You Can't Stay Sedentary With A Husky At Your Side

(Ullr the husky pup)

 

This is a Siberian husky. This sled dog is in a rare form….tired. And the only way to tire out a husky is to hike/mush/run/skijor them ‘till their energy drops to a manageable level. 

That’s it. My annoyingly, adorable pup is the one tool I have to battle the sedentary job of being an author. I’d love to have a walking treadmill like Jeffe’s to write at. But like she mentions in her post, it’s a monetary commitment. Though I also agree that prevention is the way to go, so I’ll keep it on my to-be-purchased list. 

The more practical, maybe feasible is a better word, option would be a standing desk. For me, being able to stay in the scene and not be pulled out by distractions is huge. If I had the ability to stand I could do squats or stretches without having to step away from my keys. But I’ve never worked with one before.

Anyone out there use a standing desk? And do you actually use it? 

Couch potato? I prefer couch crumpet.

Yes, I'm a writer. Yes, I live a fairly sedentary life. Yes, I dislike exercise for the purpose of exercise. Yes, the width of my behind bears testimony to these facts. But also? I see a therapist and work pretty damn hard to become better at taking care of myself and valuing my own health -- physical as well as mental. 

I'm also a really healthy person, physically. I eat good stuff, limit my carbs, do my mammograms, and get a check-up every year. So although, yes, I could use more exercise and do have some soft-priority plans to up my going-for-a-walk game, the priority here, for me, is not becoming a gym rat. 

Writing is what eases my brain, makes me happy, soothes my insomnia, battles my depression, and enables me to be a better mother, wife, daughter, and human in general. So if the choice is between an hour on the elliptical and an hour writing, and that's all the free time I have, I will always choose the keyboard. I have to.

You can call me a couch potato if you want. You can fat shame me if you must. I don't really care. This is a choice I have to make, for myself and those I love.  

Be good to you, people.

Before The Cushion Molds to My Butt...

Apparently, sitting too much is horrible for your health. According to the Mayo Clinic,

"...those who sat for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity had a risk of dying similar to the risks of dying posed by obesity and smoking."

Well, that's craptastic. To battle the numerous bad things that will happen from molding your seat cushion to your butt, health professionals recommend:

1. Getting up and moving every 30 mins.
2. Standing instead of sitting. 
3. Using a Treadmill desk. (Be like Jeffe!)

I, uh, no. If I have to stop what I'm doing every 30mins, then I'm not existing in my fictitious alternate world and writing the damn book. I'm eyeballing a timer that's keeping me grounded in reality. The health sages say too much sitting leads to back pain. For me, it's too much standing. Also, I'm one of those who can't stand still. Seems like a treadmill desk would be the perfect solution! Alas, no. I cannot walk and chew gum. I'm not that graceful.

Am I doomed to die at a ripe old middle age from a brain aneurism? I...I hope not. I do have a secret weapon in the fight against total sloth. 

My dog Pi. 

Trained to fetch me every two hours from the time we awaken, Pi ensures I get up and take her outside for 10-15mins per pesting. Every day. Every kind of weather. Healthy or sickly, we go. While I won't win any fitness awards, and yes, the crepuscular creatures are less than amused by our appearances, I haven't completely become one with my couch. There are still two more cushions that need molding. 

Kicking That Sitting Habit

Happy 2021 everyone!! 

First things first: If you haven't yet read Book One in my Forgotten Empires trilogy, THE ORCHID THRONE ebook is on sale for only $2.99 all month. This is a great opportunity to start the series, as Book Three, THE PROMISED QUEEN, comes out in May!

We're kicking off a new year here at the SFF Seven and we're talking writer fitness. If sitting is the new smoking, what are the perils of a sedentary art and how do you counteract it?

That means it's time for my regular evangelistic sermon on the many virtues of my walking desk!! 

Yes, I have one - a hydraulically height-adjustable desk with a treadmill beneath - and have had for eight years now. Wow. Amazing even to me! You can read about my grand opening (with pics) here, from February 2013. I also have a post from one-year later here - which includes video of my cat Jackson walking on the belt! 

Do I love my walking desk? 

Yes, yes I do!

In 2020, I walked over 2,000 miles on the thing. On working days (5 days/week) I walk 6-10 miles, depending on the day. I absolutely walk while I write, and I believe the trance-induction of walking helps me enter that ideal state of concentrated creative flow. 

CW: weight loss.

While I'm relatively slender, I'm also someone who struggles with weight gain. I'm post-menopausal and my daddy's side of the family tends toward obesity and type II diabetes. I also really love wine. Prior to 2013, I was facing steady, incremental weight gain and increasing blood pressure. Between writing and my then day job, I sat all day long/

Eight years later, my blood pressure is down, I'm holding the body fat and weight reasonably steady, and it's gotten so I'm restless if I sit for too long. This is why I'm a total evangelist for the walking desk. It's seriously the BEST investment in my health that I've ever made. It's become especially pointed for me in the last year, because I have two writer friends who developed blood clots in their legs from sitting too much, both of which turned septic and required expensive surgeries and months of recovery to correct.

So, I know it's a major financial investment. I have a Geek Desk Standing Adjustable Desk and a LifeSpan Under-Desk Treadmill. I know it's not cheap. BELIEVE ME - eight years later I'm on my fourth treadmill and I KNOW it's not cheap! But, I am also a firm believer in paying for prevention. I'd rather invest in my pricey set-up than pay hundreds of thousands in surgery or medications.

Amen. 

Buh-Bye 2020 and Good Riddance

We're almost at the finish line of a year that will go down in history with great infamy. Artist Marco Melgrati conveys my opinions of the year quite succinctly in his 2020 send-off illustration.

Happy Almost New Year, Dear Readers.

By Marco Melgrati

Veronica Waves Farewell to the SFF7 Saturday

 

This is my last post here as a regular blogger. I've had a wonderful time being a member of the blog over the years and I love my fellow authors. It's a great crew!

But I've decided to simplify my life for 2021 and to concentrate my time in a more focussed fashion on things to do with scifi romance. I'll still write posts for my own blog, for the AMAZING STORIES magazine blog and for the Roswell Daily Record newspaper. Not to mention continuing to write my scifi romance novels, ancient Egyptian paranormals and a few fantasy romances!

For my other platforms, I self-generate what I'm going to write about and pretty much blog on my own schedule if I feel inspired to cover some topic or the other. Or to not post...

I post a weekly snippet from my latest release on the weekends on my blog and a weekly New Releases Report for scifi romance/fantasy/paranormal romance on Wednesdays, which is a lot of work to do but fun. Readers tell me they find a lot of new-to-them authors and books to try every week, so I think it's a good way for me to support my favorite genres. I usually have 50-100 new books in the various genres (in which I also include time travel romance, steampunk and cozy paranormal mysteries) to list. I do a LOT of one clicking myself while I'm preparing the report every week. Here's the link to last week's post, if you haven't sampled the report.

So my focus has really shifted away from 'general' blogging these past few years and I think it's time to step aside and give someone else a chance to provide a fresh voice here.

I'll miss the SFF7 readers, and the camaraderie of this tight little group of authors but I'll stop by the read the posts and tweet them out...

Sending everyone my very best wishes for a much better 2021! Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

From all of us at SFF Seven: May your holiday be as merry and bright as it is for  a kitten and her first Christmas tree. 

Anticipation Is Wonderful

 

Anticipation is a wonderful thing. 

It builds excitement, it makes us hopeful, and it allows room to dream. 

My family and I celebrate Christmas and there's been tons of all of the above this week and also snow! I'm thankful for all of it.

I hope your week and weekend are filled with joy, love, and peace!