Is there anything I can take up as a hobby which will earn me money while getting fit?

April 16, 2007 4:43 AM

Is there anything I can take up as a hobby which will earn me money while getting fit?

I find staying interested in keeping fit really difficult. I have a 9-5 office job, and really want to get into shape for the summer. I regularly try going to the gym, but after a couple of weeks my entheusiasm fizzles out and I stop going. I find them boring, tedious, and something which is to be dredded. I've tried going with friends, or during quiet periods, or first thing, even had a personal trainer, but it just holds no interest for me.

Over the weekend I had quite a labourious task to complete, which I took on with vigour, and finished in half the time I'd allocated. I got a great work out from it, but it was a one-off task.

It got me thinking though, whether there is anything that would potentially make me some money, keep my interest, and give me a good workout at the same time. I've previously been interested in both martial arts and rock climbing, and thought that I might be able to teach those; however, there would be a large time investment to become proficient enough to teach, and that raises the potential for me to loose interest.

So, I'd like your advice. Any suggestions?

posted by refactored to health & fitness (22 comments total)

If you live in a suburban area, get a job stuffing leaflets into letterboxes. Usually, you'll be paid per 1000 leaflets delivered so you can jog or walk and will be assigned a territory which may or may not be close to where you live. Try checking your local paper for adverts, job sites or contact your local mass-mail company. You'll be dragging packs of leaflets around (one local lady uses an old pram), which will give you a little extra load.
posted by ninazer0 at 4:55 AM on April 16, 2007

Putting aside the martial arts and rock climbing, are you any good with a paintbrush? I lost a ton of weight recently while getting the house ready to put on the market, all that running up and downstairs with heavy buckets of paint, water, etc. and decluttering? All those heavy boxes up and down to the attic, in and out from the garage, to the charity shops...

Or dog walking? If you're any good with dogs and know your local area the initial investment isn't huge (print some flyers and hand them out to dog owners at local parks, etc.)
posted by ceri richard at 5:06 AM on April 16, 2007

Get a paper route.
posted by thejanna at 5:07 AM on April 16, 2007

work at UPS? you don't have to drive a truck but you could sort large heavy boxes.
posted by special-k at 5:15 AM on April 16, 2007

If it's possible, think about riding a bike to work. It can save petrol, wear and tear on a car or public transport costs.

There is an initial outlay for a bike, unless you've got one, and it may not work for you, but it can save money.
posted by sien at 5:28 AM on April 16, 2007

Hire yourself out as a gardener or yard work person.
posted by orange swan at 5:42 AM on April 16, 2007

My uncle took a part-time job delivering groceries for a supermarket chain. He's noticeably fitter just two months in.
posted by TrashyRambo at 5:45 AM on April 16, 2007

If you're in the UK, you might consider something like the territorial army - much fitness and reasonable extra cash. Does have a certain risk of being shot at though... I would guess that most other countries have some sort of reserve forces too...
posted by prentiz at 5:58 AM on April 16, 2007

Buy a house and renovate it. Or better, build one from scratch. If you don't drink too much beer during the breaks you'll lose weight faster than you want.
posted by maremare at 6:00 AM on April 16, 2007

You could put ads on Craigslist advertising your services as labor for all sorts of tasks. Moving boxes and furniture, painting, cleaning, mowing lawns, raking leaves, shoveling snow, handyman work, etc. If you're good and reliable, you'll eventually be able to build up enough positive references to work as much as you want to.
posted by decathecting at 6:10 AM on April 16, 2007

Most indoor rock climbing gyms have part time positions for belayers. (Usually no experience needed to apply for this) It is the best way to jump in and get started and you learn a lot from being a belay robot that could evolve into being a more involved instructor. You wont get a workout from instructing, but the common perk of the job is free climbing in the gym.
posted by trishthedish at 6:54 AM on April 16, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

I've known people who have taken bicycle rickshaw jobs to improve their cycling skills. You could do this a few times a week in the evening while keeping your 9-5 job.
posted by medpt at 7:01 AM on April 16, 2007

Volunteer for meals on wheels, but use your bike to do the deliveries?
posted by Gungho at 8:23 AM on April 16, 2007

if there's a hiking trail near you, contact the administrator and see if you can lead hikes on the weekends.

volunteer to coach a sport at a community center. if you have enough skills to teach a beginning martial arts class at an inner-city youth center, i bet it would be really popular.

clean your house from top to bottom.

volunteer for habitat for humanity

join a bike club that does long tours/trails on the weekends.

take dance lessons.
posted by thinkingwoman at 8:37 AM on April 16, 2007

Referee a sport. Soccer refs do a lot of running, and there's a lot of demand.
posted by Floydd at 9:18 AM on April 16, 2007

Seconding the TA in the UK, or National Guard in the US. They sure do get you fit if you want to. However, callup rates are pretty damn high, so you definitely run a high risk of deployment.
posted by Happy Dave at 9:55 AM on April 16, 2007

I'd second working at UPS or Fedex. I worked a 3 to 4 hour pre-dawn shift @ Fedex one summer loading semi trailers with small boxes. It's fast paced, hard work - building row after row of stable walls out of mismatched boxes as you work from the front of the truck to the back. Each loader managed 4 trucks at a time. I took a lot of pleasure in it and lost 15 pounds.
posted by putzface_dickman at 10:05 AM on April 16, 2007

How about a sports referee? Soccer? Football? If you enjoy the game and know the rules, it doesn't take much to learn to be an assistant referee. Depending on which sport, there may be quite a bit of running involved.
posted by gaiamark at 10:17 AM on April 16, 2007

Crap. I didn't see Floydd's response. Silly me.
posted by gaiamark at 10:18 AM on April 16, 2007

If you're in a major city, bicycle messenger?
posted by Martin E. at 2:01 PM on April 16, 2007

Hire out as a dog walker.
posted by yohko at 1:10 PM on April 18, 2007

Thanks for all your comments. I am in the UK prentiz, but the TA is a no-go. Cycling to work would be a good idea, and I used to walk until I changed jobs. Work is now 25 miles away over some rather large hills. While it would get me fit it would also take me about 3 hours to get to work!

Bike messenger would also be a good one, and its something I've thought about doing if I should ever come out of work for anyt length of time, but since I work 9-5, I don't think I'd get much work doing that.

ceri, its doing exactly that which started me thinking. I've done as much as I can, however, so its not sustainable.

Are there any other interesting things I could do?
posted by refactored at 4:46 AM on April 19, 2007