventually I needed to pull back the reigns, and it was difficult to do, so I made some “on set” food rules for myself that made it easy to stay on track. For me, creating this list of rules was all about setting structure and discipline in an environment where I had unlimited access and temptation to a smorgasbord of snacks. I’ll list my rules below. Feel free to follow mine or make your own, but make sure they’re realistic! Setting these rules doesn’t have to be limited to existing at work, but with the holiday season coming up, it can be really great to keep a list of rules in mind so as to not go too crazy at all of those holiday parties.
-no gluten (If I’m absolutely starving, sometimes I’ll bend this rule for jerky, since this rule exists primarily to avoid processed food and unnecessary carbs)
-no chips, candy, or crackers
-stick to nuts, fruits + veggies, and dairy-free dip as much as possible.
-it’s okay to have a taste of a new snack you’ve seen at the grocery store that you want to try (Just tried the Trader Joe’s chocolate hummus, and I’m not sure I’m feelin’ it)
-chocolate + chocolate covered nuts make great desserts + sweet treats in moderation
A “typical” craft services table with chips, PopCorn, fresh fruit, Salsa, Bars, Trail mix, Nut Butters, Jelly, Coffee, Tea, Candy, and Donuts.
2. Bring Your Own Snacks
I don’t always trust that crafty is going to have snacks that fit my rules, and if it’s a non-shoot day, having crafty really depends on the production company. To be safe, I usually bring a handful of healthy snacks to rely on just in case. Some of my favorites are:
-Mixed Nuts
-Protein Bars – Bulletproof Protein Bars and Primal Kitchen Protein Bars are my fave!
-Jerky
-Bliss Balls!
One of my easy + Simple Snacks for when I don’t have time to prep: Bulletproof collagen bar, mixed roasted + Salted Nuts, and mixed berries with a TBSP of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks.
Craft services on the job I was on at the time had a great selection, so I just packed Farmer’s Market berries + pluots and mixed nuts.
3. If You Get Hangry, Bring Dinner
If I’m working past 7pm, I’m bringing my own dinner because I just can’t wait until I get home to eat. I also prefer to save my eating out for weekends or dinner with friends. If your shoot goes over 12 hours, you’ll get a 2nd meal. However, second meal is usually pizza, tacos, or burritos, so it generally isn’t an option for people with dietary restrictions. So, one of the things I keep in my cooler besides snacks, is a pre-portioned dinner. If you’re interested in some of my go-to healthy on set meals, please let me know, and I’d be happy to create an “on the go” meal series.
4. Know when to choose sleep over working out
Some of us are better than others at taking rest days. So if you’re really, really tired and/or have several long, physical days of work, really think about whether or not that workout is worth it. I’ve heard countless podcasts and seen numerous Instagram posts about how lack of sleep can counter all of the hard work we do at the gym, and that taking a few rest days to prioritize sleep over working out is more productive than actually getting that work out in.
5. Commit To Your Gym Sessions
When you do decide that you have the time to hit the gym on work days, figure out if a morning or evening session works best for you and try stick to it. Not only is it great for our health and wellness to keep a consistent gym schedule (as much as we can with our crazy lives), but it’s even more important to keep a consistent sleep schedule. Personally, I just don’t have energy after a 12-hour day to go to the gym, and with call times often being early, I find that I get the best workout in before work. I’ve also really enjoyed becoming a morning person as a result.
Love my 6am Hikes! This Photo was taken at 6:45am from about half-way Up The Vital Link Trail at Wildwood Canyon.
6. Write Down Your Workout Ahead Of Time
That way, there’s no messing around once you get to the gym, and you can get in and get out. Optimize your time in the gym so you can get more sleep or have more to do during the day.
7. If You Anticipate Non-Catered Breakfast i.e. Bagels, Donuts, Or Breakfast Burritos. Prepare Ahead For It.
Whether it be overnight oats, chia pudding, or a protein smoothie, bring a healthier, protein and healthy fats packed brekkie to keep you satiated and motivated. If your call time isn’t too early, feel free to eat your breakfast at home.
8. Save Money
Because you won’t be consuming and taking advantage of the free food work perks as much as the production peep’s you work with, you’ll inevitably be spending more money. However, think about this as an investment in your health, and trust me when I say you’ll feel so much better for doing it. Even though you’re spending more money on food than some of your coworkers, I’ve found many ways to save, and my two favorite sources at the moment are Thrive Market and Costco. This is a completely unsponsored post by the way!
Both companies have really amazing healthy options and while they each have a membership fee, and I’ve saved hundreds of dollars as a result. If you live with a roommate or with your family, you can always split the cost of the membership fee and save even more money! Costco has an online store that my mom actually loves to utilize, but for me Costco adventures are definitely something I enjoy in person. Thrive Market on the other hand, is an amazing online store that ranges from healthy snacks to pantry staples to even organic wine and grass-fed meat! If you’re interested, check it out below!
BONUS TIP:
Bring a Cooler
Totally optional, but some of my snacks like fruit + bulletproof bars require keeping cold, and if you plan to bring an extra meal, a cooler is kind of necessary. The occasional jaded individual might give you a little bit of crap for bringing a cooler, but you have better snacks on hand AND don’t have to walk over to crafty to eat. Your body will thank you for it, trust me.
This is the super basic cooler I currently use that my mom handed down to me. I want to get a new one soon, so if you have any recommendations, please throw them my way.
If you have any tips, tricks, or rules that you’ve found, please comment them below! I’m always looking for more ways, and even better ways, to stay balanced and healthy, and I hope we can all share our ideas so that we can help each other out. It’s a tough industry! Hope you’re able to find these helpful and please also let me know if they worked for you. See you on set!