Writing is like going to the gym

[Prawn]

I feel better if I do it everyday. I am stronger, feel more alive. If I take a few days off, I feel fusty, funky. Yet everyday there is the temptation to not do it, to get to it later, to put it on hold, just for today. And everyday I do that, it makes it easier to do the same thing the next day.

Does anyone else feel this way?

[III]

And it's always easier to just mess around in AW than to do either!

[maestrowork]

And the leotards don't look any better either way.

[Shadow_Ferret]

No. Because going to the gym makes me sweaty and smelly and tires me out and then all I want to do is take a nap.

I don't go to the gym. But I do write.

[NicoleMD]

If I went to the gym everyday, I would get burnt out after about a week. I think writing should be more like a dessert...okay to have a little bit each day, some days none at all, and every once in a while, put away a giant fudge drizzled piece of triple-chocolate cake with ice cream and caramel...and...and...whip cream...yeah. That sounds good.

Okay, now I feel like going to the gym. :(

Nicole

[jennifer75]

I agree with the OP... I get pretty hot and sweaty when I write, especially when I'm writing bout the sexy stuff. hehe. Anybody else blushing? It's gettin hot in herrrrrrrr.

[MidnightMuse]

I occasionally write about people who go to the gym, does that count?

[ClaudiaGray]

I enjoy writing. The gym, not so much!

[mscelina]

gym...gym....hmm.....no, I can't say I've ever heard of such a thing....

[Siddow]

Gym? I have a home gym in my basement and I've been there once.

Come to think of it, I have an unused office in the basement, too. Hmm. I think I require above-ground facilities. :D

[Wraith]

If you think about it, writing is like nothing else. Not like having babies. Not like talking to yourself in the dark (ok, maybe that one a little bit). Not like a drug, not like food or sports or living another life or what have you. It's a bit of all, but it's always just that, writing.

That said, i can understand how the comparison came along. It's nice if you're the gym type. :)

[sneakers145]

I write because I have to. Someday I'll exercise.

[Jamesaritchie]

Wasn't it Shakar who said that when he missed practice, "I believe in the saying that if you miss one day, you notice it. If you miss two days, the critics notice it. If you miss three days, the audience notices it."

I think writing is a lot like this, just as going to the gym is much like this.

[scarletpeaches]

I've never been to the gym in my life and I don't plan to any time this side of the 22nd century.

But writing? Love it.

[MMWyrm]

I've never been to a gym, so I couldn't comment on that. I just wish writing could help me lose weight.

[Wintermule]

Just so you know, you're supposed to go to the gym every other day to give your muscles a chance to rebuild and strengthen for the next workout. So...not so much.

[Scrawler]

Writing is more like exercise for me, rather than the gym. On the days I really don't want to do it, I end up feeling so much better once I do.

[sassandgroove]

I feel better if I do it everyday. I am stronger, feel more alive. If I take a few days off, I feel fusty, funky. Yet everyday there is the temptation to not do it, to get to it later, to put it on hold, just for today. And everyday I do that, it makes it easier to do the same thing the next day.

Does anyone else feel this way?
That is so true!
Well, I don't go to the gym either, but I do (intend to) excercise daily, just at home.

[Guy DaBored]

Just so you know, you're supposed to go to the gym every other day to give your muscles a chance to rebuild and strengthen for the next workout. So...not so much.

This is so wrong...

First, if you're doing a full body workout and you can exercise again after one day off, you're not lifting hard enough.

Second, it's quite possible to do a split where you divide your body into muscle groups where you lift for a week in a row and have plenty of healing time for the individual muscle groups. For the sake of a person's central nervous system I wouldn't recommend this, but with a decent split it's the CNS that needs a day off to recover, not the muscles.

Third, what about cardio?

So...not so much.

[Kudra]

I've never been to a gym either. But I do exercise every day. At home. Sits-ups, crunches, etc. Yeah, baby. I'm a freak. I enjoy exercising.

You can hate me now.

[melaniehoo]

I agree with the OP. I miss my gym in Chicago and my only option here is running. Which I H-A-T-E. So I don't do it as much as I should. Maybe that would help my writing. Aha! New motivation.

And you can go to the gym every day as long as you're not working the same muscles, like Guy said. But I always do cardio.

[KAP]

I'll agree with the OP, too. I write hard in the mornings then go to the gym and think and reflect while I strain and sweat. It's amazing the little (and big) problems I realize while there. I rush home and fix them.

So I'm not very social at the gym, but folks get used to me being off in my own world. I have had people come over and ask if I've drifted off somewhere, making me I realize I've been standing or lying there for some time, hands wrapped around a barbell, ready to push or pull. What they don't know is: I probably just made my novel better.

I think I veered from the topic. Yes, I also feel better when I write and when I work out. I would have realized I veered from the topic earlier, but I already worked out today.

[Soccer Mom]

Good habits make things easier to do. Writing on a schedule. Work outs on a schedule. Same principle.


And I find that nothing helps me puzzle out a sticky plot point like a good run. Or watching a boring soccer game.

[brokenfingers]

I feel better if I do it everyday. I am stronger, feel more alive. If I take a few days off, I feel fusty, funky. Yet everyday there is the temptation to not do it, to get to it later, to put it on hold, just for today. And everyday I do that, it makes it easier to do the same thing the next day.An apt comparison. Writing works the brain muscle.

[JasonChirevas]

I feel better if I do it everyday. I am stronger, feel more alive. If I take a few days off, I feel fusty, funky. Yet everyday there is the temptation to not do it, to get to it later, to put it on hold, just for today. And everyday I do that, it makes it easier to do the same thing the next day.

Does anyone else feel this way?

I do, exactly.

-Jason

[seun]

Never been to a gym. Never plan on going to a gym. I am a perfect specimen of masculinity.

Honest.

[Voyager]

Never been to a gym. Never plan on going to a gym. I am a perfect specimen of masculinity.

Honest.

Well your fro is certainly fit and manly.

Writing is like breathing, so easy, but without it I'd die. Oh dear lord, that was hoaky. I tried.

[scarletpeaches]

Never been to a gym. Never plan on going to a gym. I am a perfect specimen of masculinity.

Honest.

I'm going to bookmark this post so I can look at it when I feel depressed and laugh myself silly.

[JimmyB27]

But the gym is so freakin' dull! How is that like writing?

[seun]

But the gym is so freakin' dull! How is that like writing?

You get to be surrounded by sweaty men in shorts?

[EriRae]

I feel better if I do it everyday. I am stronger, feel more alive. If I take a few days off, I feel fusty, funky. Yet everyday there is the temptation to not do it, to get to it later, to put it on hold, just for today. And everyday I do that, it makes it easier to do the same thing the next day.

Does anyone else feel this way?


I was going to slack off and not work out today. Guess I'll log off AW and go start up the PS2 for some Dance Dance Revolution.

[Prawn]

I am with KitKat.

I go to the gym three days a week and run three days a week. The seventh day I do something that is actually exercise like got for a hike or play a game in park. This is my goal, sometimes life or the weather interferes.

I enjoy doing it, but the temptation not to do it, is also seductive.

I also have noticed that writing and exercise compete for my free time. I can either get up early and exercise before work, or I can get up early and write. I can sqeeze in an hour of exercise after work, or I can squeeze in an hour of writing. I can't do either one if I wait until too late at night.

For those of you who don't exercise, it is good for writer's block, for stimulating creativity and for getting rid of depression. Almost every time I go for a run, I come back and write something I have thought of for my WIP.

[C.bronco]

Writing is much cheaper than going to the gym. If given the time, however, I will put on my sneakers and run around in circles (provided I have access to a level area).

[KAP]

Runs are different for me. I enjoy working out, and I do much thinking about my wip. I hate to run, but it's so good for me I do short-ish runs a few times a week. I never think about my wip during them. Ever. I should. I try, but my mind's too busy arguing with itself myself over whether or not I should walk a while. Keeping on always wins, but the take a walk internal argument starts up fresh in my mind every few minutes.

Then I start hearing weird moaning sounds coming from the yucca plants--and of course the crying of the lambs--and I'm just too distracted to think about my wip.

kap

[Prawn]

Runs are different for me. I enjoy working out, and I do much thinking about my wip. I hate to run, but it's so good for me I do short-ish runs a few times a week. I never think about my wip during them. Ever. I should. I try, but my mind's too busy arguing with itself myself over whether or not I should walk a while. Keeping on always wins, but the take a walk internal argument starts up fresh in my mind every few minutes.

Then I start hearing weird moaning sounds coming from the yucca plants--and of course the crying of the lambs--and I'm just too distracted to think about my wip.

kap

I never think about my WIP when I run, but some idea for it always bubbles up. I don't know why, but running stimulates the creative part of my brain, even if I am thinking about something else completely.

Maybe it is a good think that exercise and writing happen at the same time in my life. They are competing for my time, but there is also a weird symbiosis between them.

[ink wench]

Love this analogy, so true. Not just the skipping part either, it also takes me some time to warm up, physically or mentally. The first 5-10 minutes I keep wanting to quit. Once I get over that, I love it. And by the time I'm done, I wish I had more time to give it. Hmm... funny how writing stimulates the endorphins just like a good workout. :)

I can't say I've ever gotten any ideas while working out though, I get very focused on what I'm doing (lifting heavy weights over my head and all, focus = good). But in the post-work out shower, yeah. But my best ideas always come in the bathroom for some reason. :Wha:

[Shadow_Ferret]

Gym? I have a home gym in my basement and I've been there once.


Mine's being used to hang laundry on now. Most expensive clothesrack I ever bought.


I go to the gym three days a week and run three days a week. The seventh day I do something that is actually exercise like got for a hike or play a game in park. This is my goal, sometimes life or the weather interferes.

I enjoy doing it...

Personally, I think you're on crack. *sorry, no smilies in edit mode* :D

All that time could be better spent on writing or reading or researching or play with my kids or dogs or any number of a 100 million other things.

Thank god for shin splints.

[The Grift]

For me writing is like going to the gym because if there is a day I really don't want to for some reason (normally too tired, convinced it will be a lousy session, or just plain unmotivated) and I force myself to just start, once I've started I have no problem getting through the session with the appropriate amount of verve.

[Wintermule]

This is so wrong...

First, if you're doing a full body workout and you can exercise again after one day off, you're not lifting hard enough.

I was talking about in relation to what the original poster said. Obviously, he's not talking about working out until you can't move the next day. Basically, he's talking about a nice, long excercise where you get a nice little burn (correct me if I'm wrong---I don't think he was talking about marathon writing-sprees every day).

Second, it's quite possible to do a split where you divide your body into muscle groups where you lift for a week in a row and have plenty of healing time for the individual muscle groups. For the sake of a person's central nervous system I wouldn't recommend this, but with a decent split it's the CNS that needs a day off to recover, not the muscles.

...Once more, unrelated, unless you write dialogue one day, and descriptions the next, and then do some character building the next.

Third, what about cardio?

Meh. Only fatties use treadmills instead of getting fresh air.

[Shadow_Ferret]

Third, what about cardio? Meh. Only fatties use treadmills instead of getting fresh air.

Huh? Cardio has no relation to environment. Running is cardio whether its on a treadmill or on the street.

[Namatu]

My cardio is kickboxing or dancing. I run away from running and walk right on past the treadmill.

I go to the gym, and I used to exercise every day, but that got me an overuse injury so now I try not to work out every day while I relearn what is good and what is bad and why I should stop doing things when I know they're going to hurt me later but sometimes I'm just too stubborn.

Ahem.

I agree with the OP as well. I just seem to be better at the gym part than the writing part, though I'm working on that. The gym is easier. It requires less effort and thought, even on days I do have to drag myself there.

[melaniehoo]

Meh. Only fatties use treadmills instead of getting fresh air.

Easy to say when you live in South Carolina. What about when there's 2 feet of snow and everything's covered in ice? Combine that with a small apartment (no room for personal equipment) and the gym starts looking pretty nice.

[Shadow_Ferret]

Easy to say when you live in South Carolina. What about when there's 2 feet of snow and everything's covered in ice? Combine that with a small apartment (no room for personal equipment) and the gym starts looking pretty nice.
Actually, unless the weather was in single digits, I used to run in all kinds of weather. I had a really nice light running suit that kept me toast warm.

[Bruce Baker]

It is like exercise in that you will not do it if it is not F-U-N. If all you want to do for exercise is flop around in the waves at the beach like a whale, or cruise cute guys in some area of town...DO IT! (I personally cannot write with a gut in the way...I've tried...it hurts) If yer writing is fun to WRITE, I suspect it will be fun to read. I have literally squealed with pleasure during some of the moments I have spent with my characters....hehehe

[wood pixie]

I don't plan much.
My life is mostly spontaneous.
I would love to work out everyday because I enjoy it so much. But a gym isn't practical for me. I do try to walk at least two miles several times a week and I do resistance workouts with resistance bands.
But mostly I just try to live a healthy life. I love wholesome foods.

Writing? I write when my stories beckon me. Which is nearly every day.
I feel good after writing. I feel as though I've traveled to the world I'm writing about and experience what my characters experience.
So, usually I feel I've had a wonderful visit when I return to my life's reality.
But I also look forward to going back on my adventures.

[David I]

Writing is like going to the gym. Afterwards you are smelly and tired and yet smug about it.

[Novelhistorian]

I have a rowing machine in the basement, and five mornings out of seven, I'm on it. The time goes more quickly if I think about my WIP, and I've had some useful ideas while rowing. The other two mornings, I take a vigorous walk for a few miles and think about my WIP then too. One thing that's nice about this routine, aside from keeping the doctor at a safe distance, is the help it gives me when I've had a rough day writing. I can sleep better knowing that I don't have to solve whatever trouble I'm having right away and can count on having a good think the next morning.

[megan_d]

That's a really good way of putting it. It sums up my relationship with writing perfectly!

[tjwriter]

For those of you who don't exercise, it is good for writer's block, for stimulating creativity and for getting rid of depression. Almost every time I go for a run, I come back and write something I have thought of for my WIP.

There is some research that shows exercise to improve depression symptoms and to also increase brain functionality.

Couple of Quick Links:

Exercise & Mood (http://www.webmd.com/search/search_results/default.aspx?sourceType=all&query=Exercise%20Mood)

Exercise & Brainpower (http://www.webmd.com/search/search_results/default.aspx?sourceType=all&query=Exercise%20Brainpower)

That being said, I have an elliptical right there next to the computer. In my ideal world, I'd get up and write for a while followed by time on the ellipitcal before work each morning. In fact, once everything calms down in my house, I'd like to really do this.

I'd know that I'd feel better if I did this, but right now while I feel so exhausted, it's hard to do anything. I thought my upcoming vacation would give me a chance to catch up on the rest I've been lacking and start a new, better routine. But weeks beforehand, it got shot down by other, important for other people (my mom) things. So goes my life.

[Prawn]

That being said, I have an elliptical right there next to the computer. In my ideal world, I'd get up and write for a while followed by time on the ellipitcal before work each morning.

If somehow you could get the elliptical to power the computers, you would have to exercise to write!

[TurkeyLurkey]

My DH was telling me about a Jerry Seinfeld quote. He makes a big red X on his calendar after he writes for that day. Then he tells himself not to 'break the chain'. XXXXXXX
It is a good tactic to use.
(Unfortunately, my chain breaks more often than Id like it to. Maybe I need whips!)
:e2BIC::whip:

[NeuroFizz]

For the sake of a person's central nervous system I wouldn't recommend this, but with a decent split it's the CNS that needs a day off to recover, not the muscles.
Huh? What part of the CNS need to recover from bodily exercise (or even mental exercise for that matter)?

[Guy DaBored]

Huh? What part of the CNS need to recover from bodily exercise (or even mental exercise for that matter)?

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/article-cns-overtraining.aspx

There's an article discussing the both peripheral and central nervous system overtraining.

If you google overtraining and CNS, you'll find any number of articles on the subject. It's constantly discussed in relationship to both endurance and muscle building activity.

[Guy DaBored]

I was talking about in relation to what the original poster said. Obviously, he's not talking about working out until you can't move the next day. Basically, he's talking about a nice, long excercise where you get a nice little burn (correct me if I'm wrong---I don't think he was talking about marathon writing-sprees every day).



...Once more, unrelated, unless you write dialogue one day, and descriptions the next, and then do some character building the next.



Meh. Only fatties use treadmills instead of getting fresh air.

The point is that you tried to shame someone in regards to their exercise knowledge, when the OP was simply saying that writing every day is good. If you're going to call someone out, you need to know what you're talking about. You were wrong about not being able to go to the gym every day on many levels, and they all still stand. You didn't throw in all the silly qualifiers the first time around.

And regardless of where you personally think cardio should be done, someone could still lift one day and do cardio at the gym the next, breaking your rule of gym only every other day with no ill effects.

[Prawn]

I've never been to the gym in my life and I don't plan to any time this side of the 22nd century.

But writing? Love it.


Ah but you do love the gym. Check out your avatar.
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/customavatars/avatar3809_81.gif


Do you think those rock hard abs come from writing every day?

[Tasmin21]

Gym?

Now you're just making words up.