When your income totally depends on your voice staying healthy and sounding good, some voice over actor health tips are useful to keep in mind. I try to practice these as much as possible and I rarely have vocal health issues, so something must be working.
My Top 10 Voice Over Actor Health Tips
1. Drink plenty of good quality water
2. Don’t smoke (unless a raspy voice is your niche – and even then, I would never recommend smoking)
3. Avoid alcohol (except maybe a little bit on the weekends, but never during a workday)
4. Humidify your home and office
5. Take vocal breaks when you feel the need
6. Don’t clear your throat very often
7. Avoid yelling (can be especially challenging if you have children or are a sports fanatic)
8. Consciously relax your throat and neck muscles (a five-minute mini meditation session can do wonders)
9. Use a natural ingredient throat spray (my favorite is Seagate Olive Leaf )
10. When sick, take it easy and get well before trying to get back to work.
Other general health practices I like to do:
Keep my neck warm in cold weather with a scarf or muffler. Sometimes, I’ll even tie a sock around my neck to sleep, if I feel a sore throat coming on.
Avoid late night hours on a work night. Getting plenty of rest is essential to good vocal health.
Eat healthy foods – plenty of fresh fruits and veggies (preferably organic) to keep healthy nutrients supplying my body with what it needs to stay healthy.
And if I do feel my body dragging, or the signs of a cold or sickness coming on, I keep my mental state positive. I don’t surrender to being sick. On the contrary, I will tell myself that I’m fine, and minister to symptoms without pulling my focus there. I prefer to tell my body that I’m fine, and it usually listens!
