If you ever saw my name below (I am assuming you read through the entire article, right??!), you will know I am a book lover, and so are my two tiny ladies. We are essentially a family of bookworm girls, moms and daughters included.
As of now, both I and my 10 year old are full-on specs nerds. We have vision problems like any or most other book lovers, and trust me, no amount of eating carrots is going to help us out here! So the next best thing to at least try and control the damage, and prevent further damage to vision is to start doing specific eye exercises.
5 eye exercises for the book lover
My biggest scare is to have really bad vision (how will I ever complete those mountains of books then?!) and the most natural and quite effective remedy seems eye exercise. These will help reduce the stress on your eyes, help prevent eye dryness, reduce the risk of infection, and help you focus better.
Try these out, and yes, one of these is also guaranteed to give you a flatter tummy. Don’t believe me? Read on.
Blink
Doesn’t take any extra effort, right?
• Take a conscious break after every four or five pages and blink blinkblink.
• Blink for 15 times, close your eyes for 30 seconds, repeat then get back to reading.
• Blinking will help your eyes to focus better and cause less strain.
Make an ‘8’
This is a very simple but very effective eye exercise.
• Sit or stand straight and look ahead at a wall.
• Now imagine there is a figure of ‘8’ drawn on it.
• First trace this ‘8’ in a clockwise shape, blink for 30 seconds and trace the figure in an anti-clockwise shape.
Zoom in and out
Easy to do and works!
• Sit down straight and stretch one arm in front. Close your palm with the index finger open. Focus on the finger.
• Bring your hand closer to you without taking your eyes away from the index finger.
• Take your hand again to the outstretched position, but stay focused on the finger. Repeat a few times.
Focus near and far
Helps to ease stress as you switch focus.
• Sit down and outstretch your hand. Make a fist but keep the thumb open.
• Find a point of focus at least 10 feet away from you.
• Focus on your thumb for a few seconds, then focus on that other point of focus, back to your thumb, then the object and so on. Repeat a few times.
Reading planks or push-ups
Eye exercise coupled with great abs!
• Keep your book on the floor, lie down on your stomach in a planks or push-up position.
• Start the workout and continue reading. Blink after every page.
• As you get comfortable, take more time and blink after every two pages or so.
Told you there are so many benefits of doing those eye exercises, right?
DISCLAIMER: While we have taken steps to check the accuracy of information & practices shared here; it is not a replacement for a doctor’s opinion. it is important to first always check with your own doctor before trying any medication, practise or suggestion from this site.
