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Sewing
& Your Health |
Your
fitness
Many people who put in a number of hours sewing
forget to take a break and exercise. It is easy to
be so involved in a project that you can forget
about yourself.
In general, you will feel better if you manage your
diet and exercise your body, especially if you're
overweight. It doesn't matter if you need to lose
weight, movement and activity will charge your brain
and relax your muscles. After sitting over a project
for many hours, either at your worktable or in a
chair in front of the television, may cause tension
in your upper back, headaches, and backaches. To
prevent or lessen the effects, get moving. Even if
you only go for a short walk, move your arms, and
enjoy doing something beside sewing. Also - stay
HYDRATED!
Back problems
Sitting for long periods of time can cause stress on
points in your back. If you've ever had a baby,
sometimes your tailbone can hurt, simply by sitting
for too long. Try yoga, or even simple breathing
exercises in addition to taking short walks to
loosen your back up and relieve some pain.
Obesity
Many hours can go by and you can forget to eat. Or,
you have a non-stop supply of food sitting nearby
your work table, and you mindlessly eat, not paying
attention to calories or fat or any of that not-fun
stuff to track. Obesity can lead to many diseases,
which we will not go into here, but we thought it
was important to bring up the topic as it does
relate to your craft. The more inactive you are, the
more obese you can become. Get moving and manage
your diet. Intentional exercise is an important
thing to fit in around your daily life and sewing.
Your Eyesight
Ever feel like your eyes have a ton of sand in them
while you work? Do you get frequent headaches? Maybe
you need to take a break. Eye strain can make you
feel tired and stressed.
Get your eyes checked every two years and make sure
any lense prescriptions are up to date if you wear
glasses.
Overuse Syndrome (Carpel tunnel)
Carpel tunnel is one of the most crippling
conditions you can experience. Anyone that works
with their hands would feel immediately handicapped
if they lost the use of them. Proper stretching,
warm up exercises and careful attention to
repetitive motion will help deter this condition. Do
some research on the internet about this syndrome to
find out what are the best exercises you should be
doing. Warm ups are recommended - even if it's just
a short walk.
Burn Out
It is easy to feel unmotivated if you are feeling
pressured by completing your projects, whether for
business or recreation. If you find yourself working
on projects until two o'clock in the morning for
several nights, then having to arise at six o'clock
the next day to go to your secure day job, you may
find yourself getting behind in your work and
feeling physically drained. This is called burn out
and it can be dangerous to your business and your
health.
If you're in business for yourself, buy an erasable
calendar and erasable pens to keep track of your
orders. Space orders out so you have a break between
large projects, and slate time for your own
clothing, if applicable (remember the phrase the
cobbler's children never have shoes!). Give yourself
plenty of time for each project. Be up front with
your clients about estimated shipping times before
they pay for their order. Do not be irresponsible
about promising something to a client by a certain
date, and then not coming through for them. Make
sure the client understands your criteria and is
aware of the timelines involved. Sometimes clients
forget you may have other customers that are waiting
as well.
Set regular hours that you will sew and stick to
them. Take breaks throughout a project, making sure
you rest your hands and hydrate yourself. It is best
to pick a time during the day (or night) that you
work best and try not to deviate from that schedule.
If you are having trouble with a project, put it
away for a while and come back to it later. Problems
have a way of working themselves out if you walk
away from them and come back later. Consult
newsgroups online for help and ideas from other
people who sew.
Garden, read, take walks, go work out at the gym, or
vegetate in front of a movie to keep your mind off
of your project.
Get plenty of sleep on a regular basis. After
working too many hours, you will find yourself run
down and burned out quickly, and you could cause
yourself many health problems. |
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