Exercise
If you want your mind to work, to be fully creative and concentrated, then you really need to exercise. What? Exercise? There is a reason you choose to sit behind a computer all day. Ah yes, but sadly the brain does not work so well without exercise. It doesn't have to be the hard, sweaty kind; walking is great. 'Why? WHY?' You cry to the heavens. Well, let me tell you why.
First: Being able to sit down and write works best when all your physical needs have already been attended to. If you have done some light exercise first, and blood is happily flowing to all your muscles, they feel stretched and nicely warm, and this will help you slip into the flow much more easily.
Second: Exercise gives your mind time to process. Watching your thoughts at every moment is counterproductive. Go for a walk and let your conscious and subconscious conspire, half way through the walk, or when you return, you will find a little envelope slipped under the door and when you open it, fairy dust will spill out and fill the air.
Third: Your brain benefits from physical exercise. Research shows that getting your blood pumping also pumps extra oxygen-rich blood through the brain. Makes sense, really. This flush of fresh blood does amazing things to your ability to concentrate and think.
Fourth: If you want to be writing as a lifestyle, then sitting down for the majority of your life needs some sort of compensation by making the most of the time you aren't sitting down.
Fifth: There are some things you need that you can't get inside. Sunlight on your retinas helps keep your circadian rhythm up to date, and so also helps you stay awake when you should. Sunlight also reduces depression, and refreshes the senses, and activates your vitamin D. You could just go outside and just lie in the grass for all this to happen, but why not do a bit of walking first? Or roll around while you are down there?
As stated before, it really doesn't have to be hard. Walking is good. I like to break a light sweat, but not go into anaerobic exercise. You should still be able to hold a conversation, with just slight puffs. This means your blood is pumping at an optimal level and your body hasn't started creating excess waste product such as lactic acid, which can add extra stress to your body to get rid of. Remember, we are all about stress minimisation. Though one or two hard sessions a week is fine if you are so inclined.
Stretching
Along the same lines as exercise, if you are sitting all day, you really should spend some time stretching, because sitting is not a natural position to be in constantly. After years of this, your hip flexors start to shorten, which in turn can give you lower back problems. Similarly, your glutes like to be gently stretched and used. Your neck and shoulders get tight from the tension you are placing in them, and your wrists and forearms are in danger from the strange repetitive motions you are making them do.
So when you suddenly feel as though inspiration has done a bunk, shrug your shoulders and stretch for five minutes. (Please note that because this is a short article, I've only gone into some stretches here. If you want a fully detailed account, please go to my book 'The Five Day Writer's Retreat' on Amazon).
Warm up: As you haven't been moving, the muscles won't be particularly warm, so it's not a great time to just demand they stretch out, and can in fact do damage. For each muscle group take a moment to warm them up. I recommend starting at the top of your head and work down. It's a nice organised method.
Neck and shoulders: Start by turning your head to either side a few times and then gently lowering your ear towards your shoulder and then the other ear to warm up. Finish this with shoulder rolls, lifting your shoulders up and around. After ten circles reverse and go back the other way. This should get the muscles nice and pliable. Then, keeping your shoulders square, gently lower your ear towards your shoulder and hold it there for 12 seconds. Come up to straight and drop your other ear to your other shoulder and hold for 12 seconds. You should feel the stretch on the opposite side. If you need a little bit extra, you can place the hand on the same side on your head and gently put weight on it to stretch further. Finally, with your head straight forward, drop your chin to your chest to stretch out the back of your neck and hold, then drop the back of your head down so you can stretch out the front of your neck and hold.
Hip flexor: stand with your feet together and then take one large step forward with your left leg. Keep your right leg as straight as you can, and bend your left leg forward until the knee is just over the toes. Try and push down into the stretch, which you should feel down the front of your right hip. Hold for 12 seconds, and then step back and repeat on the other side.
Wrists and forearms: Start by rotating your wrists in a circular motion for ten counts, then rotate them the opposite direction. Hold out one hand flat with your palm facing down and with the other hand bend the wrist down until you feel the stretch up your forearm. Hold for 12 seconds and repeat on the other side. Then hold your hand flat with the palm facing upwards, and again push it down with your other hand until you feel a stretch on the underside of your forearm, and repeat on the other side.
If you do that every few hours, your body will thank you every day, and your spritely older self will thank you too!
If you want your mind to work, to be fully creative and concentrated, then you really need to exercise. What? Exercise? There is a reason you choose to sit behind a computer all day. Ah yes, but sadly the brain does not work so well without exercise. It doesn't have to be the hard, sweaty kind; walking is great. 'Why? WHY?' You cry to the heavens. Well, let me tell you why.
First: Being able to sit down and write works best when all your physical needs have already been attended to. If you have done some light exercise first, and blood is happily flowing to all your muscles, they feel stretched and nicely warm, and this will help you slip into the flow much more easily.
Second: Exercise gives your mind time to process. Watching your thoughts at every moment is counterproductive. Go for a walk and let your conscious and subconscious conspire, half way through the walk, or when you return, you will find a little envelope slipped under the door and when you open it, fairy dust will spill out and fill the air.
Third: Your brain benefits from physical exercise. Research shows that getting your blood pumping also pumps extra oxygen-rich blood through the brain. Makes sense, really. This flush of fresh blood does amazing things to your ability to concentrate and think.
Fourth: If you want to be writing as a lifestyle, then sitting down for the majority of your life needs some sort of compensation by making the most of the time you aren't sitting down.
Fifth: There are some things you need that you can't get inside. Sunlight on your retinas helps keep your circadian rhythm up to date, and so also helps you stay awake when you should. Sunlight also reduces depression, and refreshes the senses, and activates your vitamin D. You could just go outside and just lie in the grass for all this to happen, but why not do a bit of walking first? Or roll around while you are down there?
As stated before, it really doesn't have to be hard. Walking is good. I like to break a light sweat, but not go into anaerobic exercise. You should still be able to hold a conversation, with just slight puffs. This means your blood is pumping at an optimal level and your body hasn't started creating excess waste product such as lactic acid, which can add extra stress to your body to get rid of. Remember, we are all about stress minimisation. Though one or two hard sessions a week is fine if you are so inclined.
Stretching
Along the same lines as exercise, if you are sitting all day, you really should spend some time stretching, because sitting is not a natural position to be in constantly. After years of this, your hip flexors start to shorten, which in turn can give you lower back problems. Similarly, your glutes like to be gently stretched and used. Your neck and shoulders get tight from the tension you are placing in them, and your wrists and forearms are in danger from the strange repetitive motions you are making them do.
So when you suddenly feel as though inspiration has done a bunk, shrug your shoulders and stretch for five minutes. (Please note that because this is a short article, I've only gone into some stretches here. If you want a fully detailed account, please go to my book 'The Five Day Writer's Retreat' on Amazon).
Warm up: As you haven't been moving, the muscles won't be particularly warm, so it's not a great time to just demand they stretch out, and can in fact do damage. For each muscle group take a moment to warm them up. I recommend starting at the top of your head and work down. It's a nice organised method.
Neck and shoulders: Start by turning your head to either side a few times and then gently lowering your ear towards your shoulder and then the other ear to warm up. Finish this with shoulder rolls, lifting your shoulders up and around. After ten circles reverse and go back the other way. This should get the muscles nice and pliable. Then, keeping your shoulders square, gently lower your ear towards your shoulder and hold it there for 12 seconds. Come up to straight and drop your other ear to your other shoulder and hold for 12 seconds. You should feel the stretch on the opposite side. If you need a little bit extra, you can place the hand on the same side on your head and gently put weight on it to stretch further. Finally, with your head straight forward, drop your chin to your chest to stretch out the back of your neck and hold, then drop the back of your head down so you can stretch out the front of your neck and hold.
Hip flexor: stand with your feet together and then take one large step forward with your left leg. Keep your right leg as straight as you can, and bend your left leg forward until the knee is just over the toes. Try and push down into the stretch, which you should feel down the front of your right hip. Hold for 12 seconds, and then step back and repeat on the other side.
Wrists and forearms: Start by rotating your wrists in a circular motion for ten counts, then rotate them the opposite direction. Hold out one hand flat with your palm facing down and with the other hand bend the wrist down until you feel the stretch up your forearm. Hold for 12 seconds and repeat on the other side. Then hold your hand flat with the palm facing upwards, and again push it down with your other hand until you feel a stretch on the underside of your forearm, and repeat on the other side.
If you do that every few hours, your body will thank you every day, and your spritely older self will thank you too!
About the Author:
This is an excerpt from Buffy Greentree's book 'The Five Day Writer's Retreat', available now on Amazon. Five_day_Writer_Retreat
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