Today is our final training session together before I send you out on your own - physically fit and prepped for your writing marathon! If you are just joining us, please check out the previous training posts on how to physically support your writing: B – Breathe, R – Rest & Relaxation, E – Ergonomics .

“A”  means Atmosphere:

Ever gone to a restaurant and felt like a jet-setter? Ever visited a spa and relaxed the minute you stepped in the door? The atmosphere evokes the experience.

What experience is evoked when you sit down at your computer? And it doesn’t matter whether your computer is in a secluded office or a corner of the busiest room of your house.  Do you feel like a brilliant, talented, successful author? Or do you feel like a schizophrenic multi-tasker? Is the view pleasing to the eye? Or does it further stress you out because all you see is unfinished business?

Evoking the appropriate atmosphere can be as simple as putting some fresh (or artificial) flowers on your desk to as extensive as repainting, consulting feng shui or going on a shopping spree for new desk furniture (for those of you who are independently wealthy). Think about what colors, textures, patterns, and/or items soothe you while also making you feel confident and successful. Maybe you worked really hard for a degree. Hang your diploma. Maybe you pulled off a spectacular party. Put out a favor from the party. Or perhaps, you associate the color red with success. Add some red to your desk or your office. This is incredibly personal. Make discovering how to create a success-evoking atmosphere part of your self-discovery.

If you do nothing else, clear the clutter! Clutter sucks your energy and inspiration. That doesn’t necessarily mean dealing with the clutter – maybe pack it away in nice boxes that fit your taste so that you aren’t staring it in the face as soon as you sit down to write. (Then deal with it a little at a time…see below).

Give me a “T” for Timer:

OK, so I’m straying just a bit from my original plan of helping you to create a strong physical foundation for your writing, but hear me out. As authors we are spread pretty thin – marketing, promoing, and, oh yeah, writing. Many of us have multiple roles, holding down full-time day jobs, raising children, managing a household, striving for a healthy relationship or marriage and, oh yeah, writing. That creates a lot of stress.

I’ve found using my little timer (my best friend – in a weird time management way) significantly lessens that stress.

You can get a heck of a lot done in fifteen minutes! I can pay a few bills, make a couple phone calls, empty the dishwasher, switch over loads of laundry, return a few emails or write a page (OK, a paragraph on a mediocre day or a sentence on a really bad one) in fifteen minutes. If I set my timer several times and knock a to-do or two off my list, I can sit down and write a little less fragmented.

Give it a try. What do you have to lose (other than some stress and a couple to-dos)? For more sage advice on using a timer and breaking projects down into small pieces, check out www.FlyLady.net .

“H” represents Healthy Eating:

I know, I can hear the groans…I’m not going to beat you over the head with this. I love my Cheese Nips and Starbuck’s as much as the next gal, but we know healthy food and lots of water are good for us. It’s good for our writing too.

Enough said!

And for a real “kicker”… “E” means Exercise:

More groans…

And I’m groaning right along with you. I hate, loathe and despise exercise, but some of my best pages have been written after a quick fifteen minute walk around the neighborhood (I take my timer)! Get a little aerobic exercise several times a week. Your body and your writing will thank you.

Also, don’t neglect stretching. It’s your key to remaining injury free! We are training for a marathon, remember? There are books about how to stretch at your desk (see Resources below). Find your timer, work for thirty to sixty minutes then take a two minute stretch break. It works – take it from a woman just coming off a painful back problem!

Also, watch my website (www.tiffanyjames.net). A new page will be appearing soon. Any idea what it’s going to be called? Yep, “Just B.R.E.A.T.H.E.”. I’ll be posting more great tips on how to stay fit and in prime writing shape as well as some videos of exercises you can do right from your desk chair.

Had enough? Feeling primed and in peak condition for your writing marathon? If so, I’ll see you at the finish line, multiple books and cheering readers in hand!

Want more information? Have questions? Got an inspirational story about physically supporting your writing? I’d love to hear from you! Comment below and/or email me at Tiffany@TiffanyJames.net . And watch for “Just B.R.E.A.T.H.E. : Creating a Physical Foundation for Your Writing” coming to a conference near you!

Resources:

OFFICE YOGA: Simple Stretches for Busy People by Darrin Zeer

OFFICE YOGA: At-Your-Desk Exercises by Diana Fairechild

COMFORT AT YOUR COMPUTER by Paul Linden

GET FIT WHILE YOU SIT by Charlene Torkelson

We’re well into our training program for our writing marathon – almost halfway, in fact. Today we’re tackling the “E” in B.R.E.A.T.H.E. If you’re just joining us you can find the previous “training” information here: B – Breathing, R – Rest & Relaxation.

“E” is all about Ergonomics:

Cumulatively, we writers spend hours and hours at the computer. That can lead to, at the least, aches and pains and, at the worst, progressive motion injuries (“trigger finger” for frequent mouse users) or sustained position problems (neck pain, “frozen” backs).

One thing you can do to dramatically increase your odds of avoiding these hassles is to have an ergonomic workstation. Ergonomics is the study of the relationship between workers and their work environments with an emphasis on “minimizing occupational stress through improving work station design” (DESKERCISE, pg IX).

First, let’s talk about our chairs. According to DESKERCISE the goal of a properly adjusted chair is to “maintain the curve in the lower back and to minimize the stress on the upper back, shoulders and arms” (pg. 34). We can maintain that position by looking at our seat height, seat angle and lumbar support.

You want your seat at a height that puts your elbows at or just slightly above your desk. You want your elbows to be bent to between 90 and 110 degrees. Contrary to what we often hear (and what I’ve said in the past), a ninety degree angle isn’t necessarily optimum for your hip joint because that can cause the lower back to flatten. This is where seat angle comes into play. It’s best to have your seat angled slightly back if you’re doing a lot typing. This presses the back against the lumbar support. Just be careful that in this position you aren’t pressing the edge of the seat into the back of your thighs (you should be able to slide your hand between the seat and your thighs – if you can’t, you can use a foot rest to lift the legs up slightly. Try to maintain a 90 degree angle at the ankles, though.). If you’re doing a lot of reading or writing, it’s best to have your seat angled slightly forward which helps maintain the curve of the lower back. The operative term here is slightly.

Lumbar support is just what it says it is. Make sure yours hits your back at the lumbar area (where it curves slightly forward). When adjusted properly, it supports the muscles of the lower back as well as transfers weight from your upper body to the pillow instead of it being on your lower back.

Also, a quick note about arm rests. Try to adjust them so that your forearms are resting lightly on them while you work. This can save added stress on your neck and upper back.

Try to keep things you use frequently within arms’ reach. That can also save stress on your body from bending and reaching.

Here’s an exercise from YOGA FOR COMPUTER USERS that can help build up the muscles you use in sitting properly at your desk:

Sit at the very edge of a stable chair, with your feet hip-width apart and planted firmly on a non-skid surface or mat. Move your weight forward so that you are sitting on the front edge of your sit bones, rather than rolling back on your gluteal muscles.

Place your hands on your hips, and rock your pelvis so the muscles of the hip sockets loosen up and you find the most upright position for the pelvis. The front hipbones should be lifting slightly off the thighbones, and the sacrum should be moving in and up toward your head, rather than slumping back toward the back of the chair. This rocking motion should help you feel the difference between a collapsed spine and a spine that is supported by the rotation and lift of the pelvis.

Now, close your eyes and let your shoulders relax. Become aware of your alignment. You want your shoulders balanced directly above your pelvis and the crown of your head over the tailbone. As you strive for this position, try not to pull up with your back muscles but lift from the hip sockets and sacrum, lengthening your spine. Keep the back of your neck and skull long, and the chin relaxed, with your jaw parallel to the floor. Imagine space opening up between each vertebrae and your head feel light, like a helium balloon.

Start with a minute and work your way up to longer time periods. You can do this at any point during the day!

Good luck with creating an ergonomic workspace and dodging those aches and pains.

Some questions for you: Did your mom or dad or grandma, etc. hector you about your posture? Did you pay attention? Do you wish you would have?

Feel free to email me at Tiffany@TiffanyJames.net if you have questions or want more information!

Resources:

DESKERCISE by Todd Berntson

YOGA FOR COMPUTER USERS by Sandy Blaine