I was reminded of this basic rule by my 4 year old son the other day.  He had been quietly playing with a book and then coloring in his sketch pad.  Suddenly he jumped up and was moving all around, wiggling his body.

I was very entertained and after I stopped laughing, and he did too, I asked why he did that. “Sometimes ya just gotta wiggle,” was his answer.

And he is completely right.

Our bodies are built to be in motion.  That old saying about “Move it or Lose it” is quite on target.  I’m not a huge fan of the avid exercise regimen.  It may be fine for many folks, but I don’t do anything to extremes (with the exception of the consumption of chocolate…which is not a subject for today’s post).  But regularly moving about can help your brain be more alert and your body avoid injury.

Often when discussing preventing hand injury with crocheters and knitters I talk about taking breaks during your stitching time.  I’ve given suggestions on what to do during that break time.  Walk about, get a drink of water, maybe stretch…but wiggling works as well.

So the next time you take a break from your stitching try this.

Stand up and move away from your seating area so you have a bit of room around you. Stretch your arms up above your head then let them flop down by your sides.  Then wiggle your shoulders front to back and let your arms flop around like limp noodles.  Don’t worry about looking silly…trust me, you will look silly.  But you will also feel great afterward.

Just a few minutes of wiggling gets your blood flowing and helps your muscles re-balance from the restrictions of typicial stitching postures. Plus it will make you smile, possibly even chuckle…and laughter is always good medicine.