"Tighten your abdominal muscles. Tuck in you glutes. Stand up straight."
"Tighten your abdominal muscles. Tuck in your glutes. Stand up straight."
Yes, she had to say it more than once. I'll spare you typing it as many times as she had to remind me.
This post is a reminder, as we move to stage 6 of the creative process, that the creative process isn't just activated when we are writing or painting or composing a song. Being in your body, paying attention to how you are in your body, is a creative endeavor. Cooking is a creative act. Organizing is.
The creative process isn't for the faint of heart and this becomes more clear as the stages unfold. For example, Stage 6 calls for discipline. It takes discipline to engage the core, stand up straight, have good posture. The hardest part for me is remembering to pay attention.
I want the discipline to tighten my abdominal muscles, tuck in my glutes, and stand up straight when I am standing at the kitchen sink, bathroom sink, or sitting in my chair reading. What am I creating? A healthy body!
Do you consider your physical exercise a creative act? What is your most creative activity? Do you have discipline? Please let me know!
Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall
CLUE* for Living Your Best Life: Look around and find the oldest thing you see. Then look around and spot the newest. What, if anything, do they have in common? Which one will last longest?
IMAGE: The Guardian is happy I swept all the leaves off the deck!
* Idea from Rob Walker's The Art of Noticing
So, there seems to me to be something punitive in the stomach/gluts/posture discipline. I am all for being in your body--and paying attention! Maybe paying attention includes asking yourself what's stopping you from tightening those body parts. Listening to your body, maybe, when it wants to be a little softer, more relaxed. Or if your body is telling you that it is feeling down and not wanting to stand up straight, maybe asking why the low energy. Is something going on either physically or emotionally that the body is responding to? Maybe that kind of "discipline" or attention is healthy too.
ReplyDeleteDiane - I agree with you that it is a discipline to pay attention to what the body needs. I was afraid that my rendition of my lovely trainer's words would sound too harsh. They were offered in the most supportive way and I could tell that I needed to pay attention in the ways she was suggesting. But your point is well taken - we can't beat ourselves up in the name of discipline. This holds true for any type of creative process.
DeleteThanks so much for reading and responding so honestly!
Perfect timing of your subject matter. Getting up this morning I reminded myself to standup straight when I got out of bed. I was surprised to see your blog. It's nice to think about working out as a creative process since the progress is so slow it is almost imperceptible. Mary convinced me to get the new Apple watch and it reminds me like your trainer to stay active.
ReplyDeleteNolan - I am so glad this post hit home for you! I know what you mean about physical progress being so slow that it's almost imperceptible - that is true for me too. I like thinking of physical exercise as a creative act too - adds another layer of motivation somehow.
DeleteCongratulations on a new Apple watch! You have a smart wife - a wife that has your health and well being in mind.
Thanks so much for reading and letting me know - you wouldn't believe how helpful that is! Stay healthy and good luck with your new attitude towards this holiday season!
AS I read your trainer's instruction, I automatically tried to do likewise, sitting down. Hadn't thought of exercise as creativity. I did my 30 lengths at the pool yesterday. I've thought about it as meditative, counting the breaths per stroke, usually 7.But yes, creative too. I've just finished two dead simple quilts, one pretty for a friend, the other odd and cheerful - all geometric designs and textures.
ReplyDeleteYour oldest/newest item idea was interesting. In my study I've found my late mother-in-law's 1912 copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. And the newest is an order of service I'm working on to to take the Dec 29th service at a local church. They're both stories told for a purpose - a happy connection that doesn't need to go 'one is real and the other isn't'.
Oh Trish - I was hoping that people would do a core exercise while reading this post - and you did! And it sounds like perhaps now your swimming will be another creative act. Thanks for letting me know. Your quilts sound lovely and very creative.
DeleteFascinating feedback on oldest/newest! Fun to hear what you observed. Thanks for all of this! Appreciate your reading and commenting!