~Writing Well Wednesday Tip~ When I did my little writing office makeover a few months ago, I considered getting a Varidesk. I had seen something similar to it in an office store, and loved the ease of pushing a button and having the desk rise up so easily, and thenContinue Reading
~Writing Well Wednesday Tip~ When you drink coffee, do you crave donuts, pastries, or other sugary treats? There’s a very good reason for that. According to recent research from Cornell University, when we drink coffee, we naturally crave something sweet. The caffeine blocks the action of an internal chemical calledContinue Reading
Did you know that you have a “health personality?” You’ve probably heard that a “Type A” personality—one who drives himself or herself hard, works overtime, and has difficulty relaxing—is more at risk for a heart attack. There are other types of personalities at risk too. The so-called “Type D,” forContinue Reading
Do you have a pain-free, healthy writing space? We all know that spending too much time in the wrong chair can set you up for a lot of pain. The answer has to be finding the right chair, right? And there is no shortage of options out there. The gurusContinue Reading
There are a lot of exhausted writers out there. We all need between 7-8 hours of sleep per night for good health. Less than that has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and even early death. Writers are creative folks, and need their sleepContinue Reading
Keeping properly hydrated [is my biggest physical challenge]. I get so absorbed in my work, it’s easy to forget to drink, and that neglect can affect all sorts of things in my body. (I also used to forget to go to the bathroom—ignoring urges—but we built a small bathroom withinContinue Reading
by Jane Dizon According to a 2013 survey, 86 percent of American workers sit with an average of 13 hours a day. That accounts for more than half of a day. Throw in your seven- to eight-hour sleep, and you’re looking at a staggering 21 hours of sedentary lifestyle, andContinue Reading
“You need to relax,” my friends tell me. “You work too hard.” I know it’s true. My body gives me clues. Back pain. Eye twitching. Headaches. Stomach upset. Fatigue. It’s obvious when I need to take a step back and just relax. I schedule the time, and if it’s onlyContinue Reading
Sitting is the new smoking, as they say. Of all the things that wear away at our health, sitting for hours is one of the big ones. I covered this in a previous post. (You can read more about the dangers of sitting here.) Briefly, recent studies have found thatContinue Reading
Going to the doctor’s office was never fun, but it’s gotten worse lately, what with the rising medical costs, rushed appointments, and increasing uncertainty about which doctor you’re going to get this time. Writers can find themselves in those offices more than they’d like, though, if they’re not careful. Full-timers,Continue Reading
My father always loved coffee, but when he got into his later sixties, his doctor recommended he avoid it. It’s an acidic drink—hard on aging or sensitive stomachs—and my dad was swallowing too many antacids. If you have a sensitive stomach, too, you may want to avoid coffee, or atContinue Reading
The Romantic Notion of the Self-Destructive Writer We’ve all heard the romantic stories of writers who lived on alcohol and drugs and still wrote masterpieces: Truman Capote experienced frequent breakdowns, was in and out of rehab clinics, and died at the age of 59 of liver failure caused by phlebitisContinue Reading