Not My Usual Topic

Get up from your chair, try to stretch your arms high in the air, bend them to right and hold for eight counts… good! Now, bend to left and hold for another eight counts.

Most of us are working while sitting for hours in this job, either as an artist, or a programmer. I have this bad habit to sit hunched toward my monitor, and after several years, it affects my posture. More than looking hunched while walking, my shoulders also got stiffed and a bit painful when I sit and draw using pen tablet after a couple hours. This forced me to have exercise, because I still want to draw for years to come, making many legendary games and CERI series.

In August 2013, I started to attend aerobic class. At first, I was a bit confused with the quick and complex steps routine, not to mention those dangdut remix songs they used ^^;;; but then after several months, I have got used to it. I started to look and feel the differences toward my posture: I sit and walk less hunched, I do not feel pain at my shoulders anymore and they become more open than before, as a bonus: I have a slight better shape than before 😀 I look and feel more confident, somehow.

I learned that taking care of body is a primary investment I could make right now besides other financial ones, and it goes for lifetime. It is not only for my own good. I can perform better for my co-workers, and make my family feel secure seeing me in good shape and health. Paying for gym class, decent sport shoes and badminton rackets are not waste of money (well, it IS a waste of money if you do not use them regularly), it is an investment for our health.

Now, it’s not that I suggest you to attend aerobic class, because there are so many types of exercise you can choose. For now, I attend body combat and body pump classes, with additional cardio exercise every week. Body combat is more energetic and has more up-beat moves, while body pump shapes and trains our body’s endurance. Or maybe you can have badminton or ping-pong match with your co-workers 😀