A Healthy Artist is a Happy Artist!

Hello!

Today I'm going to talk about something extremely important for artists, writers, and all other beings with bodies: OUR HEALTH.

YUM!

I'm not usually the one to be super healthy. Rather, I'm the type that will eat breakfast for dinner or pie for breakfast. And I know of some artists who live off chocolate and caffeinated beverages all day long in order to get their work done. Heck, I've done it too! But I have become more health conscious over the years as I... ahem... age. (Yeah, I know I'm young now, but that won't always be the case!) I've obtained a few health annoyances: back and shoulder pain, weird sinus headache things, some form of heartburn/GERD/tummy troubles, a big bottom from sitting and painting and writing... and I am afraid there will be more to come if I don't change some things.

I've often asked myself, Why books? Why art? What is it that keeps me doing it or why I need to do it? And I've come to the conclusion that it's because, firstly, I HAVE to do it. And secondly, I won't live forever. In order to live a happy life, I know I have to create art, otherwise I become stressed and miserable. Art just makes me happy. And I know that long after I have gone, if I'm lucky, some of my work might endure the ages. (At least I know it will passed down in the family, anyway.) Art makes me immortal, in some ways. It is proof that I have lived on this earth, and maybe even made a difference to somebody.

My goal in life as an artist is to create and make as much work as I can, simply because I love doing it, and I want to do more of it! I love continually improving on my talents, polishing stories until they shine, and learning new techniques that keep creating fun!

But if my health starts failing, and I'm in too much pain, or too tired, or too round to physically get up and move, then there is a problem! It's hard enough trying to manage freelancing hours in between an already busy life. Throw in (future) poor health into the mix and I'll never get anything done!

So, recently, my husband and I decided we need to take control of our lives and be healthier. It was the result of a little chain of events that started with buying a new juicer, which led to the discovery of this documentary called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," and has led us to aim to eating a plant-based diet. It's only been a week and I'm already feeling different, more alive... and I like where it is taking me.

I'm not going to get into further details about my diet here on my blog- this blog is about art and books, and will forever be- but I am going to share with you all the stuff that's helped me change the way I think about my health. I know most of my readers are artists and/or writers, and I want our community to be a strong and healthy one! I want my friends and my readers to last as long as I do! You will find the links below, and you shall do what you will with the information. If these links help even just ONE person, it will make me super happy! 

*lifts glass of juice* To your health! :D

~Melanie

On the stuff that goes into your body:
"Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" the documentary that started it all
"Forks Over Knives," another great documentary
"Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease," a good book to read
"The China Study," another book to read
"Food Matters," a documentary I'd like to see
John, from DiscountJuicers.com, shares his juicing secrets!
Raw Rebecca's account of how this changed her life.

On how sitting is bad, and how to keep that body moving, (even though our job consists of a lot of sitting!)
How Sitting Can Kill You (click on the tall, red picture)
Death by Desk Job, and how to fight it!
Sit At Your Peril!
Workout at Work
Free Fitness Workout Apps for the Office!

Set Up Your Standing Desk:
http://chrisoatley.com/is-your-workspace-ergonomic/
How to Determine Proper Desk Heights

(When I finally manage to create my Standing Studio, I will post it on my blog, and link to this post as well!)