I have a confession to make. I don't exercise.I used to. Not so long ago I was at the gym every day, sweating it up with the best of them. But then my love of the gym was overtaken by my love of writing, and as my word count went up the daily visits with the treadmill fell by the wayside.
For a while I didn't really think about it. I'd traded one obsession for another, and I figured as long as I still ate healthy food then my lack of exercise wouldn't be a problem. But I just got a big wake-up call.
Last week I woke up with what doctor's call a 'tension headache.' It's the same as a migraine but without the pain of a headache. My head felt like it was in a vice and I could feel numbness spreading across my nose and cheeks. It felt like someone had rested a hand on my head. Oh my God, I thought, I'm having a stroke!
So I went to the doctor and he introduced me to this term called 'tension headache' which is apparently something people get when they are really stressed, have bad posture and don't exercise. When the doctor asked me if anything could be causing me stress I laughed in his face. "Oh please, I'm a writer!" I cackled, "What do YOU think??"
So he sent me off to a physiotherapist and now I have to go three times a week to fix my neck, which is the source of the tension headache. If I got my ass off the couch every once in a while this probably wouldn't have happened. I keep making excuses for my lack of exercise, like I'm too busy with my writing, but then I remember reading an interview with Augusten Burroughs, and HE exercises every day and is really buff, and still manages to churn out the odd book or two. But still I can't seem to find the time, and I'm paying the price for it.
So tell me, do YOU find time to exercise around writing, and if so, please tell me how!!!
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4 comments:
I do actually find the time to exercise as well as write. I basically just make it happen. When I worked a day job, it was easier because I hated my day job and going to the gym on my lunch break helped me get out aggression. Now that I have a night job that I love instead and write at home during the day, it's a little more difficult but I basically just build in time at the beginning or the end of the day and I got into the habit by bribing myself. You see I'm addicted to the soap opera One Life to Live, have been since age 14. So I get to watch it when I'm on the elliptical. However, for me routine only works for so long. I really love kickboxing, so I got some cardio kick dvds to switch up my routine as well as a couple DVDs with great musical soundtracks to induce me to work out, including Fit To Rock and Cardio For Indie Rockers. So yeah, for me I bribe myself by making it fun somehow and then I know that I either begin my day (working better for me lately) or end my day with it.
Oh and PS this blog might help: http://healthywriter.blogspot.com/
OK. I am tired just from reading your posts.
I work full time and write when I get home, so it's normally 10pm before I can even think of something like exercise. Sigh. I do miss the elliptical. Love that thing!
That blog is fantastic.
Kathy, I run every morning (except today, it is raining...*shaking fist at rain) and I consider it part of my writing routine, because I work out all my sticky plot points that way.
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