UPDATE: Walking and Writing

First a shout out to my friend and fellow SCBWI South Sound member, Kiki Hamilton. He book, THE FAERIE RING released on Tuesday and I can’t wait to read it! I’m also very excited to attend my first ever launch party for THE FAERIE RING at the Olympia, Washington Barnes and Noble, Wednesday October 19^th from 4:30 to 6:30. (If you’re in the neighborhood you should come). There will be door prizes and a drawing for a Nook. But the best part is you’ll have the chance to meet the amazing Kiki Hamilton and get a signed copy of her book.

Now about me…

Today I decided to give an update on my battle against writer's butt and my walking and writing progress, (and yes, this might just be an excuse to show a funny/cool treadmill clip at the end of this post).

After a summer of neglecting both my writing and my body, I decided to buy a treadmill. Through Craigslist, I got a great deal on a nice used treadmill, the Epic View 550. It has a strong motor and a long deck, both necessities when you are using it as a walking/writing desk. (Also important if you like to run on it when it’s rainy outside, which I do.) Also, it has a built-in TV, a feature I wanted to entice my kids to use it. (We haven’t hooked it up yet, but my kids like the treadmill anyway.)

I’m still using my Surf-Shelf, but honestly, it was easier for me to attach it to the treadmills at the gym. Right now, (and yes, I am writing this from my treadmill), my Surf-Shelf is jerry-rigged with a towel behind it to keep it from bumping against the front speed and incline controls on my treadmill. It took a couple of unpleasant moments when my leisurely walk turned into a heart-stopping full-incline run, with my laptop hanging in the balance before I figured out that I needed to keep the shelf away from those controls. I also have a rice bag sitting under the keyboard to stabilize it, because I’m worried about how the vibration will negatively affect the life-span of my Precious.

My husband has offered to build a more permanent desk to sit on the treadmill, but I come from a long-line of jerry-riggers, (I once saw my dad fix a potato digger with scrap metal that had been dug out of the field), so I’m pretty confident in my design. Also, a permanent fixture on the treadmill might discourage my kids from using it.

So the BIG question everyone is asking…Have I lost any weight???

I’m going to have to answer that truthfully, No I haven’t… BUT remember I’m just getting back to this. AND since I started walking and writing faithfully at the beginning of this month, I have noticed that my pants fit better, I have more energy, and I just feel better.

How has this affected my writing?

Walking and writing has been great for my writing. I made a play list of songs that inspire me for my WIP, and every day I plug into my headphones, jump on my treadmill and walk and write for two to three hours a day. (With breaks in between to let my treadmill cool off.) On a good day I can write 1,500 words and burn about 600 calories. On an average day it’s probably closer to 900 words and 400 calories. And because my treadmill is now at my house, I can walk and write any time of the day, and I can check e-mail, surf the web, (strictly for research), and even update my blog from my treadmill.

My back still sometimes hurts and my knees still sometimes hurt, but for the most part, walking and writing has made me more productive, and I definitely feel like I’m taking better care of myself.

I’ll let you know how the weight thing goes.

In the meantime, as promised, here is the funny/cool treadmill video. How long do you think it took them to choreograph this???