Can reducing your work hours help you lose weight? A 51-year-old woman who adopted a 4-day work week used her extra day off to incorporate healthy habits, successfully losing 10kg without struggle. She eliminated visceral fat, and her headaches and joint pain vanished as well.
According to The i Paper, Susie Masterson, a 51-year-old psychotherapist and coach based in Manchester, UK, first tried a four-day work week two years ago and fully adopted it in January this year. She found that having Wednesdays off dramatically improved her health—she lost significant weight, gained energy, and saw overall health improvements.
Masterson recalls that for 20 years, she worked in the tech industry, often clocking 60-hour weeks. This left her physically and mentally exhausted. Under chronic stress, she frequently suffered from migraines, digestive issues, chronic illness, and unexplained skin problems. Holistic health experts later suggested these symptoms were likely stress-related.
Her long working hours had severely disrupted her eating habits. Her "champion breakfast" was a Diet Coke and a Snickers bar. Her daily diet consisted of carbohydrates, caffeine, and processed foods like takeaway sandwiches and crisps. Also, having ADHD, she often forgot to eat when deeply focused on work, leading to unintentional fasting. Though she hired a personal trainer and sought counselling, she was too busy to stick with them.
After retraining as a psychotherapist and setting up her own practice, her situation initially improved. She began learning more about women's health and adjusted her diet. But listening to clients' trauma all day was still stressful. Entering her 40s, she developed migraines and anxiety, which she mistook for menopause. Frustratingly, despite going to the gym, her weight kept rising. Eventually, she realised the root cause wasn't menopause—it was burnout again.
To make a real change, Masterson decided to sacrifice some income and work four days a week. She initially planned to use her Wednesdays off for writing, but soon realised her body needed rest and care. She turned Wednesdays into a "wellness day," focusing on:
Planning healthy meals
Prepping food for several days
Batch cooking
Regular exercise
Recovery time
She also started "exercise snacking" on Wednesdays—breaking exercise into short sessions throughout the day (10 minutes each), totalling 30–40 minutes. As her fitness improved, she added longer weight training sessions, eventually extending them to Saturdays and Sundays. These micro-workouts boosted her fitness and motivated her to stay consistent.
This small lifestyle change brought remarkable results. Masterson lost 10kg, eliminated hidden visceral fat, and increased muscle mass. She now feels strong, and the hip pain she once attributed to arthritis has completely disappeared. She believes the 4-day work week changed her relationship with her body. Dedicating a day to diet and exercise gave her more energy for creative work—and significantly boosted her productivity.
Source: The i Paper
