Quiltingboard Forums - Calisthenics for Sewing

I was writing this up for my long arm club and got to thinking that it can easily be adjusted for sewing on a domestic. I have found if I do these while I am working on my long arm, my back doesnt hurt as much and my legs are not as stiff. There are not enough repetitions to increase heart rate to lose weight, but at least you will keep your muscles awake and warmed up at all times :) And in the end, every little bit helps.

So here ya go:

1. Get a notepad or dry erase board (probably better) You can even get the page protectors and put a printed copy of your "routine" in there, Basically you want to be able to check off when you do certain sets. How ever that works for you is great!

2. This is the hardest part of the whole scheme, you must convince yourself that this is beneficial and you need to do the stretches. It is so easy to say "ugh, I am too busy, I have too many things to do, opps I forgot" Make a commitment to yourself, ;)

3. Write down a list of stretches, some leg, some arm, some core.
Here is a short list for example:
a. Knee lift (bring knees up to level of cutting board/ironing board/long arm bar)
b. Back Leg Lift (keeping leg straight, lift leg as high as you can backwards)
c. Side leg lift (keeping leg straight, lift leg as high as you can sideways)
d. Touch Head, shoulders, knees and toes ;) with legs together and another one with legs apart
f. Arm extensions, hold arms out to side with hands facing down at chest and elbows level with shoulders, extend arms out to side (basically stretch your arms wide) bring arms in.

Name them anything you want ;) get a nice long list. :) we all spend tons of time at our sewing, we all need a long list of activities.

4. Now that your mini-event list is done, you need to decide what is a good break point to do one of those. When I long arm, I do each block on a row individually and a different thread, so I fixed up that I would do a mini-event activity after each block for a single color was completed. I generally do the whole row in one color then change threads. But each quilt is different, that is why a dry erase is best, Write down at top of page what constitutes a mini-event,

5. Here is the great one, now we are gonna do a Major event :) so with my long arming, once I finish a row and am ready to roll to the next row, I consider that a major event. Which means I need a major event activity to equate! I recommend jumping jacks :) it is a kinda celebratory activity! However, I am too out of shape to do them :p so I modified it to just "put left leg out to shoulder width, put left arm extended, put right leg out to shoulder width, put right arm extended, bring left leg/arm in, bring right arm/leg in" Start slow, but challenge yourself to do this faster and faster ;)

6. Do 10 sets of each. So if you are doing the knee lift, do 20 knee lifts, 10 for each side. 10 is a good and easy number to remember, it is quick enough to do and not take up your sewing time. And your muscles wake up just enough!

7. :) Now hang your plan close to your area so that you can mark off when you do something ;) and NOTICE when you dont! Remember, this is by you for you, ;) commit to it.

Safety note: Please be sure to be safe with your stretches, if you are disabled, unsteady, etc. PLEASE follow your doctors instructions first! Also, use your long arm bars, ironing board, cutting table or chair back to steady yourself during these stretches. It is ok! Remember, we are not exercising, we are just stretching, keeping our muscles awake! ENJOY and keep warm!