I was reading an article from a link on Darlene Steelman’s Talk About It Tuesday post. It was about a gamer who was only 23 years old and died in a gamer cafe and no one realized he was dead for about nine hours. He died from apparent cardiac arrest due to blood clots. Similar incidents have happened with gamers going hours without getting up because they are so engrossed in a game.
In May of last year, my best friend died of blood clots in each lung. It was believed that her lack of movement caused this. She had a bad knee due to an injury when she was younger, and the surgeon wouldn’t operate until she lost a great amount of weight. In the meantime, she could barely get around and spent most of her time at home and at work sitting.
I said all that to say this. We, as writers, need to be aware of the time we spend sitting and writing. Sometimes we can get so involved in our story that we just can’t stop. But, please, try to get up and move around from time to time. When my friend died, I really started thinking about this. Then, when I read the article, it really made me nervous for myself and all of you. I know some of you are already aware of the importance of taking breaks, and some of you are exercising. That’s great. But I know a few of you sometimes mention you aren’t getting exercise and that you spend hours writing. Please take care of your health. Take breaks. Get up and walk around for awhile. Get that blood flowing.
Ok, preaching is over. 🙂
Thanks for the reminder. Seriously, I don’t realise how little I move for hours on end. The days fly in when I’m really working hard on something (like lately). Then I take a break to read or watch a film, which means more sitting around. As much as I like feeling productive, I definitely need to make some changes.
You seriously need to think about this. That guy that had the heart attack from the blood clots was only 23 years old! I would talk to my oldest son about this same thing (he’s always been a gamer), but I think since he got married, his wife has made him slow down on the gaming. LOL
Good reminder! How many of us have a day job where we sit all day at the computer at work then put in more time sitting in front of the screen at night. It takes effort to work activity in to avoid the increased risks that come from so many sedentary hours. They say you should get up and walk around at least once an hour, even if you are getting some exercise time each week.
And that’s me…sitting at my job, sitting to write, sitting to watch TV.
Yes, I think once an hour is a good rule. I can remember sitting and playing a computer game until my bladder was about to burst. LOL
Jeepers! I’ve never heard of this before…and I read a fair amount on health issues. Thanks for sharing this information. Lucky for me, I write in short spurts and move around in between. I can’t sit still for very long – unless I’m engrossed in reading a novel…but even then, I move around a lot.
I’ve heard this before pertaining to people going on long trips. Sometimes people suffer blood clots when traveling without stopping and walking around. When my friend went to Hawaii, it was about an 8 hour plane trip and the passengers were advised to get up and walk around because of the possibility of blood clots. None of this really hit me until my friend died.
I get restless when I sit too long. But when I’m engrossed in some of the adventure computer games, I forget the time. LOL
This is the one good thing about trying to write with little ones at home – they make me get up constantly to get them things. Lately, I’ve been sprinting from my computer to the kitchen, just to run and because it seems more like exercise. Thanks for the reminder to move it, move it!
Stacey, it sounds like you have a good plan. 🙂 Kids will definitely make you move.