Valet
When your paypacket depends on how fast you run, each second counts, says Aris Chrisanthakopoulos, who works with recruiters Quintessentially People in London and abroad.
“Money is definitely a motivation to give faster service,” the 39-year-old says. “There’s a lot of running around, so this is not one for large people – or if you are large, you won’t be for long.”
Average salary: £20,000 at a hotel.
Qualification: Butler training.
Personal training
The next best thing to keeping fit yourself is training someone else,
so what better way than becoming a personal trainer? They spend their days moving, lifting and stretching – and get paid for it. Bearing in mind we burn 50 per cent more calories standing than we do sitting, even on a less strenuous day, a trainer is still shifting kgs.
Average pay: £25,000-£35,000.
Qualifications: Personal trainer diploma.
credit: andresr
Waitressing
Waiting staff take about 1772 steps an hour as they dart from kitchen to table and back during a busy shift. For a 70kg person, that’s almost 100 calories.
Despite the temptation of sandwiches and calorific pastries, Highbury waitress Sarah Ogilvie, 24,
has seen an improvement in her health.
“In an eight-hour shift, I barely sit down. I dash from one table to the next and I have to keep my mind switched on more than anything else – I think that in itself keeps me trim,” she says.
Average salary: £17,810.
Qualifications: Good people skills
Pantomime acting
Singing and dancing on stage for six hours a day, every day over Christmas is a surefire way to combat a paunch, attests actor Anna Williamson, who lost 4.5kg last year.
“I don’t actually attempt to lose weight, it’s a by-product of all the dancing and running around, plus the heeled dance shoes mean your bottom and thighs get an extra workout and toning,” the 30-year-old says.
”Entertaining the masses and getting fit – its a win-win.”
Salaray: £372 per week.
Qualifications: Acting/theatre degree.
credit: GibsonPictures
Bicyle courier
There’s a good reason you’ve never seen a fat bicycle courier.
Try as he might, Opuene Gbobbo, 40, who works with eCourier.co.uk, can’t put on weight. “I really want to,” Gbobbo exclaims. “But working five days a week, and clocking up 40-50 miles a day, I can never eat enough.”
Starting out, things won’t be pretty: you’ll ache, get lost and have punctures to deal with. But stick at it and you’ll get to slim city.
Salary: £350 a week.
Qualifications: common sense, good sense of direction, and
a good memory.
Being a firefighter
Firefighters have some rigorous fitness tests to pass before they even land the job, but once they’re in, keeping trim is easy – as long as they stay away from the donuts. A firefighter burns an estimated 845 calories per hour, and with all
that rushing around to save lives, hauling heavy gear, and climbing up and down stairs, it’s no surprise.
Salary: Trainee £21,000.
Qualification: Four-month intensive course with London Fire Brigade.
