Healthy Body and Soul
TAI CHI CHUAN
Click on the icon to visit the martial arts school website. |
tai chi
The gentle movements of Tai-Chi improve flexibility, agility, and mobility. Tai-Chi alleviates joint stiffness, back problems, and arthritis. It improves balance and helps relieve stress. Regardless of your age, Tai-Chi is a means to better health. |
PLEASE MOVE!
Conference and court interpreting demand long periods of sitting with minimal movement. |
MOVE
Sitting too long may impede proper circulation and cause blood clots. Do not sit with your legs crossed under your chair. Keep them in front of you. Interpreters should take a short break every 30 to 45 minutes. Use this time to relax, clear your mind, stretch, and breathe. Many tai-chi movements and yoga postures combine most of these recommended elements.
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Your Tools are
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Professional interpreters make their living by speaking.They must prepare for assignments in advance by researching and studying. Therefore their main assets are their voice and their eyes. These tools are irreplaceable and should be nurtured and protected. Always carry a chal or a scarf to wrap around your neck in case you feel cold in an air conditioned room. Visit an eye doctor or optometrist every year. Many interpreters are self-employed and have no health insurance, but that doesn't mean they can't have health care. An eye exam costs around $60 as a private patient and opticals are always having promotions on eyeglasses. There are also things you can do yourself. Relax your eyes by frequently focusing on something at a distance different than the one you are working. Practice exercises such as those included in the Seeing Clearly Method developed by certified Feldenkrais practitioner David Weller, that improve vision. Drink plenty of water, use moisturizing eye drops, and avoid first and second-hand smoke.
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