On Becoming a Buff Bard

 

 Writing is as sedentary as it gets.

Sure, while drafting you can travel across the world, to other planets, or to even different dimensions, but it’s all from the coziness of your chair. Don’t get me wrong, I love that. Especially with a steaming cup of tea at hand. But having both a sedentary job and a pastime wasn’t doing me any favours.

I was always stiff, my back ached constantly, and I wasn’t eating as well as I could have been. Late nights drafting and editing meant that I’d have something quick and easy. Usually heavily processed, too.

I had an on-and-off again relationship with the gym. I wasn’t consistent, even with the benefits I was receiving from regular exercise. For those that don’t know, I have high functioning anxiety and depression. Exercise truly helps me beat those two into submission with some fantastic endorphins. Not only that, but I actually enjoy health and fitness.

Stop rolling your eyes.

I get it.

A lot of people hate exercise in general, and this post isn’t to tell you how to live your life, or tell you what a great job I did getting thicc and sexy. I just wanted to share some benefits all of us can use. More importantly, all of us sedentary writer folks can use. Working out is for more than vanity and throwing money at diet culture. It’s a great benefit to so many aspects of our lives, especially creatively.  

For example, me loving cardio? It clears my mind. I found myself zoning out during my sessions on the elliptical, and suddenly, a plot hole from my current work in progress would scream at me from across the void between my ears. Or if I was stuck on a scene, the solution would figuratively tap me on the shoulder like it was there all along. And better yet, if I exhausted myself enough, my mind wouldn’t be racing late into the night from all of that work.

I’m sure we’ve all experienced that before at some point. The racing thoughts as we brainstorm, write, or edit. If not reined in, they can stretch into the wee hours of the morning. It’s merciless unless I have a proper physical outlet. For me, that’s a ton of cardio … and lifting some heavy ass weight.

In 2020, I started to fall in love with weightlifting and strength training. It was something I had done previously, but not with the same level of knowledge or consistency. Actually focusing on building muscle was one of the best things I could have ever done. It helped me with routine, consistency, and discipline. I could see change. I could see progress.

As a writer, this was huge. If you’re someone like myself who aims to be traditionally published, you hear the word subjective so many times that you objectively hate it. You can write something amazing, but if gatekeepers don’t think it’ll sell, you may not get a literary agent or even published. When it came to growing muscle, so long as I put in the work and ate enough protein, I had growth. I had change. There was nothing subjective about it. I saw results.

It affected me mentally, too. Going to the gym can be daunting, even for someone who has spent a lot of time in it. But what’s even more daunting, is going to the weightlifting side of the gym. It felt like being transported to an alien planet where the inhabitants were swole bros and old men wearing suspiciously short shorts.

At first it was challenging being in front of them and trying new exercises. Being vulnerable in front of strangers is difficult. You don’t want to look weak, or stupid, or totally out of your element. It sucks. I even remember the first time I was trying to lift a 44-pound bar for a front squat. In the mirror, I could see a greasy boomer chuckling behind me. He watched me struggle to not crush my own windpipe with the bar. I lived to tell the tale and never saw that guy again after.

Most people at the gym don’t judge you, and the rare few that do have their own problems. Overcoming being worried about what other people thought about me raised my confidence. I stopped caring how other people saw me, and focused more on doing my own thing. I can even strike up friendly conversation at the gym these days if I feel so inclined. If you’re an introvert or shy like some of us writers are, it’s a huge achievement. It’s perfect practice for networking in person when it comes to writer conferences. And, I dunno, maybe a good way to prep for when you’re at your first book signing, sitting a table all by yourself in a book store as people pass by?

That said, you don’t have to go to the gym and pump iron or be a cardio bunny. The goal isn’t to become a svelte Instagram fitness model, but to be more active to reap the mental benefits. (But hey, you do you. Just follow me back, ‘kay?) You can go for walks, dance, do yoga, splash around in a pool, or even play Frisbee with the family. Any kind of movement is worthwhile, and if you find something you love, you’ll look forward to it.

Hell, you might even grow in more ways than one. 

I know I did.

Take care!