Napping on a Stretch Pole

Slowpoke Diary August 5, 2026 (Wed) stretch pole

Even though it's my favorite day of the week, it's hot.
I wonder if there's a service that provides a comfortable environment only on your favorite days of the week.
Well, if that were to happen, there would be all kinds of people everywhere in Japan, and it would probably be total chaos.
Since it's hot, I'm working on script revisions while having an online meeting with my theater troupe in my room.
When I do that for a long time, my back gets stiff rather than my shoulders.
The spot between my shoulders and lower back starts to ache intensely.
To try and do something about it, I pulled out the stretch pole I had stored in the back of the closet and lay down on it.
If I lie there for 10 minutes, my spine gets realigned and the pain goes away.
I've been repeating that several times a day since the other day.
I've heard that just lying on it is effective, so I'm just lying there listening to podcasts. Sometimes I even feel like I'm going to fall asleep.
My stretch pole at home is quite old, as I bought it over 10 years ago when it first became popular after being featured on TV, but I'm happy that I can still use it without any damage.
Well, that's also proof that I haven't used it enough to make it a habit.

Things that are convenient for me are easy to turn into habits, but things that are a hassle are hard to make into habits.
That's probably because 'hassles' involve a certain amount of effort or pain.
As proof of that, beer after a bath became a habit immediately.

The 'thoughtful person' I wrote about here the other day said, 'You should try imposing some burden on yourself. If you try it for a few days and decide it's absolutely impossible, then you can just stop, thinking it's a habit you don't need. Even if it's painful at first, there will surely be moments when you think, "Oh, this might be okay," so if you feel that way, you should try continuing even if it's painful.'
Previously, someone else told me, 'To make something a habit, first try doing it for three months,' and I thought to myself, 'Three months? No way, no way.'
I've decided to agree with the thoughtful person's advice that it's okay to stop if it's impossible.
I think knowing the limits of your own ability and physical strength is also a kind of talent.
I feel like people who lack that talent end up endlessly continuing things that never bear fruit no matter how much they do them.
That might just be a convenient way of thinking, though...

For now, I'll make the stretch pole a habit.

＊

The snack 'Mugen Ebi' looked delicious in a TV commercial, so I went to buy it as soon as the commercial ended.
It was delicious.
The trouble is, it's a flavor that makes you want to drink more beer.