Just four days to NaNoWriMo. Are you ready?

Last year at this time, I talked about the 3 P’s: Plan, Practice, & Pace. This year, I’m going to talk about the Sprinters approach to finishing NaNoWriMo … or completing any other overwhelming project.

While I am a big fan of the 3 P’s, some people may get twitchy just reading about the concept. I know plenty of people who simply weren’t born with the planning gene. If you are one of those that would rather dive in and sprint to the finish, that’s OK!

The sprinters who win races have great technique, lots of power, and are just plain fast. A writing sprint has those same characteristics.

Technique
Since you are likely going to be writing in large chunks of time when the mood strikes, here are some technique tips:

1. Have a comfortable workspace. Make sure you have a comfortable chair and good lighting, and that the mouse and keyboard both work for you.

2. Use good tools. Know which software tool you are going to use; be certain you like it, are comfortable with it, and know how to use it.

3. Take care of your eyes. Staring at the screen for too long can cause your eyes to dry out and go buggy (that’s a technical term), so check out my The Eyes Have It column for tips on how to avoid computer eyes.

Power
Sprinters generate much of their power from their ability to strike the ground well to propel themselves forward. Striking the keys hard isn’t going to make you a better novelist, but taking care of yourself to avoid burn-out will.

1. Eat a lot of Whole Foods: proteins, fruit, veggies, dairy. Your brain burns a lot of glucose doing stuff like this, but it’s not an excuse to eat Snickers for a month. Your body will create glucose from whatever you eat. Just be sure you continue to eat a balanced diet, and listen to your body.

2. Stay Hydrated. It can be easy to forget to drink while typing away furiously, so remind yourself to hydrate. Pro Tip: Keep the beverages away from the computer, however. I’ve lost two laptops to coffee in the past few years.

3. Sleep. Sleep when your body tells you to. Even a 20-minute nap can make a world of difference, so don’t be afraid to catch some Z’s when you need them.

Speed
The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. If that’s not a sprint, I don’t know what is! Not everyone is a fast and accurate typist, just do the best you can.

It doesn’t matter of you are Marathoner or a Sprinter, the whole goal is to finish. Pick the method that works the best with your lifestyle, and run with it (pun intended).

How do you intend to get to the finish line?

For more on NaNoWriMo, read Jeanne Veillette Bowerman’s review of the NaNoWriMo website and share your NaNo Profile link. Also, read Write On! Track’s reasons why NaNoWriMo is a Good Idea.

It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over. In some parts of the country kids have already started school, and the unofficial end of summer is less than 10 days away!

With the end of summer comes the end of the laid-back mindset. Time to start setting deadlines, unofficially plan for NaNoWriMo (more on that in Monday’s Write On! Review), and wrap up projects by the end of the year.

Before you go diving in to fall, let’s talk about The Recharge … and how you can make it through to years-end without burning out.

Why Recharge?

1.Brain processes information more effectively. Downtime is when we learn, process, and make room for more information. Like the rest of the body, the brain is only capable of doing so many things at one time. When we’re constantly being bombarded with new information, projects, and tasks, the brain never gets time to catch up on the backlog.

2. Stress levels are lowered. When we reduce our stress levels, the entire body gets a chance to recover. Stress creates a myriad of physiological changes in the body, including decreased blood flow to the brain. Stress, literally, lowers our intelligence.

How to Recharge?
That’s up to you. Though, here are three helpful rules that will help you make the most of your recharge.

1. Don’t make a plan. Set aside a day, half day, even a few hours, to do whatever strikes your fancy. Don’t work on a specific project, use it as a chance to “catch up.” Or take your in-laws sightseeing. Activities must fall in to the category of, “Ooohhh, that sounds like fun.”

2. Go it alone. While we may love our friends and family, spending time with them is still a commitment. You need to make sure everybody’s having a good time, nobody is getting crabby, and everyone has food and drink. By going it alone, you truly have the freedom to execute on rule #1.

3. Make it OK.Taking a day to recharge is only going to work if you embrace it for what it is. If you spend the entire time worrying that the your next chapter isn’t getting written. then taking a recharge day is only going to make the situation worse.

Rule #3 tends to be the most difficult. We already work too much (and always have too much to do), so spending our precious free time ALONE and UNPLANNED, may seem wasteful. But, trust me, you will come back a much, much happier person. I’m all about happy, so highly recommend this mindset going in to it.

Last Sunday, I took a recharge-day, allowing myself to do whatever I wanted. Since I set no agenda and used the rule of, “Ooohhh, that sounds like fun,” I ended up working through some nagging problems, clearing some to-dos off my plate. The freedom from those items being “obligations” made tackling them fun. It never felt like work, made me smarter, and allowed me to come at them differently. The results carried over to the next day. I returned to work considerably happier, more focused, and monumentally more productive.

How about you? When was your last recharge? What challenges do you face in making your recharge times happen? Please comment below.

Jen Waak is a Seattle-based movement coach who uses a system that combines eastern philosophy with western medicine to reprogram the nervous system and get people out of pain, moving better, and feeling younger. jen@movefitfun.com.

Sleep is the ultimate downtime activity! I’ve talked here and here about how your brain processes information during downtime. Last month, I discussed ways you can get a better night’s sleep. The July column is all about the power of the good, old-fashioned nap!.

A new study from UC Berkley provides yet more evidence that an hour-long nap can “dramatically boost and restore brain power.”

Being the geek that I am, I love the analogy they give. They describe our brain as an email inbox, and that when we get tired the inbound emails (information) starts bouncing. It’s only when we sleep does the inbox get sorted, filed, and cleaned out, so when we wake up again we can start accepting new emails.

Here are some additional thoughts on napping:

- If you have a day-job, find out if your workplace has a napping room. Oftentimes it is also the same room that mothers use for nursing. I’ve worked in some large corporations that offer such a luxury—you just have to ask around.

- You don’t need an hour. Even 10 to 20 minutes can make a HUGE difference.

- Realize that napping is NOT a sign of weakness. In just 20 minutes you can come back refreshed, smarter, and more productive then the guy or gal in the cubicle over who decided to try to take care of the mid-afternoon lull with a bag of skittles and a cup of coffee.

- If you can’t nap, find some place quiet to just chill out for a bit. No talking work, or going on break with co-workers. Empty conference rooms, break rooms, and the great outdoors all work well. Block out your calendar and make it look as if you have left for a meeting, and you are golden.

What creative strategies do YOU use for getting your mid-day recharge? Please comment below.

Jen Waak is a Seattle-based movement coach who uses a system that combines eastern philosophy with western medicine to reprogram the nervous system and get people out of pain, moving better, and feeling younger. jen@movefitfun.com.

There is a lot of conventional wisdom about sleep. If sleep is a problem for you, I’m sure you’ve read most of it—and I won’t bore you by repeating it here. However, THE single most useful thing I’ve ever found for quality sleep isn’t in the standard “sleep better” blog posts.

Are you ready?

The Key to Falling Asleep Faster is …

UNPLUG. Yep, a full 30 minutes before you want to go to bed, unplug. No desktop computers, laptops, iPads, iPhones, iAnythings. No TV, Droid, Blackberry (crackberry), or anything with a backlit screen.

Before you have a full-blown panic-attack, let me explain why.

1. The backlighting on those screens causes artificial brightness that screws with our circadian rhythms. Yes, I know the room lights are still on, but the light from a screen is much brighter than the lights in a room. Pro Tip: I oftentimes turn down the brightness of my screen at night, and I often feel instantly more relaxed.

2.  Computers, TV, and other devices cause a lot of stimulation through colors, noise, and sound that our brains need to process. Reduce the number of stimuli, reduce the amount of processing that needs to happen.

I know stepping away from the laptop can sound scary. You have the next great novel to write, so what can you do?

In an ideal world, I’d tell you to find something entertaining, but not too engaging, to read. Personally, I use that time to get through that stack of magazines I’m perpetually behind on.

But, if you really must work, then print out a few pages to proof/edit, write out some character development by hand, or sketch out the next scene graphically. Being unplugged may even give you a creativity boost by having to try something new!

Studies show that the incidence of chronic disease and obesity increases significantly when people get less than 7 or more than 9 hours of sleep per night. And, we all know from personal experience that we just plain get less smart when we are sleep-deprived. So, adopt this little habit so you can sneak in a few more minutes each night. You will wake up smarter, thinner, and better looking … really!

The Plan:
1. Unplug at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
2. Find something relaxing to do in those 30 minutes.
3. Lights out and sleep well!

That’s my favorite fall-asleep-faster trick. What is yours? Share in the comments below.

Jen Waak is a Seattle-based movement coach who uses a system that combines eastern philosophy with western medicine to reprogram the nervous system and get people out of pain, moving better, and feeling younger. jen@movefitfun.com.

Yes, I said hula, not Hulu. While the video streaming service rocks my world, I’m talking getting back some of that movement in your hips. Good hip and pelvis motion can get rid of hip, back, and shoulder pain. Plus, it will make you walk faster.

2. Relax the knees just a bit (I still need you to lengthen through the spine while you do this).

3. Tilt the pelvis forward just a bit (tilting forward from the SI joint).

4. Now drop one knee even more so you are tilting to the side.

5. Bring the knee back up even with the other (both knees still relaxed) and tilt the pelvis back.

6. Drop the other knee so you are now tilting to the other side.

Now, smooth this motion out until it’s a nice continuous circle. It is probably going to feel really awkward, but I promise you, the body is meant to move this way. Once you can make 3 nice, smooth circles in one direction change directions and go in the other for 3 circles.

After you have done 3 circles in each direction, stop, go walk around a little bit, and see how that feels. If you have done it slowly and with intent then you will likely feel that you are walking just a bit different, and that it’s simply easier.

Now you have three hip and pelvis exercises that work GREAT together to keep your hip flexors relaxed and decrease tension bodywide.

You’ll find the best results if you do all three exercises on a daily basis. As I mentioned last month, it takes time to re-teach the body to move, and like learning any new skill, it takes a larger investment up front. So, you won’t have to do these every day for forever, your body will actually tell you when it’s been enough.

Remember, just like being a great writer takes practice, moving well and without aches and pains also requires work and practice. See you next month!

Jen Waak is a Seattle-based movement coach who uses a system that combines eastern philosophy with western medicine to reprogram the nervous system and get people out of pain, moving better, and feeling younger. jen@movefitfun.com.

If you stood up right now, would it take a few seconds to work out the kinks in your hips? When you watch Dancing With the Stars, do you think, “Um, yeah, my hips and torso don’t move like that.”

If so, this series is for you. This is the second in a three-part series dedicated to loosening up the hip and pelvis area. Last month, we did an exercise called hip pendulums, and you can get caught up here. I can’t promise you a reality-show dancing gig, but I can promise that in a few minutes a day you’ll find that it’s easier to get up after your marathon writing and editing sessions, your body tension will go down, and your day-to-day movements will be easier.

In case you missed last month, we’re going to take a minute and review where you hip joint is (it may not be where you think). Since you are probably sitting while you are reading this, this should be easy. Put both legs in front of you, facing straight ahead. Now, take your hand and follow the large thigh muscles (your quadriceps) up to the bend in your leg. About dead-center across your thigh you should feel a couple of bony protrusions there—that is where your hip joint is!  It’s where your thigh bone (femur) comes in and meets the pelvis.

Now that you know what your target is, let’s get to work.

Note: By now you should know my rule: Never move in to pain. If these exercises hurt, stop. You can try them slower or do fewer of them, but never move in to pain. If you cannot, it means you aren’t ready for the exercise, and that’s fine, too.

Hip Circles
1. Find an short object to stand on. It can be a book, a foam yoga block, or just about any raised surface — just as long as it’s flat, sturdy, and clear on all sides (so, stairs are out).

2. Now, stand nice and tall on the object, with one leg on the object, the other hanging off the side of the object and unsupported. Make sure you still have your chair, wall, or table nearby to help with balance!

3. Now, draw a large circle with your free leg, thinking about that hip joint really moving as much as it can. Keep the knee locked, and go nice and slow. This is a lot harder than it sounds—the most common mistakes I see are:

a. People making a D-shape rather than a circle. They will get their leg out to the side, and then just slide it straight across instead of going behind them.

b. People who short the circle by not going to the back. Similar to the D-shape, but it’s actually a lovely circle, just not quite where I want it. Your leg should extend behind you. If you are one of those “tight hip flexor people” then you may doubt that this is even possible, but I assure you, it is. Your body has just forgotten it can.

c. Using your pelvis to help. The pelvis needs to remain stationary and level. The only thing that should be moving is your leg. If you find you can’t do this without moving your hips and pelvis, slow it down or draw a smaller circle until you can.

4. I want you to do three repetitions with each leg in each direction. Be sure to turn around to do the other leg, or you may find your balance support object in the way.

Now, go walk around a little bit and see how that feels. If you have done it slowly and with intent then you will likely feel that you are walking just a bit different, and that it’s simply easier. I want you to add this on to the hip pendulums, keep doing both of them every day.

In case you are starting to wonder if I’m going to ask you to do these exercises forever … No, I’m not. It just takes some time to re-teach the body. If you are consistent about doing them, your body will actually tell you when it’s been enough.

Next month, we’ll look at the pelvis, and try a couple of new exercises.

Jen Waak is a Seattle-based movement coach who uses a system that combines eastern philosophy with western medicine to reprogram the nervous system and get people out of pain, moving better, and feeling younger. jen@movefitfun.com.

When you get up from a marathon writing session, do you ever struggle to stand up nice and straight? Has your doctor, yoga instructor, or pilates instructor ever told you you have tight hip-flexors? Then, this series is for you.

This column is the first in a three-part series about loosening up that pesky hip and pelvis area.

I don’t know if it’s years of “core” exercises or too much time spent sitting, but most of my clients seem to have forgotten how to move their bodies between their waist and their mid-thigh. I can’t promise a second career as a belly dancer, but I can promise that in a few minutes a day, you’ll see your body tension go down and feel more ease in your day-to-day movements.

First, let’s find your hip-joint. It’s where your thigh-bone meets your pelvis—and it may not be where you think. Since you are probably sitting while you are reading this, this should be easy. Put both legs in front of you, facing straight ahead. Now, take your hand and follow the large thigh muscles (your quadriceps) up to the bend in your leg. You should feel a couple of bony protrusions: Voila! You have found your hip-joint!

Now that you know where your target is, let’s get to work.

Note: By now you should know my rule: Never move in to pain. If these exercises hurt, stop. You can try them slower or do fewer of them, but never move in to pain. It may mean you aren’t ready for the exercises, and that’s fine, too.

Hip Pendulums
1. Find the back of a chair, door frame, table, wall, or some other support, and stand up nice and tall next to it. Rest your hand on the support—it’s just for balance in case you need it.

2. Lift your left leg into the air, knee bent, so the thigh is at about 90 degrees (or as high as you can get it comfortably). The knee should be relaxed with the calf and lower leg loose.

3. Rotate the upper leg from the hip joint, left to right, left to right (you can also think “clockwise, counter-clockwise” if that helps). You want to think of your lower leg as the pendulum on an grandfather clock. It will likely be a fairly slow movement as you start, but it should speed up as you get comfortable with the motion. The leg won’t go more than 45 degrees in either direction. The most common mistake on this is moving the upper thigh too much—it is literally JUST a rotation. You only need to do a handful of swings with each leg. Just until it feels LOOSE.

4. Repeat with the right leg raised.

5. As a bonus, repeat on each leg—BUT, I want you to swing your thigh out to the side and rotate from there. Be sure to keep your pelvis level and don’t be afraid to hold on to something for support.

For lasting results, do these every day for a few weeks. Next month, we’ll add in another one of my favorites, the Hip Circle. In May we’ll look at the pelvis, and try a couple of new exercises. Once we are done, we’ll have those hip-flexors working like new.

Jen Waak is a Seattle-based movement coach who uses a system that combines eastern philosophy with western medicine to reprogram the nervous system and get people out of pain, moving better, and feeling younger. jen@movefitfun.com.

Did you know that changing your eating habits can improve your creativity and productivity?

It can.

For many people, the word Sustenance means food. But, the definition is actually MUCH more broad, and is defined by terms such as: support from below; maintain; encourage.

In the spirit of taking a broader look at the term Sustenance and in honor of March being National Nutrition Month®, I’ve put together a list of changes you can make to your eating habits to help get your creative juices flowing, improve productivity, meet that deadline, or push through your writer’s block.

As I’ve previously discussed, making a change is HARD, so you only want to make one small change at a time. Then, link together the changes and suddenly you are on to something!

1) Eat breakfast. “Start your day out right with a healthy breakfast” is more than a catchy phrase, it actually promotes better health. By starting your day with some food, your brain is immediately getting the glucose it needs to start the creative juices flowing.

2) Eat away from your desk. I know this seems like the opposite of productivity, but eating away from your desk gives you time to clear your head so your brain can process what you have been doing, and you return refreshed. I talked about this in my April 2009 Stand Up and Walk Away column. An added benefit: By focusing on your food rather than on the screen, you won’t mindlessly eat until your plate is empty–a boon if you are trying to lose a few pounds.

3) Eat whole foods as snacks. Whole foods provide more consistent and better long-term energy. They also contain fewer chemicals and preservatives and generally provide a higher overall level of nutrition from your average snack food. Try an apple with a couple of slices of gruyere or a few cashews, a couple slices of deli meat, or a caprese salad.

4) Make sure you are getting protein, fat, and carbohydrates at every meal. By ensuring each snack and meal has each of these nutrients, you will maintain a more consistent energy level throughout the day AND be more likely to meet your overall daily nutritional needs (vitamins, minerals, etc) from your food.

5) Variety. Yes, changing things up can make you more creative. Eating different foods, trying new eating locales, or changing up the spices can change the whole eating experience. Suddenly something triggers the memory of previous trip to Greece, and suddenly you have the setting for your next novel, a snippet of dialogue, or some memories to provide a rich sensory experience for what you need to write next.

Food is much more than just the calories that we need to consume to stay alive. Rather, it’s the lifeblood that supports us in many, many different ways.

Jen Waak is a Seattle-based movement coach who uses a system that combines eastern philosophy with western medicine to reprogram the nervous system and get people out of pain, moving better, and feeling younger. jen@movefitfun.com.

The beginning of the year may be filled with a lot of hope. However, it’s also a time of brand new stressors! Whether you’re starting a new screenplay or book, editing a current project, or working on deadline, there’s bound to be new stress coming your way.

Over the past year, I have provided useful tips for combating eye strain, headaches, carpel tunnel, and more. Now it’s time to travel down the body to relax the back. It’s important to loosen-up the back from the neck to the waist, remind the shoulders to come back down where they belong, and improve our breathing patterns. This will lead to increased productivity and a healthier you.

As always, my first rule is Never Move Into Pain. If it hurts, slow down, make the movement smaller, or just stop. Having established the ground rules, let’s begin.

1) Sit nice and tall on the edge of your chair

2) Put your hands on your lap, as close to your knees as you can get them without having to lean forward

3) Gently, drop your chin to your chest and push your spine back. Don’t rock in your seat and don’t move or change the angle of your arms. The only thing that should be moving is your spine

4) Straighten up nice and tall, pushing the crown of your head to the ceiling and pushing your spine forward. Again, don’t rock in your seat and don’t move your arms/shoulders. Be careful you don’t tip your head too far back

5) Repeat steps 3 & 4 two to three more times. You should feel your chest and shoulders relax

6) For extra credit, you can rotate your torso slightly (only from the waist up), place both hands on one leg, and try again. The added rotation adds to the complexity of the movement, and sometimes provides relief that doing it straight ahead cannot.

Just do a couple of reps a few times a day until you feel better… and release your stress. It’s a simple, fast, and effective way to feel better quickly.

Keeping the spine loose and mobile makes you resilient against an awful lot of injuries, and will help you sleep better, breathe better, and reduce stress.

Jen Waak is a Seattle-based movement coach who uses a system that combines eastern philosophy with western medicine to reprogram the nervous system and get people out of pain, moving better, and feeling younger. jen@movefitfun.com.

Moving your career and relationships forward, while writing your NYT bestseller, may be really important. However, having a healthy body supporting you is essential. Without a healthy body, the rest falls apart … literally.

Mere minutes of taking care of yourself every day can add hours of productivity to your week. Nice trade-off, isn’t it? Since stress is cumulative—it comes from your body, work, environment, and lifestyle—if you reduce stress in any one area, everything else will function that much better.

Here are 3 Tips for improving health—and thereby increasing productivity—in the New Year:

Vision. When our eyes work most effectively, our brains process information better. Plus, we don’t get tired as quickly. Take a minute a few times a day, while working at your computer, to lightly massage your eyes and focus on something besides your computer screen. For more eye-exercises, look at my March column: The Eyes Have It.

Breathing. Believe it or not, breathing is a skill. And lots of people are really bad at it—myself included. Poor breathing habits can lead to brain fog, dizziness, poor sleep habits, and a host of other conditions. I talk in my February column—Take A Deep Breath—about how you can quickly test for breathing problems. Even if you breathe just fine, take a minute or two a couple times a day to just focus on taking relaxed, full breaths. It is a particularly effective calming-exercise. So, that moment, when you determine your project needs another rewrite, is the perfect time to practice your breathing!

Movement. I’m a big fan of regular exercise, but even if your version of cardio is shopping at the mall, there are reasons why regular movement makes you smarter and more productive. In April—Stand Up & Walk Away—I explain how getting up and walking relaxes the body when it’s stressed out. Recent studies confirm that more movement during the day leads to better sleep at night: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/health/01really.html. And, quality sleep leads to a fresher, more productive you. Plus, studies show high-quality movement is proving to reduce depression and fatigue: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091215131328.htm. How you add movement to your day is up to you: retail therapy, juggling, taking the stairs. It doesn’t have to be much and you don’t have to go very far—just 10 minutes a day can make a difference.

Make these three activities a part of your 2010 routine, and I guarantee you’ll feel better and get more done. Remember, the key to making change is to incorporate the 3 P’s—Plan, Practice, and Pace. Happy New Year!

Jen Waak is a Seattle-based movement coach who uses a system that combines eastern philosophy with western medicine to reprogram the nervous system and get people out of pain, moving better, and feeling younger. jen@movefitfun.com.