By Mars Dorian, {grow} Contributing Columnist
Everyone I know is killing their online career and they’re not even aware of it.
It’s not because they are using the wrong social media strategy.
It’s not because they don’t have a strong enough call to action.
And it’s certainly not because they’re aren’t blogging enough.
It’s because they’re abusing one activity over and over again: the S-word.
You guessed it, SITTING.
For over a year, I’ve been working day and night, pressing my butt into my chair and cranking out illustrations and words as if the world were about to end. It worked for a while, but there’s only so much “soft” damage your body can take before it starts revolting.
So I visited a doctor friend of mine because I was constantly exhausted and lacked motivation. My limbs also hurt which seemed odd for someone in his late twenties. My friend told me I had to change my diet and more importantly, get moving. He said sitting without exercise was like arsenic — a few drops might just make you go a little pale, but continued exposure will bring a visit from the Grim Reaper. Yeah, he’s got an odd sense of humor. But I wasn’t laughing– he was talking about my health, or lack thereof.
Since I’m a bonafide webaholic who trains his butt muscles more than anything else, I knew I had to change. I don’t want the Grim Reaper to knock on my door anytime soon, so I consulted everyone in my network who knew anything about workouts for chair grinders.
Responses flooded my inbox. Anything between prison-yard workouts to walking the dog.
I want to reveal the ones that I apply on a daily basis, because they drastically impacted my health for the better. Besides that, the daily exercise and change of habits even had a few positive side effects on my online career.
Here’s the workout I use to battle my “chair-itis” and avoid killing myself prematurely:
What I do to get up
Wake up, d’uh. I’m NOT a morning person, so I have to push my alarm as far as possible from my bed the night before or else I just hit the snooze button and lull back into la-la land. Which kills my routine.
Once I drag my body out of bed, I do exercises for at least 30 minutes, preferably 45. I do thirty-fifty push-ups, a minimum of thirty squats and various aerobic stretches for arms and legs. Stretching is the alpha and omega workout for chair grinders like us.
How I wake up to 100%
I have passed on coffee since the day I was born. I prefer a cold shower that rejuvenates my body after the workout. This is uncomfortable in the beginning, but after a month of daily practice, you’ll miss it. I swear.
How I became more productive
I visit my emerald-green park ’round the corner and walk a minimum of five kilometers (approx. 3 miles) in swift steps. I’m not walking, but I’m not jogging either — it’s the golden middle. Just enough to sweat a bit.
After this daily ritual, I ABC (Apply Butt to Chair) and hammer my beaten keyboard. Whether I’m illustrating for a client and or unleashing my words for upcoming novels, my productivity has skyrocketed because of these exercises. After every two hour chunk of sitting, I hop up and stretch for five minutes. I may even repeat some of the morning exercises to get the blood flowing again. You have no idea how much of a difference a five minute stretch-workout can make. Anything movement-related to interrupt the long spells of sitting can help.
Conclusion
Sitting is a sinister way of dying — it’s slow and steady.
When you read this post, I’m pretty sure you’ll be sitting. I’m also sure you’re sitting all day for a living, so what exercises do you perform to keep your body fit ? Share ‘em in the comments area. I want to learn some new moves 😉
Mars Dorian describes himself as a creative marketeer with a moon-melting passion for human potential and technology. You can follow his adventures at www.marsdorian.com Original illustration by the author.
