At this point, I should probably mention that I work for a mid-size public accounting firm. I work in the tax department which essentially means that I sit in front of a computer for 8+ hours a day preparing tax returns.
Before I started this job, I was pretty fit overall. I exercised regularly, ate well, and tried to minimize the amount of time I spent sprawled on the couch in front of the television. A lot changes when you start working. The change is even more drastic when you start working in an occupation whose workload is directly tied to the federal tax deadlines.
Between the middle of February and the middle of March, your life loses all semblance of normalcy. It becomes a blur of 14-hour workdays, hustled smoke breaks, stolen naps, fuzzy vision, forgetting to eat, not having the time to eat even when you remember to eat, and overall mental exhaustion. It blows. Apparently there is a second tax season in the September-October time of year, which no one told me about until I had already signed my offer with the firm. But more on busy season, and my job, later.
Back to my original topic, which was: Tax Pants. As I was saying, prior to my first busy season, I was relatively fit. Then busy season hit and I had no time (or energy) to do any type of exercise. Partway through busy season, I endured the shameful task of having to hit up the mall to buy myself several pairs of pants in a larger size. So now I have two sets of work pants: size 6 for busy season, and size 4 for everything else.
Here's the problem though -- it's been about a month since the last busy season ended, and I am still wearing my Tax Pants. In fact, even my Tax Pants are starting to feel a bit snug. I went for a jog today for the first time in a long time, and I've started doing weight training again. It's slow going, however, especially since I have been out of shape since around mid-February. Looks like until I drop the extra Tax Pounds, I'll be stuck wearing my Tax Pants.
I just hope I don't end up needing Extra-Tax Pants.
I biked to work most days during tax season out of necessity. It's a good way to ensure that you get SOME exercise in. But often times, it wasn't enough and I'd get angry at myself during tax season for feeling lazy. But when you're working long days and still somehow barely managing to pass your classes, you do what you can to survive.
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