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 
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.
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.
If anything, I get up and stretch every once in a while, or pace around back and forth continuously until my legs get tired.
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.
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.
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.
@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
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.
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.
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.
Every time my eyes start to hurt or my back starts to strain itself, I put on some music and walk around the room a bit. I also like to pace and think out my ideas, so it's easy for me to get up and move around.
I started using a variation of the Pomodoro method when I'm working: I work for an hour, and then i get up and stretch and take a break for ten to fifteen minutes. I also don't try and force myself to work on something. If it's not working, or I've been staring at something for too long, I get up and do something else for a little bit.
if i work for comics or similar (so, to the table or the the pc), after 2h i always move out from the room and i spend some minutes to look outside in the world. this help a lot my eyes... and i do stretching. most to shoulders (argh) spine (dho!) hands (fu!!!)
BUT the real help come from sport! i always tried to do some sport, even when i was without money... because: "mens sana in corpore sano" (Satire, X, 356) so, now im back playing ice hockey XD and this help without doubt.
I work on computers all day for work, then I spend even longer sometimes on drawing. So I get up and move once in awhile. That way my wrists get a break, my eyes aren't as shot, and I can enjoy other things. I like reading manga a lot (plus it gives me good references) but I've been neglecting my writing and reading in place of comic making and videogames. At least the videogames I'm playing have huge story elements. In this case, the Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney trilogy.
Yes, people don't appreciate the physical strain it takes to make comics! XD
I myself didn't appreciate it... until it was too late of course! Eventually my eyes decided that it was no longer necessary to see into the distance, as I was always looking at a screen or paper 30cm away, and my hips have started to rebel from awkward sitting positions.
Oh and the back, can't forget the back!
Oh it's good to see people talking about this!
Yes working out is important when you sit about making comics lol- so exercise is pretty key!
I use "essential balm" which is like "tiger balm" (Holland and barret stores, or similar) for my hands when they are particularly nasty, and it really does help to take the edge off of the pain so I recommend that! It just won't help with numbness and tingling though. Hot and cold therapies are generally helpful for looking after aching hands and joints.
Aaaalso, you can get these cool eyemasks from amazon which have extra material underneath to block out light and have a gel-pack in them too- so taking a break to rest your eyes and cool them at the same time will really help.
Also, cooooooffffeeeeeee. :3
Ah, the 'did you clean your room yet' of the art world. Body care is a pain in the arse, but it's just as important as mental health and there seems to be a lot of support here for that.
For me, I know I don't sit healthily because I don't have a desk, so I have some super cool memory foam cushions on the sofa to help with that. Still get pins and needles quite a lot though. And I'm sure I'll look like a quaver when I'm 50 from hunching so much.
I walk to and from work every day (up a mega hill), but on my days off I can be stationary for hours on end, so I try to get up every hour or so to make a coffee, talk to my bird and cuddle the cat, and to look out the window into the distance. Stretch your eyes, guys!
I always reserve the right to drop whatever I'm working on to jump in a hot shower. It helps me think and relax. And, you know, stay clean, which helps you feel like less of a failure to your mother.
At night the comic plays out like a film in my head so I have a notebook and pen there to right down any developments I'll forget in the morning. Doesn't help me sleep better but it's better than nothing.
That's all I can really think of for now, but tutorials made for intensive gamers on how to stretch your hands would probably be a good think to look into if you suffer from RSI. Also watch out for tendonitis, that's a serious bastard to get rid of once you have it.
Oh really? I live in Korea (though, I'm not Asian, either) and that's a common misuse of the word condition among the locals.
