Healthier Writer Habits


A typical Korean meal

My family and I traveled through Korea for two weeks, and it was amazing.

Koreans are wonderful and hospitable people, but the food there was a challenge for me. Our hosts fed us full meals almost every day. Even eating out was not a simple affair, meat and rice heavy. I did my best to do portions, but it is super hard to refuse when your host is being gracious.

I returned Sunday to the States sure I had gained pounds, but it turns out I only gained one pound. And I had to cinch my belt during our vacation–my belly is flatter. Already in two days, I have lost even more. When I returned to a fitness class yesterday, I had so much energy because I had been so active consistently for two weeks.

Wha–? The key was…we walked in Korea EVERYWHERE. Even though we had a car rental, we were constantly on the move. My son has a phone app that measured us averaging 7 miles a day (with lots of stairs and hiking to sites) and peaked at 12 miles our last day.

Did I write? Every night, for two hours, I blogged about that day’s adventures. And wrote on the airplane while seated for ten hour stretches at a time. Otherwise, no writing.

As I returned, I worried about going back to my sedentary lifestyle.

So today, instead of driving to someone’s house a mile away, I walked. Gardened and cleaned out our horse pen. Just to keep moving! Activated the health app I always have had but never used on my phone. Yesterday, I played catch up–grocery shopped and cleaned the house. It felt great.

I have read others’ advice to write first thing, and that is great for productivity, but I will prioritize moving FIRST before writing because I no longer want to be chained to my desk.

Use every opportunity to move. Be consistent. Make time to be active. If you want to chat someone up, take a walk with them. Eat only what your body needs. Those are my takeaways. Here’s to healthier writer habits!