The demon we encounter daily

Seat implantation in a chair is the demon I encounter daily. It visits me when my butt is planted so long it threatens to grow roots.

I’m talking about the evil act of sitting -- in your desk chair, on the sofa, at the table or in your car. Sitting too long causes a weakening of one’s muscular and skeletal structures and cardiovascular system, including the heart, lungs and blood circulatory system. Even if you exercise, sitting too long is life threatening. In public health circles, sitting is now referred to as the new smoking. Yep, that’s evil and it’s old news. But what are we doing about it?

So many of us sit for long hours in front of our computers. For all writers, sitting is definitely a necessary evil.

I admit I am making a leap when I say all writers. Words like all and none; always and never; nowhere and everywhere are red flags that signal the possible use of hyperbole. In this case, I definitely am exercising hyperbole. It would be more accurate for me to say sitting is the bane of my existence, but I believe you are less interested in what dogs me than in what dogs you as well. 

The word bane is defined as a cause of continuous trouble, unhappiness or worry; a source of harm or ruin; a curse.

But the demon we know is more than this. I know because I do battle with it daily.

Mostly, I worry about how I am going to avoid sitting for so long. Sitting is very nearly unavoidable. I am not one who takes up solutions such as sitting on exercise balls or switching over to a standing desk although I might have to. Both options present a level of nuisance that doesn’t sit well with me.

Drinking lots of water is supposed to be good for you, and it will also require you to be on your feet for a specific purpose on a regular basis. :)

My go-to demon-avoidance strategy is to get outside and just walk. Typically, my route takes in either a nearby trail, residential streets or pedestrian-unfriendly parking lots. But how, you may ask, does one write while walking?

Walking is an autonomous activity. We don’t have to think about doing it, we just do it. Like breathing. When we walk, we benefit from the flood of endorphins in our bloodstream that make us feel good. The exercise loosens up any muscular stresses we might have been carrying. Most importantly, when not thinking about anything, our brains process information. Our minds wander farther then our feet could ever carry us. Our imaginations are set free to explore ideas. Eureka! Suddenly, a story flows.

This is where technology comes in handy. I use Google Docs on my cellphone to dictate ideas I get while walking or otherwise on the go. I like to dictate ideas while pacing in my house. Next time you see someone talking on his cellphone listen closely. Is he in a conversation? Or is he writing a sonnet for his lover? Mmmm.

www.timpaleczny.com