The Awesome Power of Touching Your Toes
Taking breaks with movement is GOOD for your creativity, productivity, and mental health!
This article was originally published on LinkedIn in June of 2022. I’m reposting it here as part of moving my writing to my own platform…
The life change that I've embarked on has been "joyously stressful" LOL... Managing that joy and stress has given me a lot of cause to think about mental and physical wellness. A big revelation for me has been just how tied together mind and body are. I didn't realize just how much the job I didn't enjoy anymore was impacting my mental and physical state until I quit. Now that I'm free, I'm RE-noticing aches and pains that have always been there but had been overwhelmed by the stress of my job situation.
Many folks may not realize, but my back hurts… All. The. Time. It started in high school when I joined the marching band playing the biggest bass drum. So many hours and miles lugging that monster did me no favors at all. In the drum’s defense, I was doomed to have a crappy back by genetics. Both parents have back issues that plague them to this day, so I would have been screwed even if I hadn’t had a 40 pound weight strapped to my chest exactly at the time when my back was going through a growth spurt and the amazing awkwardness of teenage Rob.
Ohhhhh I need to see a picture of that!!
Sadly, Snarky Voice in my head cameras were not cheap and plentiful in 1980. If they had been you’d see a 14-year-old Rob in an awkward military style band uniform with sooo much luxurious hair! Oh, and pimples in weird places. But alas, photos cost real money back then… Not like that cloud shizzle you kids have today!!!
Settle down there Gramps!!
Whew… almost went on a tangent… All of us have things we wish we did differently when we were younger. Not “regrets” as such, just opportunities to be or do better for our future selves. When quantum computers and time crystals get perfected by our AI overlords next year, I’d like to go back in time and give myself 3 messages…
Wash your face more often.
When you’re 27 buy some Apple stock at 2 dollars a share even though you’ll be broke.
Stretch every chance you get.
The list of things I need to tell young Rob is much much much much longer, but I didn’t choose this list only for comedic value. Number 3 is absolutely critical for having a healthy day to day existence when you’re rapidly sneaking up on 60. The process of just getting out of bed in the morning is a daunting task. So much so that I cannot even think about starting my day without stretching.
PLEASE do NOT show me a picture of you getting out of bed!!
Really Snarky Voice in My Head? You should be more comfortable in your own skin... this is your body too!
Don’t keep reminding me! Do us both a favor and add “don’t eat so much pizza” to the list of stuff for Young Rob.
Oh, it’s on the long list for sure. But I put stretching above that because mobility is one of those things that we take for granted. We might spend a lot of time thinking about how we look in a mirror, but we don’t think much at all about how we move when we get out of a chair after 2 or 3 hours of focused flow time at the computer. Or how we pick up our computer drawing pen when it falls off the desk and onto the floor.
You know the feeling… You watch in slow motion as it rolls sedately off the edge of the desk… You look down at it for a moment like it’s some kind of traitor. “WTF pen? I thought you were cool? You cost me all that money and now I gotta pick you up?” Then you start the process of bending down to get that little SOB off the floor.
Easy there Old Timer, don’t hurt yourself!
Quiet YOU… be more respectful of your elders!! It didn’t used to take so long. There was a time, it seems like just yesterday, where I’d just grab the damn thing and get back to work. Not so much anymore. Now it is definitely a process. BUT, it’s also an opportunity to take a break, step away from the computer and touch my toes. (See what I did there?)
We did not evolve to sit and stare for hours on end. Hunting, gathering, frolicking and running from the occasional giant predator. Our bodies evolved for daily but semi-randomized movement. The invention of agriculture changed that, and our lives became more repetitive. We were still moving but doing the same kinds of movements all day every day. Stooping, planting, picking, lifting.
Then came the industrial revolution and things got even more static. Human effort shifted from working outside in a wide area on the farm to the very small part of a large assembly line. Standing in one spot all day every day (until the introduction of labor laws) pulling levers, plugging things in. Almost overnight we stopped moving.
The Information Age hasn't changed that. Whether you’re pushing words, spreadsheets, computer code or pixels, many of us are sitting in one spot all day every day hunched at a different kind of assembly line.
Nice history lesson, but what happened to that pen on the floor?
Spoiler alert, I picked it up!! But not before taking a break from the bending of pixels to bend my body for a bit. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist that). Most of my pain is concentrated in my lower back right in the facet joints on my left side so the stretches I do are picked to help open that area up.
Child’s Pose
Cat pose (but not cow since it aggravates my back)
Figure 4
Spinal twist
Plank
One legged king pigeon pose (fancy right?)
I haven’t reached ‘enlightenment’ and I’m a long way from levitation, but so far, I have been able to keep myself mobile while avoiding painful surgeries and pharmaceuticals. I’d call that a win.
But Rooooob, I get so focused, and I lose track of time!
Dropping your pen on the floor is not really a reliable way to remind yourself to get up and stretch on a regular basis, but there are several ways to be more consistent…
Use an app on your phone - There are a ton of apps for this kind of focus blocking. I don’t use them because I’m trying to minimize my phone contact each day. You can also just use the timer on your phone but then you risk getting distracted by the socials each time your phone goes off.
Use a desk timer - They’re cheap, plentiful, and they can be set to regular intervals. They also have the benefit of not being your phone so you can’t get distracted by the socials.
Drink LOTS of water - This is my personal favorite. It has dual benefits. We all need to drink more water and it forces you to get up at semi-regular intervals to use the bathroom. And when you’re done with that, you now have the perfect opportunity to do some stretches before diving back in.
Some of you might be asking "Uhhhh what the heck does any of this have to do with creativity??"
It's hard to think well when you don't feel well. If you take better care of your body and mind, you'll be more creative. It really is that simple.
What are some of the ways YOU like to take breaks and stretch?
