Being a freelance writer is fraught with dangers. Besides the obvious ones of uncertain (and insufficient) income, becoming somewhat of a loner and losing yourself for hours and hours behind the laptop screen (family members fail to fathom what is it that’s simply taking you so long!), there are the immediate risks to your health as well.
Keep moving
It is said that people who spend hours sitting behind a desk are more prone to fatal conditions of high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, obesity (so true), cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer. Just 6 hours a day of sitting puts you in risk of developing serious health conditions. And if you happen to be a smoker and a writer, well that’s just another nail in the coffin isn’t it! To make matters worse, few hours at the gym can’t really offset the risk of an otherwise sedentary lifestyle.
So what’s the way out you may ask – well simple really get off your seat. Stand up while talking on the phone, or drinking your coffee or eating lunch. Take regular breaks from your writing corner, walk around the house or a garden if you are lucky, bounce a ball off the wall standing up. Do some stretches from your desk. Put reminder alarms to know it’s time to take a break. Keep a stepper nearby. If you can afford it, a ‘walkstation’ @ $4000 may be a good idea.
Give your body parts that much needed break from the computer!
I guess we all know about all this stuff, but the fact is that we tend to get carried away in our need to pen down every word as it comes to our minds and keep going while we are ‘in the flow’. But in the long run we are doing untold damage to our bodies.
This blog is as much a reminder to the readers as it is to me that we simply can’t afford to ignore the obvious, cause when the writing stops, the penny drops!
Rhea Gaur
LadyBird~Ink