Wrecking Ball for Writer’s Block

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© 2015 Theresa Rowe

Friends, writers, countrymen, lend me your rears. Corny, very corny, but what writer can resist 22d43d24-1b05-4b35-9d2a-b7a2b763533cShakespeare, even a silly adaptation? So, while I have your attention, rather than bore you, I think a gift is in order.

With the adjusted words of Mark Antony, “I have come to bury your chair.” A chair at my desk would be an instrument of torture, poking daggers in my back, cutting blood flow to my brain, and numbing the bottom portion of my rear. My life is better on the ball—the stability ball.

As a person passionate for shaping hearts and bodies for God’s purposes, these colorful pieces of “fitness furniture” are a great first step to begin the transition. With 60 to 80 percent of adult Americans experiencing low back pain, writing on the ball should help alleviate that pain as you strengthen your core—the longer the stronger.

In the days before my stability ball, I would stare aimlessly from my chair into the abyss of dead ideas. Creativity squeezed from my being by long hours and the inflexibility of the chair. The beauty of the ball is the motion. As I write, moving side to side, dreams and imaginings blossom, as they did when I was as a child. There is something daring about the ball that invigorates my inner warrior. I feel brave and confident writing on the unstable surface.

Although I know of no study to support this idea, I have found from my own experience that writing on the ball stimulates creativity. Writing on the ball is a wrecking ball to writer’s block. The gentle motion as I re-read what I have written connects my deep core muscles to my creativity, pushing fresh new ideas to the surface. There is a sweet rhythm to the well written word.

For those who haven’t purchased the stability ball yet, there is an alternative. Scooping the belly, from the naval to the spine, strengthens the core and requires an all-day focus. Actually, this is something we should do any time, not just on the ball. Scooping reaches into those deep abdominals and helps stabilize the back, and in turn produces less back pain. While not nearly as generous in creative juices, this posture will allow us to do what we love to do longer.

Whole writer wellness begins when you join me on the stability ball, the right way to a healthier, happier you!

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Scooping the Belly:

  • Sit up tall with your shoulders pulled back and your spine lengthened.
  • Gently scoop your belly button in and up toward your spine (it feels as if you’re hollowing out your belly).
  • Hold for a few minutes and repeat.

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Theresa Rowe is a motivational wellness speaker. She writes a  newspaper column and is the ca298c25-9b97-4723-b3a6-420ab83a29c8 (1)television host ofShape Up, a fitness show. Theresa also produces and hosts a weekly radio show. She has produced three faith-based fitness DVD’s: Pilates for the Soul, Strength Training for the Seasoned Soul, and Pilates Stability Ball. Theresa is also an author of Guideposts’ Shaped by Faith: Ten Secrets to Strengthening Your Body and Soul. Visit her Shaped by Faith website.