Preventing sore muscles

I know...what’s a writer doing talking about sore muscles?  Well, as we set up our writing space, we may not get the ergonomics right the first time.  Is the chair the right height?  Is the desk comfortable to work at?  Are we even at a desk, or in a coffee shop on a laptop?  Where we write is less important than making sure we don’t get a strain from a bad writing position.

I’m starting to build my new writing desk today.  I’ve gathered the wood and made the list of cuts, so now I just need to cut the parts and assemble them.  For now, I’m writing on a crowded desk in the bedroom.  My plotting board is behind me on the floor, resting against the bed.  In other words, not ideal.  

After every writing session, I go to my home gym and do something active.  Often it’s yoga, and I have programs I can follow for everything from relaxation and stretching to strength building.  Yesterday I restarted a strength training program that uses my own bodyweight, so my shoulders and arms were a little sore.  Today I went with a Qi Gong program for shoulder and neck health by Lee Holden.  It felt so good to stretch my muscles out gently and ease the aches.  

I also can rub witch hazel on the muscles if I’m a little sore, and I know right now much of my soreness is from the workout, so witch hazel is ideal to help.  I’m not crazy sore, I just know I exercised well, and writing doesn’t always help if I’m already stiff.  Most of us don’t move a lot when we write, which can also cause soreness.

If I pay attention to my comfort while I write, and my fitness when I’m not writing, I can look forward to a long and comfortable productive life as a writer.  So, set your space up well, keep yourself flexible and in good shape, and go for it!

The Qi Gong movement “flying”