I haven't blogged as much about myself lately. I've been sharing new release/sales news and such, but hadn't given an update on myself. Thanks to the people who cared enough to send me a message on FB or Twitter and ask. :)
I'm doing very well. My pumpkin garden is bigger than ever this year and so far we are getting enough rain that we don't have to carry 5 gallon buckets of water to it. LOL That's always a good thing. Seeing those little pumpkins grow reminds me of fall and how much I love it.
I'm well on my way to being in better shape than I have been since I was a cheerleader in high school. Yes, I was a cheerleader. A captain. LOL And I was good at it. I was a regular little Buffy the Vampire Slayer in my teens.
Speaking of Buffy, I'm having a great time reading as many of the old books as I can get my hands on. Some of you already know, I'm a big fan of the TV series. (Even though I didn't start watching it until a few years ago.) Now, I'm looking to collect all of the season 8 comics (the TV series ended with season 7) so I can see what happens to Willow and Xander. I love them. Not that I didn't care about Buffy. She was beginning to redeem herself in the end. Between seasons 5 and 6, she was just such a raging bitch that I found it hard to sympathize with her character. I'm a raging bitch sometimes and I haven't been through everything she had though. So, to be fair, I probably would have taken over the world and found a way to resurrect The Master to make porn movies, IF I'd gone through everything she had. Maybe she didn't deal with it as badly as I thought. Ha. Ha. Ha.
Anyway, I'm rambling. I'm just now getting some coffee today, so I'll blame it on lack of caffeine. I've started back with cross training 4-6 days a week (depending on my energy level) and added in swimming. I've never been a strong swimmer. In fact, I was downright terrified of water for most of my life. But here's the thing about me. I don't like being afraid of anything. Living in fear is unacceptable. Therefore, I swim 2-3 days a week for 1-2 hours at a time and I'm getting pretty damn good at it. The place where I go has an Olympic size pool and I can breast stroke across the middle, then immediately turn and do a hand over hand stroke all the way back without getting tired. No other exercise has ever worked my back so well. I'm very pleased with the results so far. Not to mention, swimming is great at reducing stress, something that I'm still working on.
I've got something special planned to help promote the last 2 books in the Lilith Mercury series, and I happen to need to be in great shape to pull it off. LOL I'm not going to say more now, but it's a big deal to me and will be a huge accomplishment once I get there.
My brain is beginning to feel slightly refreshed. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on (that interests me, of course) and catching up on TV shows. Believe it or not, bombarding my brain with stories that have nothing to do with mine actually HELPS me write. I love reading horror. It's like an energy drink for my brain. Ha. Ha.
I'm planning to take a bit more time off from writing (I'm still promoting, so I'm not just sitting on my butt), read some more Dean Koontz, and jump back into the Lilith series in September.
Okay, that's all for now. I'm off to workout. :)
Showing posts with label excercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label excercise. Show all posts
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Friday, March 16, 2012
Exercise your mind and your body
This post isn't just for writers, it's for anyone who does the majority of their work sitting down. Did you know that sitting all the time could be deadly?
Not only that, I was just reading an article published in Cell Physiology. The article suggests that sitting and the pressure this puts on your buttocks and hips could cause more fat to accumulate in those areas. According to this article, sitting on your ass could make it %50 fatter! How disturbing is that?
I know we all in some ways suffer for our art. But I'm not willing to expand my ass for my craft. Ha. Ha. Ha.
As writers, we spend a great deal of time chained to our keyboards. Our minds are no doubt in great shape, but can we say the same for our bodies? Have you ever wondered what a certain writer looked like and when you finally saw them thought, "Wow. They are so overweight?"
That's putting it nicely. While I'm not trying to insult any of my fellow writers, I know other people who are not so kind. This is a sentiment I've heard echoed often by people I know when they see pictures or interviews with famous writers.
I try to explain to them that writing as much as these people do, they spend a lot of time sitting around. Sure, they're working hard, but their bodies are not.
This post isn't just about vanity. I'm sure there are lots of people who will scoff at it. Or say that I'm full of shit for caring what other people think. Whether we admit it or not, we all want others to approve of our appearance.
But like I said, this isn't about that. It's about being in good health. For me, it's about approving of my own appearance. I haven't liked what I've seen in the mirror for quite some time. I'm working to change that. While I'm not monstrously overweight, I am only 5' 4". Every ounce shows on my little body.
If I gain 2 lbs., it looks like 10. In the past year I've lost 27 lbs. However, no one can seem to tell. At least, no one has said anything. But I feel better. Yes, that's a lot of work for little reward, but I want to live a long, healthy life. I also want to live that life wearing smaller jeans. Ha. Ha.
To take no action at all could eventually be deadly. If someone has a poor diet AND sits for long periods of time, they are looking at an increased risk for diabetes and heart disease.
Here are a few simple things that I do during the day. When you don't have the time to exercise or don't feel like it, these are easy to manage.
1. Get up every 20 minutes, even if it's just to go pour more coffee, get off your ass. If you feel like it, do some light stretches while you're up.
2. If you have a dog, walk him. A 2o minute walk will do you both good.
3. If you work at home, like lots of writers do, work on your laundry between pages.
4. Take a 30 minute break to clean the house. By the time you finish the next chapter you'll have less to do later AND you'll have gotten some work done.
5. Go outside for a few minutes. Even if you love vampires, sunlight is not your enemy. It helps your body absorb vitamin D and prevents depression. (Another condition many writers suffer from.)
I hope some of these tips have helped and will be received in the spirit they are offered. I'm not trying to point a finger at big asses. Mine is not perfect. I'm trying to point out that if we want to keep working at this dream job we call writing, we need to take care of ourselves.
Not only that, I was just reading an article published in Cell Physiology. The article suggests that sitting and the pressure this puts on your buttocks and hips could cause more fat to accumulate in those areas. According to this article, sitting on your ass could make it %50 fatter! How disturbing is that?
I know we all in some ways suffer for our art. But I'm not willing to expand my ass for my craft. Ha. Ha. Ha.
As writers, we spend a great deal of time chained to our keyboards. Our minds are no doubt in great shape, but can we say the same for our bodies? Have you ever wondered what a certain writer looked like and when you finally saw them thought, "Wow. They are so overweight?"
That's putting it nicely. While I'm not trying to insult any of my fellow writers, I know other people who are not so kind. This is a sentiment I've heard echoed often by people I know when they see pictures or interviews with famous writers.
I try to explain to them that writing as much as these people do, they spend a lot of time sitting around. Sure, they're working hard, but their bodies are not.
This post isn't just about vanity. I'm sure there are lots of people who will scoff at it. Or say that I'm full of shit for caring what other people think. Whether we admit it or not, we all want others to approve of our appearance.
But like I said, this isn't about that. It's about being in good health. For me, it's about approving of my own appearance. I haven't liked what I've seen in the mirror for quite some time. I'm working to change that. While I'm not monstrously overweight, I am only 5' 4". Every ounce shows on my little body.
If I gain 2 lbs., it looks like 10. In the past year I've lost 27 lbs. However, no one can seem to tell. At least, no one has said anything. But I feel better. Yes, that's a lot of work for little reward, but I want to live a long, healthy life. I also want to live that life wearing smaller jeans. Ha. Ha.
To take no action at all could eventually be deadly. If someone has a poor diet AND sits for long periods of time, they are looking at an increased risk for diabetes and heart disease.
Here are a few simple things that I do during the day. When you don't have the time to exercise or don't feel like it, these are easy to manage.
1. Get up every 20 minutes, even if it's just to go pour more coffee, get off your ass. If you feel like it, do some light stretches while you're up.
2. If you have a dog, walk him. A 2o minute walk will do you both good.
3. If you work at home, like lots of writers do, work on your laundry between pages.
4. Take a 30 minute break to clean the house. By the time you finish the next chapter you'll have less to do later AND you'll have gotten some work done.
5. Go outside for a few minutes. Even if you love vampires, sunlight is not your enemy. It helps your body absorb vitamin D and prevents depression. (Another condition many writers suffer from.)
I hope some of these tips have helped and will be received in the spirit they are offered. I'm not trying to point a finger at big asses. Mine is not perfect. I'm trying to point out that if we want to keep working at this dream job we call writing, we need to take care of ourselves.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Early Bird
I'm up way earlier than is natural for me. LOL This is an attempt at getting some more physical activity and a bit more writing done. Do you realize how long it's been since I watched a sunrise? I was starting to feel like one of the vamps in my novels. LOL Too much late night working and too little sleep have been keeping me in bed much later than I needed to be. Here's to attempting a cardio workout in the next thirty minutes and on to a really hot scene I've got in mind to write today. *toasts everyone with coffee cup*
Have a good Monday!
Tracey
Grab life by the fangs
www.traceyhkitts.com
Have a good Monday!
Tracey
Grab life by the fangs
www.traceyhkitts.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)