Note: This is Day 3 in the “Recharge Your Creative Batteries in 31 Days” Challenge. For the rest of July, we’ll be posting different ways for you to get yourself on the path to living in a creative flow and reaching your writing goals. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any.
You get home from work, tired. You know you need to exercise, but as you look around your house you see dishes that need to be done, dinner that needs to be cooked and a million other things that just seem a whole lot more important.
The next day you take your gym clothes with you to work, determined to head straight there when you’re done. But then something comes up and you never end up going.
Sound familiar?
Day after day you tell yourself you’re going to exercise and then it never happens.
But as a creative person, you need exercise.
Exercise relieves stress, sets off mood-boosting endorphins in your body and helps you feel more focused. All things you definitely need for your creative practice.
The Real Problem
What do you consider to be “exercise?” Running on the treadmill? Lifting weights? Going to the gym?
How about taking a walk, grocery shopping or cleaning your house? Do those count as “exercise?”
The real problem isn’t that you don’t have time for exercise, it’s that your idea of what counts as exercise is too limited.
Movement. That’s what you need to focus on.
Shift Your Mindset
The definition of exercise is “an activity that requires physical effort.”
Whoa.
Using that definition, a lot more things you already do on a daily basis count as exercise.
Adding Movement To Your Day
Getting into an exercise routine is great for building stamina and long-term health, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still move even on days when you don’t have time for more traditional forms of exercise.
Although these activities alone probably won’t help you shed a ton of weight, they will help you add movement to your day. That’s that important thing.
Because when you’re already moving, it makes it much easier to keep on moving. And then it’s easier to add more movement into your day bit-by-bit until you’re moving enough to get to a weight you’re happy and comfortable with.
Some activities that totally count as exercise include:
- Grocery shopping—trekking around a store while pushing a heavy cart full of food? Yup, that sounds like an activity that requires physical effort. Same goes for…
- Cleaning
- Running around with your kids/grand kids
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Walking
And it doesn’t stop there.
You can add movement to your day by being just a little bit creative and finding ways to add movement into regular things you do.
For example, turn on some music and dance in your living room for 10 minutes. Dancing takes barely any time at all, but it adds movement.
Or do 10 jumping jacks right after you get out of bed. That’s quick movement that will actually give your morning an energy boost.
Next time you’re waiting for dinner to be ready, grab the back of a chair and do some calf raises or use the seat of the chair for arm dips.
There are a million ways to add movement into your day. It just requires you to get a little creative.
Share With Us
How do you add movement to your day?
I’m trying to help as many creative people as possible during this challenge, please help the movement by sharing this article:
Besides doing the treadmill 4 times a week for an hour, discovered decluttering helps add movement to my day. Usually start in one room and when move to another room to put something away will work in that room until have to put something away in another room. Lots of puttering around helps. Bending, squatting, lifting, sorting.
Decluttering most definitely counts as exercise! And it’s a great way to make your house a more zen space to live.
Exercise is so, so important and I advocate taking Fit Breaks while we write. With 1.5 hours being the maximum that you should spend focusing at a time, I opt to make my breaks Fit Breaks by doing a little exercise before stopping to relax my mind. I may run on the treadmill. I may shadowbox. I may dance. Or I may do 3 minutes of Burpees. But, getting that blood flowing after sitting is an excellent way to optimize fitness and productivity! You can see my post on the subject at http://taniadakka.com/creating-energy-freelancing/
Couldn’t agree more. I try to take a break at least once an hour. Even if all I do is get some water or use the restroom and then get back to work.
I have a date with my treadmill every morning at 11:30, for 45 minutes. Then some back stretches. My Physical Therapist also told me to get up every 40 minutes, even to walk across the room and back. Sitting in one position for more than 40 minutes causes problems with your back.
My Wednesday morning exercise is pushing that grocery cart full of organic foods. I also spend a lot of time in my kitchen, baking gluten free bread, cooking all our meals, mostly from fresh meats and vegetables.
Barb
It’s great that you’re already so dedicated to being a writer who lives healthy. Getting started is the hardest part. Since you’re already started, momentum really helps you keep it going. Congrats!
One thing that I find really helps get in some extra movement is marching in place.
I put my laptop (or book) on my countertop and march in place. This gives me more move time, without sacrificing worktime or free time. Its great.
Oh that’s a good idea. I seriously need to try that. People always yell at me for being so fidgety, but I once read that fidgety people lose weight easier so I’m all good with being a fidgeter, haha
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