You might not think about how many muscles you are using when crafting, but after a while of crafting you might start to become sore. Taking breaks while you craft and taking time to stretch can help keep you crafting longer without hurting yourself. The video below by Knot Calm shows a few stretches that help you strengthen and stretch your crafting muscles.
Taking breaks like this can help prevent conditions like "knitter's elbow" better known as "tennis elbow". Repetitive motions used in crafting can lead to damage in tendons, so that's why it is wise to take breaks and stretch. If you are already at a point where you feel pain while crafting talk to your doctor or physical therapist to find out what steps you should take.
Another reason breaks can be beneficial is for your eyes. While crafting you may be focusing really hard looking at small stitches or such. To help prevent eyestrain you can follow the 20-20-20 rule which is usually designated for screen use. For every 20 minutes, you spend focusing, look at something about 20 feet away for 20 seconds. There are also muscles in your eyes so this can strengthen these muscles and help with switching between close and far focus. Additionally, good lighting is recommended to help prevent eyestrain as well. Finally, if you have any concerns about your vision talk to your eye doctor.
