Simple Remedies

Hi there,

I hope you are well and enjoying the hot weather. It's lovely in West Yorkshire. The golf course was in pristine condition this morning, and it made a change to play in shorts – about time! Although the golf was poor,  it was a nice walk in the sunshine. I also enjoy the exercise, which is the main theme of this week's blog.

I think you will agree that moderate exercise is good for your physical well-being, mental health and overall fitness. You may be surprised to learn that writers benefit from exercise as well. I will go into this in more detail later in the blog.

Meanwhile, I hope you found the 'writing tips' valuable last week. I would love to hear your comments. If you have other tips to pass on, please let me know.

How to stay healthy while writing

Working at a computer for a long time, as most writers do, can be bad for your health as it can lead to many problems, such as:- stress, tiredness, insomnia, headaches, joint and muscle pain, and irritability. Looking after yourself and being sensible with your writing schedule are essential. Easier said than done, however. All writers get engrossed in their work and prefer to carry on rather than take a break and perhaps lose that inspiration. I know I do. But you can do more harm than good.

I don't want to stop if I'm on a roll with my writing. Your adrenaline is high, you're creative, and the words flow, so why stop? Two hours can fly by, and you haven't taken a break or exercised. You probably haven't drank any water and forgotten to eat. Problems arise when you stop writing, look at the time and leave your den to make a drink or get something to eat. Getting up from your chair is difficult because your body aches. You might have back, neck or shoulder pain, joint pain or circulation issues all because you spent too long in your chair without taking any breaks.

Simple Remedies (Colleen M Story)

• Set a timer, get up and move around every 30 minutes

• Drink water frequently to stay hydrated – good for your body and brain

• Eat a healthy diet

• Exercise daily if possible

For all kinds of reasons,  the hardest one for writers is to exercise daily. The normal excuse, according to (Colleen M Story) is 'I don't have time.'

We hear in the media, TV/Radio, magazines/books about the importance of daily exercise for our well-being. Research, however, suggests that writers generally can't find the time to write, let alone do 30 minutes of daily exercise. (Colleen M Story)

There are very good reasons why writers should exercise more frequently:-

• Exercise improves concentration and clarity, allowing writers to maintain focus during writing sessions

• Exercise releases endorphins (pain relievers), reducing stress and anxiety, which can have a positive impact on a writer's emotional well-being

• Exercise improves endurance and alertness, enabling writers to sustain longer writing sessions without feeling tired

• Exercise stimulates the brain and promotes divergent thinking leading to increased creativity and innovative ideas for writers

• Exercise counteracts the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle

• Exercise increases intellectual function, helping writers generate fresh ideas and overcome writer's block

Therefore, incorporating exercise into a writer's routine has numerous benefits leading to improved creativity, focus, alertness, well-being, and, hopefully, writing performance.

We are not talking about hours and hours of exercise involving long runs and walks, but regular activity breaks to recharge the battery and get the blood flowing.

e.g. my regular routine consists of walking up and down the stairs for 3 minutes or running up and down the stairs 5 times, five minutes of stretching exercises, and deep breathing of fresh air  (outside). It will depend on how many hours I spend at my desk writing as to how many times I exercise.

e.g.   I will exercise as above every hour, sometimes every half an hour.

Try it and see how you do.

Happy reading/writing/exercising,

Mansel