Writers, I learned recently, need to train like athletes. We don’t get a free pass on the Pilates just because we use our brains more than our brawn to make our living.
I, like the rest of us, have been reading about the premature mortality rates for people who sit at desks all day. Not only are we at greater risk for heart problems, obesity and diabetes, we are far more likely to suffer non-traumatic back injuries that can make life difficult.
I paid a visit to Dr. Wayne Stokes, director of sports medicine at the NYU Langone Medical Center, hoping to get some advice on how to counteract what was clearly an occupational hazard. I’d heard him on WNYC-FM’s Leonard Lopate show and I liked his pragmatic approach. He is board certified in both physical medicine and rehabilitation, which means, in part, that he uses a combination of medicine and exercise to improve people’s lives.
“We see people who sit for 14 hours a day,” he said, “between the long commutes and the hours spent at a desk. These are people who are not getting up to go to a file cabinet. Their files are in their computers. They are not getting up to speak to someone in an adjoining office. They text and they e-mail rather than walk over to someone.”
Ah. Sounds familiar.
“We take care of athletes but we see a lot of aches and pains, too, people whose backs ache. The consistent theme with half of them is that they sit all day.”
And though we’ve also been warned, with growing urgency, to halt the myriad smart phone and computer-generated interruptions to our concentration and, in turn, protect our brain’s optimum functioning, we must now resign ourselves to 20-minute breaks during which we stand, move and, perhaps, work up a bit of sweat. Dr. Stokes sees no easy way around this. He offers these suggestions and comments to writers, in particular. I’m paraphrasing to keep to my 500-word guideline.
“Dig into” yoga and/or pilates. Dedicate yourself to building core muscle. This is key.
Additionally, set a timer for 20-minutes. Get up and do a few deep knee bends. Or, take a short walk or do something else you find invigorating. Include stretching in your breaks.
Stand up consciously and with intent. Contract and control your core muscles and your other big muscle groups before you stand. This further prevents injury.
One scientist Dr. Stokes referenced, from NASA, thinks the problem has to do with gravity. She says we need to stand 40 times a day to engage with gravity. Zero gravity and sitting pose similar problems.
No chair is a good chair. And sitting at a 90 degree angle, bent forward slightly — our key position for creative output — is the worst way possible to sit.
When watching TV, take a load off the discs by stretching out on the couch or bed or reclining on your stomach.
Standing desks are OK, but it’s hard for people to stand for long periods of time. Thus, the treadmill desk, which may be tough for writers when trying to concentrate, but it’s easier in the long run than standing. Considering alternating standing with sitting, taking phone calls and conference calls while standing, or having in-person meetings while standing.
Dr. Stokes says he doesn’t know what the future looks like in terms of the work environment for those who are desk-bound. “I do know we have to make some changes here. People have to attend to their body otherwise it’s talking back to them. Exercise is number one.”
As for me, I usually run and speed walk somewhere between 7 and 8 each morning. Since that’s not good enough, I now set the timer for 20-minute intervals. The first shock: twenty minutes flies by. I contract all my leg and abdominal muscles, stand, do a few deep knee bends or some free weights. Tomorrow I’ll add a few sit-ups to the routine. Good luck! May the herniated disc be nothing more than a motivator.