Whether you’re an author or employed at a job that demands a lot of time sitting and typing on a computer, after a while your body starts to complain.  I know. The older I get, the more areas let me know they’re not happy with what I’ve been doing.

People have told me to break up a writing session. Forty minutes typing (40) and twenty minutes (20) getting out of the chair and moving around. That’s always a good time to do some housework if you work at home. Problem (for me) is once I’m into what I’m writing, I loose track of time or I simply don’t want to quit because I’ll lose the forward motion of the scene. I have a timer sitting right next to my monitor. It rings a nice loud bell when my forty minutes are up. And I am very good about IGNORING that bell. It’s a “just a minute more” time. Which is never “just a minute.”

Going to a gym three or four times a week is a good way to keep your muscles flexed and strong, but a gym costs money, is usually some distance away, and means a commitment. I have taken yoga classes and water exercises at a gym, but I wasn’t consistent and now the one I would go to is quite a distance away and I would have to drive there, and I would have to change clothes, then shower afterward, and …

I can come up with lots of excuses.

One thing we do have available is our computerized devices: computers, iPads, iPhones. On those, YouTube has exercises for different ages, different levels of ability, and different types of exercises. I’ve taken yoga at a gym. On YouTube, I can find seated yoga, standing yoga, and yoga for people in wheelchairs. They have 5 minute and 10 minute YouTube videos or longer. They have exercises for your back, shoulders, neck, wrists, legs, ankles, and on and on. If you haven’t already done so, check out the YouTube videos. Click YouTube

Don’t let writing be a pain for you.