My sails are pointing me toward warmer shores at the end of this month -- Rebecca's homeland, actually (sorry Rebecca, I'm flying direct to Maui or I'd love to meet up!!) and as you might imagine, I have a certain fear that I may be mistaken for a resting seal if I don't tone up a bit.As a result, I've been much more diligent than in winters past about keeping up an exercise program, and I just have to share how important I believe exercise is -- especially for writers!
You probably all know this. I thought I did. Every time I'm in a good exercise habit, I see how invaluable it is to my creative mind, to my mental energies as much as to my physical energies. Then, something happens: a busy spell, an illness, something to get me off track with my exercise program, and every time, my writing productivity also suffers. It's amazing how correlated they are.
When I'm running (my exercise of choice) I get all sorts of ideas so that I'm excited when I sit down to write. I also get my spiritual food while running because I love podcasts and videos. Sometimes I watch behind-the-scenes extras of my favorite movies: I love hearing the series creators or the film writers talk about characters and story. There are so many types of good that come during my workout.
But somehow it's the extra nth factor that really makes the difference. It's that knowledge that I accomplished something today, so what's stopping me from accomplishing another great thing? It's the doing of things that leads to the doing of more things. Simple, but true!So I'm just reminding you (and myself, for I'm sure to hit another slack-off after my Hawaii trip!) to get out there and exercise, your writing will thank you!
Write on,
Amber M
Ouch! This is something I have NOT been good about lately. :-)
ReplyDeleteI so need to get back in the excercise groove. Have fun in Maui.
ReplyDeleteSo, so true. I'm working back into my groove now. I tell myself "You have to exercise so you can write." Sometimes it even works. :)
ReplyDeleteI've never been good at this, so I find the best way for me to get exercise in my schedule is to force myself to walk places. With two little kids, though, I don't walk real fast!
ReplyDeleteI've had the exact same experiences. Doing something for yourself helps with doing even more for yourself. Nature is amazing.
ReplyDeleteNahno ∗ McLein ™
Well, I finally invested in a treadmill, like 10 years too late (the pounds have settled in nicely), and now, instead of sitting at my desk, I strapped a laptop to my treadmill and I walk (slowly, even) while I read blogs or surf the net. What a difference even that makes! I don't walk and write, though. Maybe I should. Although typing would be tricky. ;)
ReplyDeleteBut anyway, for the cost of the unused gym memberships, boring videos and useless "equipment" I could have been walking and blogging years ago!
Great post, Amber! Sorry you're not coming to my island, but I hope you have a great trip to Hawaii!
ReplyDeleteI live in a very small town so I can (and do) walk almost everywhere I need to go. This is great for my writing, so long as I pay attention at the crosswalks (nearly got run over the other day because my brain was on some other planet).
Thanks for the reminder, Amber! It's easy to forget the body when the mind is busy, but we all need balance to work our best. A trip to Hawaii must be great motivation! Have a wonderful time.
ReplyDelete