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As the holiday season approaches and we’ve all finished gorging on a Christmas ham (only to turn around and gorge once again on a New Year’s feast), I’d like to take a moment to talk a little bit about writers and a sedentary lifestyle.
One of the hardest things about being a write is the fact that 100 percent of your job consists of you sitting on your backside, and the only part of your body that’s moving is your fingers. Sure, you’ll end up with some pretty dexterous fingers, but I can guarantee that your midsection won’t turn out quite as well.
Yes, being a writer involves a lot of sitting, but that doesn’t mean you have to end up three times you’re optimal body weight and with a waistline the size of Texas. As you enter the new year, you know that you’ll be faced with the same writer demands and deadlines, but I’d like to offer a few very effective tips that you can use to maintain your health while also maintaining your schedule.
Effective Writers and Sedentary Lifestyle Changes
Sitting for many hours a day is probably more hazardous to your health than the coffee you drink, the cigarettes you smoke, the fat-laden steaks that you eat, or how fast you drive. Every hour that you sit there not using most of your muscle mass, you are burning almost the least possible number of calories you can.
While your brain may be getting all of the exercise in the world, the container that supports your brain is going to start falling apart. There are several important things you can do to maintain (and even strengthen) the parts of your body most negatively impacted by a writer’s sedentary lifestyle.
The great image above comes from the University of Illinois. It shows a series of exercises that you can do to maintain your spine posture and keep a healthy flow of circulation through your arms and legs. And speaking of circulation, don’t forget the tender tendons that channel through your wrist.
At about thirty years old, I had carpel tunnel syndrome. I seriously thought my life was over - I live on the computer. In my twenties I figured I was invincible and such things would never happen to me, but if you aren’t careful, you can pinch the tendons and nerves within your “carpel tunnel” by not taking care of how you hold your mouse. Using a soft soft cushion
like this can help tremendously.
If you’ve never tried yoga, this is a great time to start. By taking a break every 30 minutes to an hour, getting on your yoga mat and going through a few yoga exercises. You’ll find yourself not only losing the weight you gained through your sedentary lifestyle, but you’ll also find yourself feeling more energized and stronger than you ever did before.
While it might take time out of your schedule to do these exercises, in the long run it will give you more time because you’ll feel more energetic, refreshed and awake.
Finally, I wanted to save the best for last. The device above is called an exercise ball chair. Want to get transform your body out of that sedentary lifestyle the fastest? Give this baby a try.
All you do is use it instead of your regular office chair. Sounds simple right? It takes some getting use to. The balance required to sit on this ball forces your body to make the necessary weight changes using almost every muscle in your body to maintain equilibrium. These subtle changes, over time, keep your body in a constant state of energy and balance - so while you’re writing, your body is building it’s core strength…it’s like the best of both worlds.
With that said, while the FitBall Exercise Ball Chair
I hope some of these ideas can make a change for the many writers and sedentary lifestyles that they maintain. I know that I’ve made it my New Year’s resolution to get back to the healthy young lad that I was only ten years ago - and I know that you can too!
Come back and let me know how you do with your health goals in the comments section below!
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