It's August, hotter than Hades, and I've had enough hell in my personal life to get hot under the collar for a long time. Mostly I'm just crisp around the edges from efforts that weren't inspiring, uplifting, or in any way motivating to my writing life.
I don't even have a writing life right now!
To top it off, I ache. Physically. From sitting in a car for far too many hours of endless travel, and not moving my butt in a daily exercise program.
Just in time, one of my favorite fitness companies, Man Flow Yoga, has a new product: Yoga Start - Yoga for Beginners With Modifications For the Inflexible.
I'm already the Lady Manbassador for this outfit, having been sold on the program for a couple of years. (Obviously, ladies are welcome too!) Now that I seem to be back to square one on a fitness level, this will help me get on track. The program is good for any writer who is tight from too much sitting at the computer, or maybe just plain stiff from old age!
If you have Amazon Prime it's free to try out today. Give it a go. Yoga is one of those great exercises you can do inside with a limited amount of space, and if the temperatures are as hot as they are in my stretch of the middle, you'll have no excuse to get moving. You might be surprised at how good you feel after half an hour of Yoga Start.
Get yourself over there and try it! How did it go? Leave me a comment or tell us how you keep fit as a writer. Then bookmark the Blood-Red Pencil and join us twice a week in August while we explore more hot issues on the blog.
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| http://manflowyoga.com/ |
I don't even have a writing life right now!
To top it off, I ache. Physically. From sitting in a car for far too many hours of endless travel, and not moving my butt in a daily exercise program.
Just in time, one of my favorite fitness companies, Man Flow Yoga, has a new product: Yoga Start - Yoga for Beginners With Modifications For the Inflexible.
I'm already the Lady Manbassador for this outfit, having been sold on the program for a couple of years. (Obviously, ladies are welcome too!) Now that I seem to be back to square one on a fitness level, this will help me get on track. The program is good for any writer who is tight from too much sitting at the computer, or maybe just plain stiff from old age!
If you have Amazon Prime it's free to try out today. Give it a go. Yoga is one of those great exercises you can do inside with a limited amount of space, and if the temperatures are as hot as they are in my stretch of the middle, you'll have no excuse to get moving. You might be surprised at how good you feel after half an hour of Yoga Start.
Get yourself over there and try it! How did it go? Leave me a comment or tell us how you keep fit as a writer. Then bookmark the Blood-Red Pencil and join us twice a week in August while we explore more hot issues on the blog.
 |
| Dani Greer is the founding member of the Blood-Red Pencil blog and wonders when she'll be able to get back to her romantic mystery novel in all earnest. You can encourage her writing efforts by connecting with her at Facebook, Twitter, or Utopian Press, her newest art and publishing venture. |
Great advice to get moving! A word to the wise though: when I injured my back from too much sitting I tried to heal myself with yoga - after the fact. This was a mistake. The yoga needs to start before bad things happen, not after. Because I had already slipped a disk, the contortions of yoga by a body already overly stiff exacerbated the injury.
ReplyDeleteThese days I do my best to get up every hour or so and either walk a few blocks, do light gardening, or dance to a song on my iPod - things that give me a 5- or 10-minute break. For longer breaks, I sometimes bike to an errand. After work, I often do social dancing: swing, Lindy hop, and such.
I've also started classes called Booty Barre (some places have a version called Barre Forte), which combines ballet barre exercises with things like yoga, pilates, and cardio weight-lifting.
You probably won't have this issue with beginners yoga, but if you KNOW you have physical issues, common sense tells us to see a doctor about ANY exercise program first. Right?
DeleteAbsolutely, Dani. I got lulled into a false sense of security: having been active all my life, trained in dance, a skier, runner, etc. I took beginner and then intermediate yoga long before the injury with no problem, but I overestimated my dancer's body and underestimated how much more sedentary my day-job became over time. I didn't realize how much I was stiffening into the shape of a chair in my 40's, and that bending myself the other way to fix it only made it worse. My mistake, but I got so used to my limber young body that middle age came as a shock. Now I'm 53, and learning to decrease my expectations of just how bendy I might still be. ;)
DeleteMoving is my biggest challenge -- next to the computer curves I get thrown with far too much frequency. Getting up to walk every hour is a good break from sitting too long, and I try to remember to do that. Great reminder, Dani.
ReplyDeleteYes, ten minutes of movement every 50 minutes is my habit. Sitting is a big killer.
DeleteHuge fan of what I call "chair" yoga. Simple movements can help you stay mobile, even when you suffer from muscle disease. Water yoga is another alternative.
ReplyDeleteNot big into water sports, but chair yoga is a definite part of any yoga program. Perfect for writers too.
DeleteThanks for sharing the love, Dani!
ReplyDeleteYou're the best, pal!
DeleteI've been a yoga practitioner for over 40 years and was a certified instructor for a decade. Now, as a writer who sits on a ball, I look forward to my 30-minute workout at the end of each writing day. Because I never quit and because I know when to stop, I've avoided most injuries. Yes, I have a slipped disc down at L5-S1. I know how much to stretch that area and what way. I recommend yoga but only after you've checked with your doctor AND after you find a certified instructor who can adapt a routine to your physical needs. Good luck and great post.
ReplyDeleteYoga fascinates me, Dani ... I could watch it for hours.
ReplyDeleteHahaha. You probably love doing dishes too. Snort!
DeleteThis is exactly what I need, Dani. Isn't it amazing that just when we're ready for an opportunity of piece of information, it magically shows up?? I've been getting back to normal, slowly, after knee replacement and now a broken nose, and I need more than just my recumbent exercise bike and walking. This yoga program sounds perfect for me.
ReplyDeleteGetting ready to do it now, and then I'll write a review for Amazon. That's another thing I've been putting off - not nearly enough reviews. Gotta get back on track!
ReplyDeleteI always feel it in my hands and fingers if I haven't done yoga for a couple of weeks. Putting just that little bit of weight on wrist and knuckle joints seems to release the stiffness that creeps in from lots of typing. Downward dog and lunges are my favourite poses for writer ailments - works the hamstrings and the hands.
ReplyDeleteI've been going to Fitness Class, which features aerobics and strength exercises, but what I most enjoy is Zumba. Lots of exercise, but not boring. One of these days, I'll try chair yoga. I'm usually stiff after sitting at my desk for a while, and forget to get up and stretch until it's too late!
ReplyDelete