NaNoWriMo (and health)!

artsycella

Two things first! NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is a time when people sit around and write a lot in a really short period of time. If you're curious, check out www.nanowrimo.org for more info.

TL;DR version: I'm going to focus on NaNoWriMo this month and try to be healthy at the same time. I'm doing two things at once, like amateur juggling!

Okay, real post:

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I've been doing this MFP thing since April--logging all my food, exercising consistently, being inspired by my great friends list as well as so many of the success stories in the forums, and learning oodles about food, fitness, macros, strength training, etc. It has been amazing, and I feel so empowered to be healthier by it.

While I've made a huge amount of progress, I'm not really that near to my eventual goal yet. But I finally feel like I've got a handle on how to get there. Which is way cool! And I'm going to get there by continuing to log, exercise, interact with the MFP community and remain dedicated.

That being said, someone asked me the other day what my hobbies were, and I have a number of them. But when I gave it some thought I realized I have put so much time and mental energy into figuring out how to live a healthier lifestyle in the past 7 months that it has eclipsed some of my other hobbies. And, I mean, that's just fine--I had the extra time, and I needed it to figure out these things and get on the right track.

But the truth is that I want being healthy (the eating and the exercising) to be a part of my life, but not who I am. When someone asks me what I do for fun, I don't think "going to the gym," "lifting weights," or "counting calories" will ever be on the tip of my tongue for a response, even though I do those things and they are important, in the same way I would never say I "take showers," "brush my teeth," or "do laundry." For some people, exercise is an essential part of their identity, and that's awesome. But it's not like that for me.

So in an effort to find some more balance, I'm going to go obsess over something else for the next month. Namely, writing a novel. It's something I've been puttering about for years--reading books about writing, getting ideas down on paper, taking writing classes. Now, for NaNoWriMo, I'm going to work on getting those words themselves down.

And, and! I'm going to find a way to do it that is in sync with all my other priorities--family, friends, work, and, of course, improving my health. Six months ago, I know I wouldn't have had the bandwidth to devote to this, but here's hoping I can find good, creative and empowering ways to fit it all in this November.

If anyone else is in, I use the same nickname on NaNoWriMo that I do here, and I'd love to be friends in either community.

Leaping_Lemur

Best of luck, Artsy! When I was a teen I had aspirations of being a professional writer ... even submitted a few stories to magazines. As a published academic, I suppose writing is part of my job description, but it's not the same. And I know what you mean about not wanting exercise/counting calories to define you. I've really enjoyed getting in shape, challenging myself, seeing results ... but I'm working out 7 days a week, and I can't do that the rest of my life. At some point I'm going to have to ease off a bit and resume other activities, which have pretty much all fallen by the wayside over the past four months. I'll continue to work out and eat healthily, of course, but at some point it won't be quite so all-consuming.

artsycella

Thought I'd bump this one more time, since today is the start of November and the kick-off for NaNoWriMo. Anyone else trying to write a novel and be healthy and active this November?