Avoiding Writers' Butt!

I sit in front of a computer for many hours every day, both writing and running my business. When I'm concentrating, I also have a habit of dipping into a bag of pistachio or cashew nuts and nibbling away. It's oh so easy to pile on the pounds if I'm not careful and along with that comes aching hips and knees and a bad back.

I've heard of writers trying all types of things to burn calories and keep active while they work, treadmill desks and little cycles under the table. I'm sure these work for some but neither appeal to me.

For me, the ideal way to counteract the physical inactivity is to take regular breaks and go for a walk. The problem is remembering to do so and motivating myself. A few weeks ago I discovered a pedometer called a Fitbit Flex. It's a wrist band that contains a small device that measures the wearer's steps.

My husband is the fitness fanatic in our house, so I surprised us both when I took the plunge and ordered a Flex. The default setting on the device is a daily target of 10,000 steps—the distance recommended by the American Heart Association to stay healthy. I couldn't imagine taking that many steps in a day, but in fact 10,000 steps is only about five miles. (Actual distance walked depends on the length of your steps.)

The Fitbit talks to an app on your cell phone via bluetooth and free software on your computer through a dongle that's included in the box. It's possible to monitor far more than just steps and distance. If you want to go the whole hog and use it to help lose weight, it has a function for monitoring calorie use and comparing that with your daily calorie intake.

I've been wearing my Fitbit on my wrist for two weeks now, and it has motivated me to take regular breaks to walk around our garden so the step count mounts up during the day. Then I usually finish off with a nice long walk with my dog in the afternoon. I imagine it's a lot easier to hit the target if you own a dog! Sometimes I've resorted to walking around the kitchen umpteen times in the evening to rack up the final few hundred steps to hit my target—this totally confuses my cat and dog who think I've gone crazy.

The Flex also has a sleep mode to monitor quality and length of sleep each night. This has been quite an eye-opener for me. I was kidding myself I had around eight hours sleep a night. I've now discovered I manage between six and seven hours most nights. That might explain why I'm tired a lot of the time!

If you find yourself sitting too long at the computer and need motivation to take more exercise, I can tell you the Flex has worked for me far better than I imagined. After two weeks I already feel fitter.

For those of you who have to sit still for long periods of time, how do you stay fit?

Helen Scott Taylor lives in South West England near Plymouth in Devon between the windswept expanse of Dartmoor and the rocky Atlantic coast. As well as her wonderful, long-suffering husband, she shares her home with a Westie a Shih Tzu and a burmilla cat. Helen's latest venture is a ten book boxed set, Ten Brides for Ten Heroes. Find Helen on FaceBook and Twitter, or visit her website.