Category: Fitness/Exercise

REGULAR EXERCISE IS THE EQUIVALENT OF “MIRACLE GRO” ™ FOR YOUR BRAIN

Posted on by Joy Held

REGULAR EXERCISE IS THE EQUIVALENT OF “MIRACLE GRO” ™ FOR YOUR BRAIN

19 April 2025

Exercise. We either love it or hate it, but we all know that some form of physical activity on a daily basis is part of a healthy routine and promises a balanced lifestyle, reduced stress levels, and longevity. Sometimes it can be a challenge to workout because life and schedules get in the way. Regular exercise doesn’t have to be time consuming or exhausting. Working in short bursts of movement throughout the day is better than nothing at all. On days when you have more time, exert more effort to exercise in concentrated amounts of time. Consider this sample exercise schedule for busy people.

1.Plan to exercise for 10 minutes three times a day. Choose from these examples,

  • walk
  • work with small hand weights
  • work with a treadmill or other exercise equipment
  • pedal exerciser (under-desk-bike)
  • do some stretching

Better yet, be active in a variety of ways throughout the day to keep boredom at bay. Yard work counts!

2.Group exercise classes that are regularly scheduled can be very motivational but are not always practical. Spend a few minutes researching and bookmarking exercise videos on the internet. There are tons for free. Once a week, prioritize time to exercise with a video. If it is more than ten minutes long, that’s okay. Do the first ten minutes only, which should be the warm-up portion, if that’s all you can work into your schedule.

3.While books about exercise don’t offer the benefit of having a knowledgeable instructor nearby to offer tips for safety and modification, they are a great source of information.

4.Put exercise on your list of things to do every week. Just writing it down will remind you to do it and make you feel accomplished when you can check if off the list.

Physical exercise is not just about keeping the body in shape. The mind-body-spirit connection is a real thing and has been proven by studies to deliver overall health benefits.

In his book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, Dr. John J. Ratey offers amazing details about how exercise supports thinking while keeping the physical container in working order. For the sake of simplicity and understanding, Ratey reported that the discovery of a protein factor found in the brain called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is responsible for the growth of new cells, especially those required for learning. BDNF is manufactured in the brain only. There is no pill form of it. What stimulates the production and hence the new brain cells is the connection between the protein and physical activity. Exercise propels BDNF for what Ratey calls “Miracle-Gro for the brain” (40). Studies since Ratey’s report have expanded on this principle and evidence proves that exercise strengthens not only our physical bodies but also develops our brains. Throughout the life span.

Here are a couple of questions about your physical fitness program if you care to post a comment!

Exercise question #1: Describe your current exercise routine explaining what you do and how often.

Exercise question #2: Are you satisfied with your current exercise routine? Why or why not?

Up Next: Quick and easy relaxation techniques.

Sign up for my weekly e-newsletter by filling out the form below. Thanks in advance!

Be well, write well.

~Joy

 

MY WRITEDAY SUBSCRIPTION BOX CART OPENS MONDAY, MAY 5. Don’t miss out on this fun box of writerly goodness lovingly called by one subscriber “A treasure trove for writers.” The May/June box is called “My Writing Coach.”

“Miracle-Gro” ™ is a registered trademark of OMS Investments, Inc.

Work Cited

Ratey, John J., M.D. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. Little, Brown, and Company, 2008.

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JOY E. HELD is an author, educator, editor, entrepreneur, and literary citizen responsible for this site and its contents. She is the author of
Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2020)
Writer Wellness Workbook: A Guided Workbook and Journal to Accompany Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2023)
The Mermaid Riot (Fire and Ice YA, 2024) Young Adult Historical Fantasy
She writes spicy historical fiction under a pen name.
She is the winner of multiple writing and book awards:
West Virginia Writers, Inc. Annual Writing Contest, Honorable Mention, Novel, 1998.
New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention, Writer Wellness, 2020.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Finalist, Writer Wellness, 2021.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, Member of the Year, 2020.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, First Book Award, 2020.
She is an adjunct faculty member in the Southern New Hampshire University Online MFA Creative Writing.
She is a proud graduate of Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA with an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction.
She is a member of The Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Joy is the founder and CEO of My WRITEDAY Subscription Box for writers and readers.

 

BOOKS BY MY FRIENDS SUSEN EDWARDS, MICKI R. PETTIT, AND ALANA VAN DER SLUYS

Posted on by Joy Held

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November 16, 2023

Today we’re featuring authors SUSEN EDWARDS, MICHELLE R. PETTIT & ALANA VAN DER SLUYS.

BOOK: What a Trip: A Novel

AUTHOR: Susen Edwards

GENRE: Historical/Women’s Fiction

BLURB: In this coming-of-age novel we meet Fiona, an art student at a New Jersey college struggling to find herself. Through her eyes we relive the turbulent culture of sex, drugs, and rock ’n roll, the Vietnam War draft lottery, Kent State University shootings, and harsh reality of war for young Americans. Note from the author: Sexual content and language.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Susen Edwards is the founder and former director of Somerset School of Massage Therapy, New Jersey’s first state-approved and nationally accredited postsecondary school for massage therapy. During her tenure she was nominated by Merrill Lynch for Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Susen is the author of “What a Trip: A Novel.” Her articles have appeared on Residence11.com, BooksByWomen.org, and DIYMFA.com. Susen lives in Middlesex, New Jersey with her husband, Bob, and her two fuzzy feline babies, Harold and Maude.

 

BOOK: A Kiss for Maggie Moore

AUTHOR: Micki R. Pettit

GENRE: General Fiction

BLURB: Standing at the altar as her two best friends get hitched, the Maid of Honor struggles to let go of her love for the groom and drifts back to when their triangle of love and friendship began—the late 1960s, rural Wyoming.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Micki R. Pettit is a former radio personality and voice talent with vocal experience spanning musical theater, opera, big band, rock, and country. She is currently lead female singer with the folk group Bandella and performs with the Bay Area Chorus of Greater Houston. Born in Wyoming and raised in New Mexico, she now lives in Texas with her husband and sons. A Kiss for Maggie Moore is her debut novel.

 

BOOK: Freedom with Food and Fitness: How Intuitive Eating is the Key to Your Happiest, Healthiest Self

AUTHOR: Alana Van Der Sluys

GENRE: Self-Help, Nonfiction

BLURB: Build the full, vibrant life that you’ve always wanted, without another diet or dreaded exercise program. Filled with personal stories, science-backed research, and easy tools to apply to your life today, Freedom with Food and Fitness will inspire you to adopt a more mindful and intuitive approach to food and fitness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ALANA VAN DER SLUYS is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, TEDx speaker, eating disorder survivor, and the founder of Freedom with Food and Fitness. She is dedicated to empowering women to heal their relationship with food and their bodies to step into their potential, take up space, and pursue true health. She currently hosts the Finally Free Podcast, and her debut book– Freedom with Food and Fitness: How Intuitive Eating is the Key to Becoming Your Happiest, Healthiest Self–will be released with Urano World USA on November 14, 2023. She is a contributing writer for several national publications, including the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) and Best Holistic Life Magazine. She was also, most recently, a panelist and speaker for the Speak Up Women’s Conference in April 2023. You can find out more about Alana and Freedom with Food and Fitness on Instagram: @FreedomwithFoodandFitness.

 

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Is It the Yoga Mat or Is It You?

Posted on by Joy Held

This article may contain affiliate links which may result in the author receiving a commission when readers purchase items through the links.

My ideas are not ever meant as a substitute for consulting with a qualified health professional

Is It the Yoga Mat or Is It You?

Remedies for stopping the slide.

People from all walks of life can enjoy hatha yoga because of its accessibility and availability. I recommend it to writers because the whole-body practice combined with breathing and meditation is an all-in-one fitness method that addresses many of the issues writers face. But many yoga devotees complain about their hands and feet slipping and sliding on the mat. There are two ways to end this problem, and it is a problem because it interferes with achieving good alignment. It’s just plain frustrating to not be able to hold a downward facing dog pose and enjoy the great stretch it offers because your hands won’t stay in place! Is it the yoga mat causing the problem or is it you? It’s a combination of things.

The phrase is not as prevalent now as in the past, but yoga mats are technically called “sticky mats.” When a young yoga teacher named Angela Farmer was leading classes in Germany, she wanted something soft, supportive, and that wouldn’t slide underneath the asanas. She took a piece of carpet padding, cut it to the size of a towel, and the modern sticky yoga mat was born.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_mat

Since then, manufacturers have constructed yoga mats from materials such as plastic, latex, cork, and rubber that do provide more stability. Some yoga students, me included, need an extra layer of dryness to keep from losing grip on even the “stickiest” mat. Slipping while holding a yoga pose leads to several problems. One of them is misalignment and poor technique. Poor technique or not modifying a pose with props like blocks, blankets, and straps is the primary cause of injury.

Here, let me remind you that yoga doesn’t do anything to anyone. People do yoga and in a variety of ways to accommodate their abilities and needs. This is one of the hallmarks of yoga: it’s accessible to so many people and body types. Accessibility aside, guidance from a good hatha yoga teacher and knowing one’s own physical boundaries are essential. Always remember that yoga doesn’t do anything. YOU DO YOGA. What you do with yoga determines the results.

Stopping the slide on your yoga mat is essentially a matter of proper technique while doing the poses. However, yogis quickly discover that exercise is a cleansing tool and sweaty palms and feet can make that all-important alignment difficult to maintain. Even practicing on the iconic yoga mat that claims to stop the slipping, sweat (a good thing) can be frustrating. Rubbing alcohol and towels can’t keep up once the sweat begins a serious trickle down your arms and legs. I’ve studied and taught yoga for 40 years. I’ve tried different ways to keep my hands and feet dry during practice, and of the methods and products I’ve used, Carpe brand lotions work amazingly well.

Carpe products include antiperspirant lotions designed to stop sweat from coming through the pores. They also make sweat-absorbing powders, but that substance doesn’t work the same for me as the antiperspirant line. I’ve used the hand and foot lotions for several years. They help considerably. The only issue I’ve ever had is washing the lotion off!

Remedies to stop the slide during yoga include investing in a good quality yoga mat, practicing proper alignment techniques, seeking the guidance of a trained instructor, modifying poses with props, and using products like Carpe to stop the sweat in its tracks.

No more “Slip, Sliding Away”! Nail that yoga pose.

XXX

My WRITEDAY is a subscription box program that delivers curated products from authors, creators, and small businesses to writers and readers in the US. It’s unique in that many products are sourced from writers who are also crafters and artisans. Each box delivers a writing craft book of the month and 3-7 items associated with the key concepts (journaling, fitness, relaxation, nutrition, and creative play) of Writer Wellness, my flagship program and book (Headline Books, Inc. 2020.)

Each box is inspired by literary themes, genres, and holidays. Every month includes access to My WRITEDAY digital magazine filled with writing and publishing tips, writer wellness ideas, fiction excerpts, poetry, special offers, social media options such as live virtual meetings, and more.

The idea behind My WRITEDAY is to help writers spend more time creating stories, engaging with like-minded book friends, and enjoying the juicy, creative life they deserve. From craft books to office supplies to fun, writing/reading inspired décor, subscribers will discover an experience designed to offer a healthful plan for living your best writing life.

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Writer Wellness Online Workshop in September Will Cover the Basics

Posted on by Joy Held

cropped-writer-wellness-cover-2020_front_writer_9781951556051The idea for my book and workshop Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2020) came to me when some of my critique partners asked how they could be my clones. They wanted to shadow me for a week to see what I did every day that led to my prolific publishing (over 500 articles and counting,) life as a homeschooling mom, and part-time hatha yoga teacher. Up to that point, I hadn’t done any self-examination of my processes, but when they asked, I stepped back and watched myself for a month while documenting my doings and beings in a journal.

What I concluded during my self-analysis was that journaling, exercise, meditation, good nutrition, and creative play supported my career and life. In the workshop, I share my story as well as ways you can customize the idea to reach your goals.

The workshop I’m leading Sept. 14-25 for Romantic Women’s Fiction chapter of RWA in September is a detailed look at the five key concepts of Writer Wellness and an exploration of how you can incorporate the practice into your life. With Writer Wellness as the foundation, you can achieve the writing dreams and personal goals you desire.

Be well, write well. See you in the workshop!

Register here: https://romanticwomensfictionwriters.wordpress.com/online-courses/

All good things,

Joy

Women with clean houses do not have finished books. ~Joy E. Held

Would you like an autographed copy of the updated third edition of Writer Wellness? Email moi. joyeheld at gmail dot com.

To purchase a copy: https://headlinebooks.com/product/writer-wellness-a-writers-path-to-health-and-creativity/

Journaling: The Soul of Writer Wellness

Posted on by Joy Held

JOURNAL OF A NOVEL BOOK COVER

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” ~Socrates, philosopher

Writer Wellness is the term I coined several years ago to identify my personal lifestyle plan. Writers in my critique group wanted to know my secret to raising a family, working part-time, homeschooling two children, publishing regularly, and staying healthy. I stepped back and observed my daily activities. Based on what I learned and my training as a dancer and hatha yoga teacher, I offered to teach those writers how to devise their own personalized program that included journaling, exercise, relaxation, eating right, and creative play.

The workshop meetings evolved into the publication of my book Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity by WigWam Publishing in 2003. A second edition was released in 2011 by Bob Mayer’s Cool Gus Publishing, and a third edition is coming soon from Headline Books, Inc. From there, I created a course that I have taught online and at conferences since 1998.

JOURNALING

“The Many Joys of Journal Writing”

Journaling and writers share a long and important history. From the personal journals of Gustave Flaubert that read like a laundry list of how to view life to the story bibles many writers create to keep themselves organized throughout the writing process, writers have always had and always will have numerous reasons to keep a journal. A journal can serve writers of all genres in many different ways, chief among them as a place to collect and hash out story ideas.

It isn’t a waste of valuable writing time to scribble in a journal in advance of working on one’s novel. In the words of author James Brown:

What matters is how journaling can help the writer come up with ideas, kind of a warm-up to a bigger process. The next step is building on those ideas, discarding some and fleshing out others, developing characters and motives, and arranging the scenes in a logical, meaningful sequence with a firm sense of a beginning, middle, and end. Whether you write your thoughts down in a journal or try to store them all in your head, which I don’t recommend, story begins when you begin to dream and brainstorm about people and their problems. (Raab 6)

Then there is the fascinating practice of documenting not only one’s life, but the progress of a book. Two books by John Steinbeck that fundamentally changed the way I look at myself as a writer and a human include Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters and Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath. Reading these helped me understand how keeping a journal alongside writing a novel can serve several purposes.

One use for a journal is a place to cleanse the palate, so to speak, before turning to the blank page of the work in progress. Reading snippets about Steinbeck’s faithfully recorded personal life reinforced my feelings on using a journal as a “dumping ground” to clear a writer’s head prior to working on a current project. All too often personal issues can make their way into our creative work and many times that isn’t the appropriate venue for hashing out our problems.

Steinbeck wrote a page or two each morning about his life, thoughts, and sometimes current events in order to “warm-up his writing arm.” He also used the journal pages to organize his thoughts about what to write. For example, one day’s journal describes his plans for writing:

May 9, Wednesday: It is time I think for the book to pause for discussion. It has not done that for a long time. I think that is the way I will do it. That way-first a kind of possible analysis and then quick narrative right to the end, explain it first and then do it. (79)

Steinbeck is just one example of a writer who uses journal writing to stay focused on the creative project at hand. Sue Grafton, prolific mystery author (“A” Is for Alibi) believes that the writing process is a constant back and forth between the right and left-brain hemispheres. She keeps a daily log of her writing progress and says:

This notebook (usually four times longer than the novel itself) is like a letter to myself, detailing every idea that occurs to me as I proceed. Some ideas I incorporate, some I modify, many I discard. The journal is a record of my imagination at work, from the first spark of inspiration to the final manuscript. (Raab 9)

Similar to Steinbeck, Grafton starts each writing day with logging the date into her journal followed by what’s going on in her life then a note about ideas she has for the book she’s writing. She ‘talks to herself’ about where the story could go and explores the writer’s question “What if?” In the privacy and safety of a “for my eyes only” journal, Grafton claims that this collection of meandering thoughts helps her jumpstart the creative juices and before she knows it, she’s writing new pages (Raab 11).

The many joys of keeping a journal for writers is a lengthy list. These three writers demonstrate how valuable a tool this is for brainstorming, whining, organizing, formalizing, clarifying, reflecting, and much more.

Upcoming Online Workshop: Writer Wellness

I hope you’ll join me in June for an online workshop hosted by the Yosemite Romance Writers where I’ll spend the month covering and sharing information and activities related to journaling, exercise, nutrition, relaxation, and creative play. The workshop is open to members and nonmembers.

All good things,

Joy

Women with clean houses do not have finished books. ~JEH

Raab, Diana M., ed. Writers and Their Notebooks. The University of South Carolina Press, 2010.

Steinbeck, John. Journal of A Novel: The East of Eden Letters. Penguin Books, 1969.

 

Something In Yoga For Everybody

Posted on by Joy Held

joy held yoga book photo's 016

There is Something In Yoga For Everybody

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Relaxation/meditation, creative play, fitness and exercise, journaling, and nutrition.

The physical component of yoga is called “hatha yoga.” The word “hatha” is Sanskrit for physical. There are essentially 24 basic poses in hatha yoga and many, many variations on them thus creating hundreds of poses altogether. There are also ways to modify the basic poses so anyone can participate in some level of hatha yoga. This is where yoga therapy comes into play.

All yoga is therapeutic in a sense because of the breathing, stretching and mental practices, but the physical acts of the poses also called asanas, can be changed up slightly to make them accessible to almost everyone.

Disclaimer alert: this article is not meant to replace the guidance of your healthcare practitioner. Always consult such persons before engaging in activity to be sure your condition warrants participation in an organized exercise regime of any kind.

That said, besides talking with your doctor first, here are three books to give you an idea of what might be available to you.

Recovery Yoga, A Practical Guide for Chronically Ill, Injured, and Post-Operative People, Sam Dworkis, Three Rivers Press, New York, 1997. This book covers breathing and movements in a variety of positions. Once you have understood any limitations your doctor recommends, you can choose exercises done sitting, standing, lying down, and on the floor. Dworkis is an Iyengar trained yoga teacher and the B.K.S. Iyengar tradition of hatha yoga originated the practice of modifying yoga poses through the use of props such as chairs and bolsters. His program is called Extension Yoga.

http://www.extensionyoga.com/

Yoga As Medicine, The Yogic Prescription For Health and Healing, Timothy McCall, M.D., Bantam, New York, 2007. McCall is a doctor and a yoga practitioner and the medical consultant for Yoga Journal Magazine. It includes practice routines and advice on using yoga to help with several conditions such as back pain, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis.

http://www.drmccall.com/

Yoga for Movement Disorders, Rebuilding Strength, Balance and Flexibility for Parkinson’s Disease and Dystonia, Renee Le Verrier, BS, RYT, Merit Publishing International, Florida, 2009. The author of this book suffers from Parkinson’s Disease and practices what she preaches. Every pose is prop assisted and the system is explained very clearly. The photos are very clear and the poses are adaptable to more than Parkinson’s. Highly recommended.

http://meritpublishing.com/

My book Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity includes chapters on yoga for writers. Basic poses like Triangle are shown modified in Writer Wellness for use by almost everyone.

Best wishes to you for continued health through movement.

Have you found an interesting way to keep physically active?

Be well, write well.

~hugs,

Joy

JoyHeldHeadshot3

Joy E. Held is the author of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity, a college educator, blogger, and yoga/meditation teacher. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including Romance Writers Report, Dance Teacher Now, Yoga Journal, and Woman Engineer Magazine.

Photo: K. Held

Copyright 2018, Joy E. Held

Avoid These Seven Workout Mistakes!

Posted on by Joy Held

IMG_1463

Avoid These Seven Workout Mistakes!

1.No pain, no gain- Listen to your body. Know when it’s had enough. This takes a great deal of practice, however, to know the difference between whining and warning. Better to pull back before something gets hurt.

2.Timing-an erratic workout schedule confuses your body and your brain. Try to exercise close to the same time each day.

3.Not enough exercise-it takes the body and brain up to twenty minutes just to warm-up and be ready to exercise. Devote enough time to your workouts to make them productive.

4.Talking too much- Focus on the workout for the body and don’t complicate things with comments or running conversations. Do focus on breathing.

5.Too much water-Drinking fluids during a workout can cause stomach cramps because when the liquid hits the stomach blood rushes to digest it. This drains valuable oxygen from the muscles which need it for energy. Drink before and after a workout but try to avoid drinking during the session.

6.Not enough recovery time-Plan exercise routines of varying intensities and space them out over several days.

7.The wrong clothing-Wearing improper clothing will interfere with the body’s ability to move safely. No jeans or big floppy shirts that cover your face when upside down in Downward Facing Dog pose. You need to breathe!

Do you have any workout experiences to share?

Be well, write well.

~hugs,

Joy

cropped-writer_wellness_cover3

Housework Is Not Exercise

Posted on by Joy Held

Cleaning set photo

“I’m going to clean this dump—just as soon as the kids are grown.”

                ~Erma Bombeck

Erma Bombeck is probably the reason I love being a Mom but hate cleaning. She always wrote about hating housework. I read her in the local paper when I was young and to this day think of her column about changing the toilet paper roll every time I do it. She’s the one who asked many years ago why she was the one person solely responsible for refilling the toilet paper when the house was full of other capable people who could accomplish the chore just fine. But any time she sat down, well, being the only one “in charge” of the changing, sometimes she was caught without. Why didn’t the person who used the last sheet recognize the condition and refill the roll instead of leaving it to her? Bombeck never discovered the answer to my knowledge and neither have I, but I keep extra rolls really close by because it happens all the time. Why me?

Cooking and baking are very spiritual, satisfying activities for me, but I really would rather not have to clean house. I love a clean house, and I’m good at cleaning, but it drains me to the point I have nothing left with which to exercise. And I love exercise. However, I’ve never quite bought into the concept of housework as exercise. The idea is flawed in many ways.

1.Exercise is enjoyable. Cleaning house is not. Who wants to clean hair off the floor behind the toilet for heaven’s sake? The bending required isn’t healthy and neither are the fumes. No physical benefit and no improvement in breathing technique. But I know the gunk is there and eventually I have to swab it out at the expense of my exercise for the day. Ugh.

2.Exercise has recognizable rewards like tone muscles and improved attitude. House cleaning has little if any rewards. I no sooner am dumping the mop water down the drain as a person or a dog is coming in the room with dirty feet or paws. “I just mopped!” is greeted with, “Looks nice, dear.” Grrrrr.

3.Exercise has many success stories. There is no one to my knowledge (if they existed there would be a reality TV show about them) who has lost weight, toned up, and kept off the pounds from cleaning house.

“I hate housework! You make the beds, you do the dishes—and six months later you have to start all over again.”

                ~Joan Rivers

 Household chores must be accomplished, however, and many writers have designed a routine to think about writing projects while folding laundry and mentally working out plot problems while running the vacuum cleaner. But these jobs don’t count as exercise, so it’s off to the gym! Have you achieved fitness by cleaning the house? Prove it!

“Women with clean houses do not have finished books.”

                ~Joy Held

 

“Be well, write well.”

~Joy

Wednesday Workout: Walking Meditation to Achieve Balance

Posted on by Joy Held

It’s National Meditation Month and it’s Wednesday Workout day here at Writer Wellness, and I’ve been able to combine the two ideas. Have you ever tried walking meditation? It can be simple and effective and a real test for the type A personality. That’s a good thing. The hyper person needs to work on achieving a balanced state of being by slowing down more often in a conscientious way. The laid back type B individual could do with a bit more pep in their step on a regular basis to work towards the same goal: balance. Both bodies can learn a new value from the practice of walking meditation.

Walking meditation is pretty agreeable to just about any way you want to go about it. Just walk and be aware of your surroundings and your breath. Go outside for the fifteen minute excursion where you notice everything in small detail and intentionally appreciate it in your mind and even in your journal pages later. For me, I have an issue with graffiti. Defacement of other people’s property doesn’t sit right with me. Since I live in the city, graffiti is everywhere. On walking meditation trips I take in the painted scrawl and intentionally identify it as art and writing with a spray can of paint. It truly is a bold statement of territorialism and sends a multi-faceted message. I think to myself, “A writer wrote that.” At least I’m trying.

Walking meditation can also be a slow, patient, meticulous walk around the room gingerly placing one foot in front of the other. Make an intentional effort to match your breath to each step. It’s amazing how intense walking meditation can become and how internal this practice can turn out to be just by focusing your attention on every step and the sensation of the soles of your feet gradually connecting to the floor in a slow, patterned manner. It provides a wake-up call for comprehending time because it’s amazing how little space you can cover in ten minutes of slow, detailed walking. And it’s a good exercise break although admittedly you’ll need to schedule the cardio session another time. Not much sweat builds up during walking meditation if done properly.

And then there is appreciation. Regardless of personality type, taking a few moments to intentionally appreciate what your mind and body have helped you achieved to date takes the edge off of what you still need to get done in life…one slow, meticulous, detailed step at a time.

Have you ever tried walking meditation? What did you notice?

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Cool Gus Publishing.

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well.

Joy E. Held

 

joyeheld@gmail.com

 

http://twitter.com/Joy_E_Held

 

Wednesday Workout: Bodybuilding Between the Books?

Posted on by Joy Held

National Library Week, you belong at your library, April 8-14, 2012

National Library Week 2012

I don’t see many exercise classes taught at libraries, do you? If you know of a library that sponsors a regular exercise class, send us the link. The lack of workouts at the library doesn’t surprise me because most facilities don’t have the space or equipment. Some do not want to run anything longterm because it keeps other patrons from accessing the space. This all makes sense, but so does offering courses on hatha yoga, meditation, and walking at your local library.

Here’s an example of a hatha yoga class in a library http://www.myacpl.org/events/yoga-people-50-and-2012-04-11. The course is ongoing and has been a success for several years. However, like most library settings, the space is limited. Namaste to instructor Linda Cochran for continuing this great program in the Athens Public Library, Athens, Ohio.

Here’s a very good article about the rationale for libraries extending their services to include fitness courses http://www.governing.com/topics/health-human-services/Libraries-Now-Offering-Books-and-Workouts.html

Put this way, it makes a great deal of sense in spite of the limitations and hesitations to blend your books with your bodybuilding by getting it all at the local library. In his fab book SPARK, Dr. John J. Ratey with Eric Hagerman, (a book I require in my college courses,) explains the benefits of exercise to brain health and overall wellbeing when he recommends exercise first then hitting the books. Exercise improves brain elasticity and grows new brain cells capable of absorbing new information.

So the next time you’re at the library, look around for a fitness offering and let me know what you find.

“Be well, write well.”

Joy E. Held