Tuesday, September 14, 2010

It's a Balancing Act

I often tell people what a solitary life writing can be. While that's true, it's recently occurred to me that it is also a balancing act. Sitting for hours at a time tapping away on a computer can be stimulating to your imagination, but it's not so good for your body.
Most days I skip lunch and keep working keeping a large glass of water nearby. I tell myself I'm not really hungry anyway, I'm just thirsty. At the same time I don't like to be interrupted by going to the bathroom and hang in there until I can't stand it. This often results in my husband singing that old Blue Oyster Cult song about Godzilla ("Oh no! There goes Tokyo! Go go Godzilla!") and changing the words (Oh no! Reeny's gotta go ...) you get the picture.

So I've started trying to incorporate some exercise, some stretching, some movement into my day along with the water. Got a pedometer to make sure I walk at least a mile a day. If the work isn't going well then I bump it up an extra mile. Start the morning with some stretching exercises before I have breakfast, and try to quit in the afternoon and give myself time to make a healthy dinner.

My feeling is that if my body is exercised and fed well, as is my mind, then I will do better in the writing department. I won't feel like my muscles are all tight from sitting at the computer all day, and probably not so tired. And taking periodic breaks eliminates that made dash to the bathroom which is a definite plus. Keeping everything balanced ought to keep the creative juices flowing nicely.

Okay, so I've only done it for one day, but that's the plan. I'll let you know.

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