The Effective Author: How to Exercise Without Exercising or Writing Less

© 2019 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM. World Rights Reserved.

Everyone has heard that exercise is “good for you.” It optimizes metabolism, staves off diabetes, makes your brain work better, keeps you slim, and balances your hormones. For menopausal and post-menopausal women, an hour of daily exercise helps them to feel their best, emotionally and physically. So what’s not to like about exercise? Why is everyone not exercising an hour a day?

For authors, the answer is simple: we prefer to be writing. We prefer to be sitting at our desk, communing with our computer, or curled up on the couch with our laptop on our lap. We do not wish to stir. We do not wish to stop and slog through an exercise DVD. We especially do not want to pack a bag and go to the gym where we might meet all kinds of characters who should not be seen outside of some upcoming novel. We would rather be in our workspace, writing. All else should rightfully wait. And preferably, not come bothering us, either.

But wait! What if authors could exercise without exercising? What if you could get exercise benefits right at your seat? What if you could work out without working out? Then try the following methods, for a minute each, on a break or while still writing, for many of the benefits of exercise. All these are free, and you don’t have to drive to them. And you can always get out that DVD or go to the gym…later.

1. Tush-ups. Your tush gets stiff from sitting so long, right? So slowly squeeze and release your buttock muscles at least 10 times. Feel the warming. Notice more circulation in your feet: magic! Bonus: this will actually give you a fuller tush, if done frequently enough.
2. Complete breaths. In whatever posture, exhale fully, imagining your breath descending, from the top of your head, down the front of your body, and out through your toes. Now inhale fully, from the bottoms of your toes, across the bottoms of your feet, and up the back of your body, to your scalp. Do 3 complete breaths like this, or more, if you like. If you get dizzy, don’t worry: that’s the oxygen your brain is not used to. But you will write more and write faster with oxygen than without it. You may be feeling vitality flowing up your legs and back now. You can also use this method for a relaxation technique, in a busy day, or before an interview event.
3. Head-overs. When we are writing very seriously, our necks tend to stiffen. They may even start to hurt. So try this: relax your shoulder tops and gently allow your head to stretch down toward one shoulder. Very slowly bring the head back up to center. Now gently allow the head to stretch down toward the other shoulder. And gently bring it back up. Take a moment to notice how warm, young, and alive your neck feels. Now your brain is working better. Do this several times, slowly. It’s the going, not the getting there, that makes this work.
4. Shoulder yoga. This works really well while you are sitting, or when you have just stood up. Notice where your head is, and try to position it directly over your shoulders, not bent forward. Now gently and slowly stretch your shoulders up, then down, then forward, then back. After each move, return to center and notice how relaxed you are becoming. Notice your frontal sinuses opening and your mind clearing.

If you have done all four of these methods just now, you will notice the front of your face warming. If you do this consistently, the increased circulation will make you look younger. Also notice how much more vital and at-ease you feel after trying any of these methods. Now you know how to exercise without exercising, you’ve saved a lot of time, and you can get back to your writing. All your planning and writing will go faster and more easily now. And now you are even more The Effective Author^sm. Enjoy!

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Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert with a natural healing practice. She also is an ordained minister whose passion is helping people find their Peace Within. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You, available on Amazon, plus Inspirations for Peace Within: Quotes and Images to Uplift and Inspire. IPW is available on Amazon in full-color glossy format. Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, also on Amazon in full-color. For full-color PDF versions, contact her office. For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: calendar@kebba.com.