How do you take care of your condition?

AffectedMind 2015-11-21 15:32:32 UTC #1

Fellow comic creators!
As we all know it's a hard job to make comics. We sit in our chairs for few hours, sometimes we strain ourrselves. Our eyes, our hands, our backs, we need them to keep going! We need to take care of them! And my question is, what do YOU do for your body? How do you take care of yourself? Are you have any routine you follow to keep your condition good?

Me for example, I do a little workout in the morning, so my body will be more flexible and my bones won't hurt. My spine is pretty broken and I need to move, otherwise I won't be able to sleep at night or sit because of the pain Dx

So yea, what's your way? : D

toonsfera 2015-11-21 15:36:53 UTC #2

Eating less and running at a running machine everyday. It's working for me

AffectedMind 2015-11-21 15:41:14 UTC #3

Dang, I don't even have a room for running machine, I always wanted one xD

Thesleepypencil 2015-11-21 15:50:38 UTC #4

I walk everywhere and since my home is a little out of the way everywhere i need to walk to is 45 to and hour away. If I'm on the computer to long i either read a book or take a long walk

BraveHeartTatsumaki 2015-11-21 16:02:39 UTC #5

Like I usually need to save money, normally I walk in the whole city to wherever I go (if I'm not in a hurry), it's a lot but I prefer to sit while I'm drawing, instead of sitting in taxi or the bus.
When my back starts hurting while I'm drawing, I just get to the bed for some minutes with my back relaxed.

igneriss 2015-11-21 16:20:45 UTC #6

... I don't
//shot

Okay, but jokes aside. Thanks to my really short attention span, I can't really sit and draw for few hours straight, so I usually take breaks every 30minutes anyway (...or every panel). I don't really like sports and exercising, but I enjoy dancing to kpop sooo lets say it's my exercising, haha ; u; also, living on a 4th floor with no elevator helps = u=b and I keep jumping/dancing around the house, so lets count it as exercising as well hahaha CX

Oh, and I don't stay late drawing. Usually. I try to sleep about 7,5h and go sleep before midnight, it works the best for me c:

Tanisha 2015-11-21 16:34:17 UTC #7

I usually just exercise when I have the time since I mostly do a lot of sitting around when I'm at home and go to work ^^b~
I also walk my dog around the city and go out with my friend/friends a lot to keep my social life existing <-<

AffectedMind 2015-11-21 16:38:47 UTC #8

What is social life? lol XD
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(but to be honest I only meet with friends if there's a meeting with all of them. Mainly my friends are my classmates and all of them except one live in another city x'D)

Tanisha 2015-11-21 16:41:39 UTC #9

Lol yeah it's the same for me too! It's mostly just me and the friend i live with that hang out mostly since our friends just live too far to come visit often xD

insomniascrawl 2015-11-21 19:41:22 UTC #10

I work out as I can. I love dance so that's usually what I do. I try to eat healthy where I can help it. Drink lots of water that sort of thing

enidean 2015-11-22 01:50:43 UTC #11

As much as possible, I try to exercise every day and eat more healthy meals than junk food. And as an occupational therapy student, I try to apply all the helpful things I learn when I draw.
For example:
- Pacing my work schedule :I don't draw for hours straight and I take breaks in between to rest my eyes and stretch my body or just stand for a few minutes.
- Modifying work environment : As much as possible, I try to make my drawing environment as ergonomically friendly possible. A more friendly drawing space usually means less strain on the posture, joints . Both as an artist and student therapist, hands are extremely important to me so I have to be careful to avoid getting CTS and RMI.

I don't always follow this of course whenever I get pressed for time or because of other reasons, but I still 'try' to lead a healthy lifestyle.

zjwestbrook 2015-11-22 03:30:55 UTC #12

Haha..."condition". Someone's from Korea!

I have a day job, that keeps me mobile and prevents blood clots. My neighborhood is right on the side of a steep-ass hill, so going literally anywhere is a decent work out. Other than that, I'm a believer in good artists being self-destructive. That's how I justify my terrible diet and nicotine addiction.

Dranif 2015-11-22 03:38:55 UTC #13

If anything, I get up and stretch every once in a while, or pace around back and forth continuously until my legs get tired.

AnnaLandin 2015-11-22 07:31:31 UTC #14

1.) I get up out of my seat at least once an hour to stretch and walk around the house for a bit. Just moving about a little to let my body relax from its drawing-position.

2.) Whenever the weather allows it, I take long walks outdoors - 7-8 km a day through the woods, which involves a lot of steep hills and stuff.

3.) If my wrists start hurting, or the fingers on my drawing hand start going numb, stop drawing immediately - numb fingers are an early warning for carpal tunnel syndrome, which I've been able to avoid thus far through a combination of resting when I have to, not pushing myself through pain, and holding the pen differently than most other people.

4.) Other than that... eat regular meals, cut down on the junk food, snack on fruit.

scythe 2015-11-22 08:59:39 UTC #15

I keep VERY regular hours. Practically military precision. I try to cut down on bad snacks and never draw for longer than 2-3 hours without a break. Also every two to three days I do a short but very intense workout. Seems to do the trick for me.

niinasalmelin 2015-11-22 09:04:10 UTC #16

I aim to eat healthy and go for about hour long walks every day. I need to work on having breaks between working tho.. and also it's important to take care of your social life. That I do somewhat well.

AffectedMind 2015-11-22 09:50:27 UTC #17

@enidean, wow, that's a pretty solid program you have o-o

My friend experienced that, is it because of drawing so intensely?
My wrist hurt sometimes, but my fingers never got numb.

Are you from Korea or you reffering to me? Because if you are reffering to me you are mistaken xD
I'm not from Korea, I'm not even from Asia o-0

AnnaLandin 2015-11-22 10:15:10 UTC #18

If your wrist hurts, you should definitely take a break too!

And yes, wrist pains and numb fingers are due to drawing - or rather, due to keeping your wrist/hand in the same position for a very long time. When you put a lot of strain on your hand for a very long time without taking breaks properly, the sinews in your wrist can become inflamed and/or damaged. The sinews in question are the ones running from your elbow down into your hand, and they connect via the outside of your hand (the side your little finger is on, not the side your thumb is on), so usually, people who have pushed themselves too hard feel their little finger going numb as a warning sign.

Not everyone gets numb fingers, though - some just get wrist pains. Basically, if your drawing hand is hurting - TAKE A BREAK. Stretch your wrist, and try to relax. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a big deal, and should be taken seriously. If you're not careful, you might require surgery to recover from it - if you can recover at all. Some people get permanent injuries.

AffectedMind 2015-11-22 10:43:08 UTC #19

I do, I do! xD
Usually it's nearly at the end when I literally fanning my hand too fast xD

Ouch. I will remember that. Dunno what would happen with me if I couldn't draw like I used to... or couldn't draw at all.

Chiper1811 2015-11-22 13:30:16 UTC #20

I'm at the stage of life where I have kids running around me, so I spend my days running after the kids (the toddler one, especially). My days are structured around them, most of the time. I have a lot of exercise from running their life and also from other activities such as gardening and running the household. I also try to work in an ergonomic environment as much as possible. I have an ergonomic office chair and a footstool that I think are some of my best buys. I also try to connect with friends and family on weekly basis as working as a freelancer at home can be very very lonely. But most importantly, if I feel very tired, nanna nap is always the best solution for me, even if it's only for 10 minutes.