Friday, March 20, 2015

Writers Beware: Butt in Chair can Kill You!

by Bruce Brady @BDBrady007

As writers, we sit a lot!
As writers, we sit. A lot. When we’re on a roll, or fighting a deadline, we can sit for several hours without taking a break.

So what’s the big deal?

While scientists don’t understand why, they say that sitting all day combined with the hours we spend in bed increases our likelihood of heart disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and other chronic illnesses. 

In other words, our sedentary lifestyles are killing us.

Even more shocking, they said that throwing in an hour of daily exercise—even intense exercise—doesn’t really help. Probably because an hour of working out isn’t enough to offset the 20 or so hours we spend working at a desk, watching TV, and sleeping.

These facts were unknown to me. Until recently. My body grabbed my attention when I incurred a severe back injury while changing my pants… That’s right. I said I was changing my pants. Family and friends have suggested I make something up that sounds a lot more dangerous, like I was climbing the Empire State Building. But the truth is the truth. And it was a resounding wake-up call.

When we look at the human body, common sense tells us we were made to move. God didn’t design us to sit and lay all day. Moses didn’t lead the Israelites through the wilderness while riding in his limousine. He walked. They all walked. Hundreds of miles.

But we’re writers. We do our work with BIC (butts in chairs). We think nothing of sitting for long hours, often with bad posture. So what can we do to combat this?

The good news is we don’t have to spend several hours a day at the gym, or jogging down the street. These same researchers say that simply standing for a few minutes every hour will greatly decrease our health risks from sitting. The goal is to cut out two or three hours of daily sitting.

We can stand while writing
There are some additional steps we can take. We can upgrade our laptops to the newer, light weight models that will operate for many hours without charging. This allows us to move from a desk to say a countertop where we can stand while writing. We can buy or build a standing desk. Many options for purchase or DIY can be found online.

I’m installing a laptop desk on my treadmill so I can stroll while writing.

Whether we’re aging or just falling apart, it’s important to exercise. It’s one way to love ourselves as God commands us to do. It doesn’t have to be the over-exuberant, painful exercising of infomercial fame. Simply keep moving. And if slimming down is one of our goals, it’s good to add some weight resistance to our routines.

Remember, “No pain, no gain” is a lie. Exercise should not hurt. Yes, there’ll be some soreness, but if it’s keeping us from performing our normal tasks, then we’re overdoing it.

So what do you do to “love yourself” in a way that will keep you moving? Please share with us. Let’s keep the conversation going.

TWEETABLES


Bruce Brady is an author, writer and playwright. His work has appeared in Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family, www.ChristianDevotions.us, and on stage. Currently, Bruce is working on a Young Adult Novel about a boy who must deal with the death of his dad, being bullied, and helping his mom through her grief. His first five pages took third place in the ACFW South Carolina Chapter’s “First Five Pages” contest.

When he’s not writing, Bruce spends time learning from and helping other writers. He serves as Mentor of Word Weavers International’s Online Chapter, and as a member of Cross ‘N’ Pens, The Writer’s Plot, ACFW’s National and South Carolina Chapters.

“My dream is to entertain my readers and give them hope as they travel the rocky road of life.”

18 comments:

  1. Great advice, Bruce. How do I love myself? Let me count the ways. My apologies to Shakespeare.
    I treadmill 5 days per week for 40-45 minutes a day. Twice a week I go to our city's recreation center and and do weight exercises for 45 minutes. I think one of the best things I do daily is to take a break every hour. I write for one hour and then take a 5-10 minute break to make a fresh cup of tea. I make sure to stand or walk around during this time. I've been doing this since the first of the year and find I'm more mentally and physically alert throughout the day. I also take a sabbath. Sunday is my day away from writing and the computer. God is so smart. We do need that day of rest.

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    1. Thanks Henry. I've started my own exercise program because of my back injury and subsequent research. I also have an underused treadmill that I plan to incorporate. It seems like age caught up to me overnight. God bless your exercise, and your writing.

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  2. Well, I'm glad that the standing helps. My two mastiffs don't let me sit for too long, either. They always want something. But I'm going to pay attention to this advice! Thanks.

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    1. Thanks Ane. Perhaps I should get two mastiffs. Okay, I asked and my wife said no. :( I'll just have to settle for the frequent standing and walking breaks. Thanks for reading my post, and for your humor. Have a blessed weekend.

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  3. Thanks for the reminder, Bruce. Like Ane, I should be thankful for the dogs lying at the picture window and barking for me to come look all day. Trouble is, their eyesight is much better than mine.

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    1. Thanks Kim. I'm sure theirs is better than mine also. God bless you and keep moving.

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  4. I had a serious case of chair butt, sore hamstrings, but I didn't know if I could say that in public at my Christian writers group. :) I suffered in silence until I got the courage to whine about how much I hurt. We finally all started talking about the injuries we had. Next month we're having an ergonomist specialist come speak to us. Great practical wisdom, thank you.

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    1. Thanks Mindy. Please share with us whatever you learn from the ergonomist. I know I'd be very interested in hearing what he or she has to say. God bless.

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  5. Thank you.
    Shutting my desktop down and saving everything to dropbox. Getting up now. taking my laptop to the counter.

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    1. Thanks Patricia. I'm working on plans for mini podiums that will turn my desk into a stand-up desk. I've found I need my keyboard at about 42 inches high to be comfortable. I'll be using an external monitor at an even higher elevation to keep me from looking down and straining my neck. Please be careful you don't injure your neck. God bless you.

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  6. I have one of those huge exercise balls. It's the perfect height for me to sit on at my desk. I get a subtle work out just keeping my balance on that thing. After a while, I don't notice. Getting up and walking around every hour is good advice too.

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    1. Thanks Linda. I'll have to try the exercise ball "chair." I'm getting up every half hour and still finding I'm stiff and sore. However, I'm not fully recovered from my injury. I appreciate your opening my mind to another possibility. Have a blessed weekend.

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  7. Great post. I'm an elliptical person. My iPad or Kindle fits nicely on the little ledge that came with our new model, so I use the time to read the blogs, check out websites, read a book, or watch a webinar. It's a great use of time. As Ane said, having dogs helps too.

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    1. Thanks Melodie. I thought I'd use a treadmill desk for writing but quickly discovered that probably won't work unless I use voice-to-test software. However, the uses you mentioned are excellent. I appreciate your sharing. Have a blessed week.

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  8. Great ideas for equipping a sedentary career path with ways to stay healthy. Since my dog is a couch potato (and so not much help), I recently bought a standing desk. That eliminated chronic headaches and neck pain, as well as lower back aches. I also love the pomodoro time-management system to remind me to take breaks.

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    1. Thanks Lyneta. I've been looking into a standing desk, but decided I can build one for way less than the $500+ most places want for a table with a crank handle. If you found a better deal, please share. I am also using a kitchen timer to remind me to get up every 30 minutes. God bless you and stay healthy.

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    2. Just FYI, I got my standing desk for WAY less than that. http://www.amazon.com/Techni-Mobili-Storage-Woodgrain-22-Inch/dp/B001BBNROI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1427142964&sr=8-2&keywords=standing+desk and there are a lot more on Amazon, and on other sites for less. Blessings, E

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  9. Thank you, Bruce! I think the one I found, which attaches to my office desk, was around $350. Not super-cheap. If I had the know-how to build one, I might have gone that route as well. Before that, I used an ironing board, so that I could raise and lower it as needed. (My counters are too high for me to type comfortably.) Let me know if you build one and how it turns out :)

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