Elysia Lumen Strife's Blog, page 13

Desk Job Fitness Tip #2: Aching Wrists & Arms

Disclosure

If you spend a lot of time typing or using a mouse, whether you’re a writer, a gamer, a receptionist, or just a Pinterest junkie, you may find your arms and wrists are sore and tired. This video will show you some stretches you can do to help relieve the ache.

Desk Job Fitness Tip #1

Let’s be honest. We get tired, sitting for hours on end staring at a screen, writing, editing, putting in data, researching, or whatever else your job requires. I‘m starting this blog chain to offer ideas on relieving pain and stiffness, while preventing chronic problems like carpel tunnel and scoliosis. My hope is that some of you will be able to help people you know, and pass the information along.

Our bodies often get forgotten when the pressure is on to meet a deadline. I’m a fiction writer. I know how hard it is to stop mid-concept and take a break. As I also have a Bachelor’s in fitness, I also know how crucial it is we take care of the structure that carries out our daily missions.

A lot of writers contribute to beta/critique groups, pitch fests, etc. For me, these fitness tips are just as important. This is my contribution, my thank-you to the writing community for their support.

Click here for my Disclosure. (please read)

Tips will post on Mondays.

Today’s tip is for that annoying low back and neck pain. I heard about this constantly from my personal training clients. There are a lot of ways to prevent this, but today, we’re looking at what to do about it once it’s there.

Most of us do not sit with our computer desk in ergonomic form. I’ll go into this more later. This can cause us to slouch, to lean over our keyboards or dip our heads toward the screen. All too often people do not have an appropriate desk chair as well.

So your back is hurting and/or you have neck pain. Maybe you even have a mysterious headache over your eyebrows. This headache is caused by the muscles in the back of your neck tearing from your skull because of an exaggerated forward head posture.

 

http://www.orthogurus.com/neck-pain-can-text-neck-syndrome/

The woman on the left shows this incorrect posture. The complications are endless: scoliosis, stenosis, fusion of vertebrae, not to mention the headaches and stiffness as a result.

The woman on the right has correct posture. But seriously, who does this? I don’t even do it right. My arms get tired. It is, unfortunately, the way of the technology era. Someone should invent halos like in What I Have, You Have. Then we could just see everything in our visors, hands-free.

If you have these symptoms, the below yoga stretch is for you. We’re not limited to only this one of course. But we’re going to tackle this one item at a time. Don’t worry if you can’t get down on the floor. I’ll get to that in a second.

The best option is to sit on your heels and walk your arms out across the floor until your forehead rests against it, like you’re giving the floor a big “high five” with both hands. For some, putting a pillow down, or a yoga foam block to rest your forehead on can help if you find you can’t reach the floor. It should feel comfortable. The goal is to make your torso and your arms a straight line like the man below. 
Hold this for at least thirty seconds. A minute is best. 
Always practice deep breathing, controlling it by pulling in through your nose and releasing through your mouth.
Focus on relaxing the muscles in your body. If you can’t do this readily, that’s okay. Just envision your most comfortable place: in a hammock at the beach, in your bed, snuggled with a pet on the sofa, etc.

When you sit up, do it slowly in case you’ve relaxed enough your blood pressure has dropped. Once you get a feel for how you react to this stretch, you’ll know if you can pop back up or if you need to take it easy[image error]

For those of you that can’t get on the floor, stay in your chair and position it a foot or so back from your desk (somewhere with clear space). Then rest your arms and forehead on the edge of the desk.
Hold this for at least thirty seconds. A minute is best. 
Always practice deep breathing, controlling it by drawing in through your nose and releasing through your mouth.
Focus on relaxing the muscles in your body. If you can’t do this readily, that’s okay. Just envision your most comfortable place: in a hammock at the beach, in your bed, snuggled with a pet on the sofa, etc.

Try not to fall asleep. I don’t want a nasty email from your boss. But if you do, congrats. You’ve reached the highest level of meditation. Kudos.

Remember, it’s not a cure-all. The body is a complicated mass of delicate systems that are amazingly tough and fragile. Many factors play into how we feel. If you’re having serious pain, you best see a doctor, therapist, or chiropractor.

I hope this helps you get through the day.

Much -

Elysia

[image error]

Cover Reveal: Zedger

To save one last soldier from a government program that turns children into drones of the future, Marci must set foot in the one place she swore she never would again, unknowingly releasing an army made just for her.

One of the books I’m planning to publish this year is Zedger, book 1 of the Lucid Genesis series. While I’ve had a placeholder cover on there, it wasn’t really what I was hoping for or visualizing. I finally found the images I was looking for and am proud to present the face of my nanopunk/military/scifi novel.

[image error]While I can’t say for certain when the release day is, I have been through structural edits and am looking forward to finalizing the book later this summer. But first, Lost Souls, Infinite Spark Series Book 2!

Zedger is still on my In Progress page for the above reason. But I couldn’t wait to get the cover out and about. I hope you’ll stay tuned. I’m working on setting up an email subscription to send out free copies of my books before their official publication date. It’s still in the works so hang tight!

Best wishes,

Elysia

A Book is the Cheapest Airfare

[image error]A lot can be said for saving money, but when you can’t wait until next year to visit the soft, sandy beaches of Florida or watch the Northern Lights from a hot spring in Alaska, you can still read. With the increasing accessibility to self-publishing resources online, there are countless books available to take you places even beyond the physical realm.

I absolutely love meeting my fellow authors’ characters and learning to see things through their eyes. There is nothing more stimulating than a well-placed plot twist or a character that acts unexpectedly. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out…

Gasp. “What? No! Don’t do that! What was he thinking? That’s going to ruin everything!”

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. —Richard Steele

[image error]When you don’t want to spend the money for an experience you can’t relive, just buy a book. You can read it again and again. You can pass it on to a friend or family member so they can have the same experience. It’s like sharing photos of your trip, but with all the sensations packed in too. What’s better is you’re from the comfort of your favorite chair, maybe even with a warm cat in your lap.

Some of us don’t have time to read a new book every day. Lucky us, there are hosts of short story collections available. Now that the “also boughts” are conveniently placed beside our purchases, and there are countless book promotion sites like Bookbub, it’s easy to find new material we know we’ll like.

[image error]Food for thought: With the automation of many industries, some of us are finding our income dipping (because not all of us are CEOs and still needed to run the company). This means less money to throw at a single, physical trip. Instead, we can have multiple vacations throughout the year with a mere couple of bucks. I call that a win-win. My pocket-book is happy, and so am I.

Reading is important, because if you can read, you can learn anything about everything and everything about anything. —Tomie dePaola

Please share the love!

Best wishes,

Elysia

 

While You Were In Florida, I went to 12 Different Places

[image error]A lot can be said for saving money, but when you can’t wait until next year to visit the soft, sandy beaches of Florida or watch the Northern Lights from a hot spring in Alaska, you can still read. With the increasing accessibility to self-publishing resources online, there are countless books available to take you places even beyond the physical realm.

I absolutely love meeting my fellow authors’ characters and learning to see things through their eyes. There is nothing more stimulating than a well-placed plot twist or a character that acts unexpectedly. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out…

Gasp. “What? No! Don’t do that! What was he thinking? That’s going to ruin everything!”

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. —Richard Steele

[image error]When you don’t want to spend the money for an experience you can’t relive, just buy a book. You can read it again and again. You can pass it on to a friend or family member so they can have the same experience. It’s like sharing photos of your trip, but with all the sensations packed in too. What’s better is you’re from the comfort of your favorite chair, maybe even with a warm cat in your lap.

Some of us don’t have time to read a new book every day. Lucky us, there are hosts of short story collections available. Now that the “also boughts” are conveniently placed beside our purchases, and there are countless book promotion sites like Bookbub, it’s easy to find new material we know we’ll like.

[image error]Food for thought: With the automation of many industries, some of us are finding our income dipping (because not all of us are CEOs and still needed to run the company). This means less money to throw at a single, physical trip. Instead, we can have multiple vacations throughout the year with a mere couple of bucks. I call that a win-win. My pocket-book is happy, and so am I.

Reading is important, because if you can read, you can learn anything about everything and everything about anything. —Tomie dePaola

Please share the love!

Best wishes,

Elysia

 

Liebster Nomination

Until my good friend, Lenn, got nominated, I had no idea what Liebster 2018 Nomination was. She is an amazing woman, fantastic blogger, and a creative fiction writer whose books I anxiously await publication of. If I were to return the nomination it would be her! She supports others, is always optimistic, and has goats! What else could you possibly want?

Lenn is a diligent writer with an exceptional ability to set scenes and bring you into the moment with the details most of us take for granted. I’ve had the pleasure of personally reading two of her manuscripts and (I won’t spoil it) but they’re crazy good with unique story lines and characters. You can read her blog here.

She proposed some questions to the rest of us. I’ve answered them below.

1.Which fictional character would make the best roommate and why?

The first one that comes to mind is Worf, from Star Trek. There would never be a dull moment. Things would always be in order and I know we would have mutual levels of respect.

2. If you could live in one season forever which would it be?

Autumn. It’s getting cooler, which means increased snuggling opportunities. The smell of the crisp air, rain, apple cider, and the leaves… it just gets to me in a way other scents don’t. It’s like the world is finally relaxing after the summer and settling down for it’s nap under the cottony comforter of winter.

…And pumpkin spice lattes.

Remember Self-care

[image error]While the baseline is for my author friends, this applies to everyone.

In the realm of work sometimes we forget about ourselves, too consumed with demands of bosses or projects. We must be vigilant in our personal health regimen if we are to remain productive tools of our professions, no matter what they are. We need maintenance just like a car or electronic device: changing out the oil or deleting photos of ex-s.

It’s not selfish. It’s being grateful for what we have.

Care = respect

Much ,

Elysia

Infinite Spark Book 3: Penumbra

[image error]Finally settled on a cover for the third book of the Infinite Spark Series! Penumbra is well on it’s way to completion and I can’t wait!

It’s a two part book. I won’t give away any spoilers except that the second half is all space battle!

This series is a dream come true… literally. I hope you’ll stick around to see what comes next.

…It’s not over yet.

You can find more on the series here.

-Elysia

Infinite Spark Book 2: Lost Souls

[image error]In the dawn of silence after the battle, as we address our wounds and count our dead, we get one breath of peace before a new storm brews above. For the Universal Protectors and the survivors of both Earth and Agutra, the war has only just begun.

Lost Souls is in the final stages of construction and will be released later this year (2018). Penumbra, book three, is catching up and will be receiving a cover soon.

I hope you’ll join me on this journey. It’s been a thrill to watch it all unfold.

-Elysia

5 Stars: Stellar Fusion

I thought for sure, when I asked for a review, I’d get the “your book isn’t good enough to post a review” response. If I didn’t get four stars, Stellar Fusion wouldn’t post. When I got the message my review was complete I literally fell over laughing in disbelief. 

[image error]“A fascinating and enjoyable read.” -Readers’ Favorite (5 stars)

Five stars? No way… I … no I don’t believe that. I’m hallucinating…

Then I came across another book posted on Twitter, displaying a seal with 5 stars from Readers’ Favorite and I thought: hey, I wonder if I get a badge. [image error]

Sure enough, there it was!

Okay, maybe I did get five stars…

I don’t toot my own horn. I’m not that kind of person. But this actually happened and I suppose I’m still a little delighted and shocked. My first book isn’t crap!

Because this is how I think. I’m one of those overly critical writers. But I still believe it’s better than being full of hot air, you know?

And the review was fast, and lengthy. I am very happy and grateful for their report!

I want to help and inspire others and am always up for beta reads or critiquing other works. Contact me if you’re interested.