Get Off Your Ass and Write

ne thing that doesn’t get as much attention as it should on most blogs, but in particular this blog is the importance of movement. I’m not trying to be some weird kids show ad insisting that you get outside and move but let’s be honest here, writers are not known for being particularly physically active. We’re known for binge eating (particularly stress eating), binge drinking, chain smoking, overdosing on various drugs, and occasionally lurid amounts of sex. Perhaps the only difference between us and rockstars is that we generally don’t have groupies (unless your Stephanie Meyer). But I’ve seen writers with all kinds of crazy hair and tattoos, so even that part is fairly similar. Literary rockstars. Except maybe with quieter music… sometimes.

How this all came up in my mind is because last week I read an article from Writer Unboxed in which two authors expressed the importance of staying active for writers. And not just for our physical health either. Apparently studies show that being physically active helps your mental wellbeing (which I can guarantee every writer needs a little help with) promotes cell growth and stimulates your brain in all kinds of ways. And like most activities that don’t require a lot of thought, there’s a chance you could get a great idea that changes your entire book while exercising. (Like the 3 a.m. epiphany or the brilliant plot twist you get in the shower).

My Ah-ha moment ‘that Oprah continuously talks about’

I’m going to be completely honest here. I hate exercise. I do. I always laugh because people say that exercise releases endorphins which make you happy but when I’m actually exercising the only emotion I feel is blinding rage and hatred for the asshole who continuously perpetuates the idea that exercising makes you happy. That pleasant thought aside, I have a shit memory. Like, forget what your going to say as I’m saying it, bad memory. I can tell you the full name of an actress from a television show that debuted in 1964, the day she died and various other bits of trivia but what I ate for breakfast this morning. Not a clue. Like most writers I can remember things that most people don’t think matters, and I notice things that most people don’t notice or don’t care to notice as well. But if exercise boosts brain activity and brain activity is at least in part what controls memory and according to this article it does, then hopefully my memory will improve with time as well.

I’ve never been at what’s considered a ‘healthy weight’ for most of my life I’ve been pretty over-weight and it has been something that I’ve dealt with from bullies on the schoolyard and everything in between. Being overweight, gay, Wiccan, and I guess you could say nerdy for lack of a better term is a dangerous combination. Combine that with the fact I hated sports, and wore braces for a bit of grade school then later a lot of high school (it was a two phase process), it was not a good time for me, and it’s in large part because of all this that I am the diva bitch I’m known as today. My sarcasm and vicious wit came about, as it often does, out of necessity. People love that I can say something that should be mean, and still make them laugh. It’s part of my charm. (It doesn’t always work unfortunately so you really have to choose wisely when to use this power.)

So… keeping all of this in mind, I’ve decided to start working out. Nothing fancy. Just 43 minutes on the treadmill. Why 43 minutes? Because it’s the exact length of the Rachel Maddow show which I already watch everyday religiously. In fact it’s the one thing I can think of that I can count on every single day at the same time so that I can get myself into a routine of exercising. Because when you hate something as much as I do, you don’t want to do it. You have to create a routine so that it starts to become like getting dressed in the morning. If you do something long enough it becomes second nature, and so… I watch or listen to the podcast and walk. It’s about 2 miles over a 43 minute span and sadly not as many calories burned as you’d hoped. I mean truthfully I’m still not exactly eating as healthy as I should so I know that I’m not going to lose fifty pounds in a day like I’d love too, but it’s a start. And I encourage my fellow writers to join me… if not for yourself then for your craft.