Regular Workouts Can Make You A Better Writer
A couple of months into my engineering college my life was all about writing.
I was writing at least a thousand words everyday. Commercial writing, ghost writing, personal blogs you name it, I was doing it all. My food habits were bad, I used to smoke everyday, I would sleep at irregular hours and almost never did any physical activity.
You might as well guess what was the end result. I had serious health issues in my second year. I went to consult a doctor, came back with a brace around my neck. I was suffering with intense pain in my neck and shoulders, a physical disorder in medical terms called cervical spondylosis
It was bad.
Sitting on a chair was becoming very difficult.
I had the brace around my neck for a full semester. But I never stopped writing. Even with the pain I used to sit with my laptop and write.
Once I managed to get rid of the ugly neck brace, I changed my habits and daily routines. I started with small workouts in my hostel room. Not that I was a big fan of working out but I realised it was high time that I did something about my deteriorating health otherwise I will not be able to write or for that matter do anything else.
I had no choice back then. It was a do or die kind of scenario for me. I was just 22, so I thought why not just give workout a try.
Workouts improve your concentration
You see strengthening your mind and strengthening your body are very closely related. Both muscle group needs training over time otherwise they will simply not develop.
Stop reading for a year, you will not feel the urge to write anymore.
I know because I have seen this phase.
Working out, joining a gym is tough, but little did I know that this would only help me with my writing in the long run.
A healthy body and a healthy mind can do wonders.
We writers desire concentration to crete our work.It is our greatest weapon and our biggest enemy.
Within months of physical exercise I found out that my ability to concentrate has increased. It was amazing. This had a direct impact on my writing. There are scientific proofs to the fact that even light exercises can help you improve your memory.
I was cautious enough not to throw myself into an extreme workout. I just wanted to improve my body. But I was getting some extra benefits of keeping my body fit.
Your sleep improves
Just like we were kids and sleeping after play time was a routine. This goes beyond saying that putting your body through physical workouts will make you tired and you will have a sound sleep.
I have been writing for a decade now and I cannot deny the importance of a perfect sleep for writers. Sleep and memory consolidation are interlinked. Over the course of my writing career I have found that writing seems seamless when I have had a good night’s sleep.
Same goes for reading as well.
Workouts helps in creativity.
Writers thrive on creativity. Readers appreciate our views of the world around us. Our perception matters and how creatively we create stories of activities and events around us.
It has already been accepted that regular exercise boosts creativity.
We writers tend to live a sedentary life and prefer not to break out of our desk. This has its own demerits which nobody can deny. Workouts no matter how small can help in combating fatigue and laziness.
I have a habit of thinking while walking. It helps me with my writing process. Whenever I am stuck a brisk walk in my room itself does wonders.
This simple act of walking around not only helps me think but also makes sure that I am not in one position seated for long periods. Sitting in one position for long hours was one of the reasons I had a neck brace in my college.
As a person who still continues to hit the gym and tries to write everyday, I will say it is tough. Pushing yourself to workout gets on your nerves. Our body naturally resists any change from our daily routines.
But I also want to stress on the point how our body degrades if left without any training. Just like our writing. It will be difficult in the start like writing everyday appears difficult when you are a beginner. When you get into a habit, it isn’t that dreadful.
