Yesterday, I had a kick ass workout in with my buddy, Chris. We ran about 8 miles, and in between those 8 miles we would stop and do push up, pull up, and dip circuits, at work out stations, in the beautiful Coconut Grove section of Miami.
During the workout, I emphasized to Chris, “It’s the “workout within the workout.” It’s the movement within the workout. Be creative with your work out.”
What I meant by this is, do something extra. Don’t just do the “norm.” Be creative with each rep. We would do pull ups from side to side, or rotate our hands from chin up to pull up, as we pulled. We would clap our hands in the air when we came up from each push up. We’d move our feet, cycling in mid air as we went up and down with each dip.
These little extra’s made all the difference in our work out. We incorporated movement. We worked our core, we had to focus our concentration, and we worked different muscles we normally would not have worked.
The results were awesome.
When working out, we can get caught up quite easily in the “norm of routine.” We could have just jogged, did 3 sets of 8 normal pull ups and 20 push ups. But because, we were creative in our work out, we got much more, and ultimately, better results.
After our pull up work out, we rested on the grass for a few minutes. Chris said to me, “I like how you used the term be creative in your workout. That made sense, and you can apply creativity in any area of your life.”
This instantly resonated with me.
Creativity should be intentionally embedded into ALL areas of our life. Chris and I talked about how creativity can be awakened and instilled in our conversations, our relationships, and our work place; in the kitchen, in the bedroom ☺, and in the gym; with our education, with our hobbies, and our passions.
You don’t have to be creative, to be creative. You don’t have to be Pablo Picasso.
Just put in the extra couple of minutes to ask your self, “how can I do something different to spice things up a little bit?” It can be the smallest of things. Your own cooking recipe, how you plan your day, or changing up your “normal” workout. Give it a try, but don’t try too hard. Subtle and slight changes make the biggest impact.
And this will help your creative habit. Your “creative muscle,” as my buddy Chris put it.
Creativity is a form of life energy that can inspire your spirit, and every cell of your body. As a result, you will have a better-finished product, but more importantly, you will have joy and aliveness, while your creating the creative.
Joseph Metcalfe-