Sorry for the silly title, but the notion of maintaining a writing life and a healthful life (in addition to the multitude of other lives we expect to maintain) has been on my mind a lot lately. Why? Maybe it’s the 8 pounds I put around my waist over the last four months or so. I don’t know if that’s an alarming amount to gain, but I am officially taking notice.
I’ve gained and lost weight before, mostly from being careful about what I eat. But I’ve never been much for exercise. In fact, I hate exercise. Never enjoyed it. Truthfully, that probably has a lot to do with why I’ve always wanted to be a writer. And up to now, I believed I had to choose one way of life or the other: make time to write and create, or make time to be fit and healthy. As I get closer to my 40s (still a few years away, but still…), I think I may need to rewrite that part of my psyche.
Resorting to my familiar reference library, the Internet, hasn’t given me much to mull over. Searching for “fitness AND writers” or “writers AND exercise” doesn’t help much. So I turn to my fellow writers: how do you keep the belly rolls at bay? How do you foster a mind-body balance? Or is that part of your life–like mine–still in rough draft stages?
Comments 9
One thing I’ve found that sometimes works for me is (1) walking and (2) not considering it walking so much as thinking. Kind of like how one thinks differently when driving, in the shower, etc. I go out to *think*, and it just so happens that I walk a couple of miles at the same time. And yeah, it helps not to think about what happened to Stephen King…
Posted 26 Sep 2007 at 10:39 am ¶Funny thing, but I am a fitness expert AND a writer. (Of course I use different names for my two competing alter-egos, so your google “writers AND exercise” isn’t going to help.)
But let me give you some advice anyway:
1) If you have to pick just one form of exercise, pick resistance training 3-4 times a week (i.e. weight training). You’ll add muscle which raises your metabolism to burn extra fat even when you *aren’t* working out.
2) Ideally, do a little cardio first thing in the morning as well, and do the weights later in the afternoon. This will double your rate of progress, and the cardio is good for creativity, as it brings oxygen to the brain.
3) Start slow with the weights. Do about half as much as you think you can the first several weeks. That way you won’t get discouraged by the (perfectly normal, but severe) muscle soreness that can result if you go too hard, too fast.
4) If you can afford it, hire a personal trainer. Ideally they should hold the certification of “CSCS” with the NSCA. ACSM certified trainers are also acceptable, but by sticking to one of these two credentials, you’ll get someone who actually knows what they’re talking about, and who acts like a professional.
5) Finally, keep a log of your efforts. The idea is to gradually increase the amount of weight you can handle, and the number of sets and reps you can perform using good form for each exercise. If you don’t consistently progress, your progress will be limited.
Hope this helps!
Posted 26 Sep 2007 at 3:14 pm ¶Jeremy,
thanks for the comments and tips. I particularly like the bit about cardio being good for creativity… Good tip.
-gordon
Posted 26 Sep 2007 at 9:04 pm ¶wellbutrin. it helps with the nicotine cravings and increases the metabolism.
Posted 26 Sep 2007 at 10:54 pm ¶I grew up playing a lot of sports in alleys, fields, hotel lobbies and hallways, and cemeteries. So I need exercise to function mentally and creatively. But for some reason when my brain or my legs refuse to do any sort of exercise, I always think of that scene in A River Runs Trough It (in the movie, unfortunately never read the book yet) when Norman returns home after university and informs his father that he would probably work at the lumber yard again. His father memorably replies. “Ah yes. The body fuels the mind.” If that’s what Norman Maclean’s father told him, and he then wrote A River Runs Through It, I’ll run to Montana and back.
Posted 27 Sep 2007 at 9:43 am ¶@Justin: Unfortunately I quit smoking about 7 months ago… Maybe that has to do with my extra pounds. hmmm.
@David: Hotel lobbies and hallways? Cemeteries? There have to be good stories in that upbringing.
Posted 27 Sep 2007 at 8:47 pm ¶We writers tend, by nature, to operate almost entirely out of our heads. We’re observers. Using our bodies, keeping them in shape, doesn’t come naturally. (These are, of course, gross generalizations.) But, just as we have to learn how to write from the heart as well as the head — the number one mistake new writers of fiction make is to use a main character who is a passive observer, rather than a true participant in the drama — so we also need to learn that our mind and bodies are one, and are stronger together than apart.
At the time I entered my MFA program in 1987, my university required that all entering students have a physical exam. (No idea why.) My doctor said, gravely, that I was older now, and could no longer count on being naturally healthy: I needed to start exercising. (I was all of 22.)
So I began playing racquetball. It wasn’t really enough, but it was a good beginning. I began to remember the pleasure of exercise (which I hadn’t experienced, really, since I’d quit my soccer team in the ninth grade), though I was still unwilling to submit to its discipline. After all, I had writing and reading to do.
Once I got my degree, though, there was no place to play racquetball, as I couldn’t afford to join a health club and anyhow, the sport was waning in popularity. I took up running because it was cheap, and much to my surprise — loved it. Needed it. If I didn’t run regularly, I got jittery, anxious. Running calmed me down. And it also allowed me time to think about whatever story I was working on. Some of my best ideas came then. And if they didn’t, I was still in a calmer, more productive frame of mind afterward.
I can’t run anymore (flat feet finally caught up with me [a priceless image, there]), but you better believe I do cardio and weight training every week. I don’t get the same high as I used to get from running, but I’m committed. I’m healthier, I feel better … and more complete.
Posted 29 Sep 2007 at 2:26 pm ¶I’ve always had a weight problem. My weight has fluctuated up and down since I was a kid. I’d walk, lift some weights and try to count calories. I could never keep it up and eventually would fall back into bad habits. What finally worked was getting cancer. Between the disease and the treatments, I lost half my original body weight. Now I’m trying to put weight back on and for the first time it’s hard to do.
Posted 03 Oct 2007 at 7:37 pm ¶Wow, this is an old one, but I just have to comment. I hate to exercise, too. Like really, really hate it. And between working full time (sometimes more to make ends meet), familial duties, household duties, reading, and writing–there ain’t much time, friend. IMO, full time work sucks and is killer. I try to eat healthy–it’s the most doable habit I’ve picked up yet. Of course, this necessitates cooking. Luckily, I like that. As for exercise, I don’t do it much, but I’ve got to pretend that I’m not exercising. Going to the gym–f*ck it. I walk to work in the mornings and take a pad of paper along in my back pocket. I get lines of poems that way. Swimming during the summer. I love to swim. I just let myself flip and play until I get tired. Biking for fun. I can’t count the minutes or the miles, all the measurement just stresses me out. I tend to gain weight in the winter because my ‘exercises’ require warm weather for me. I hate indoor pools and bikes that go no-where. That’s my great advice. Gee, aren’t I helpful?
Posted 06 Jun 2009 at 1:03 pm ¶Speak Your Mind