Healthy Habits
The Importance of Physical Health for Creativity
I have seen the setbacks poor nutrition and lack of exercise can do to develop a thriving creative space. A healthy lifestyle contributes to a creative career that can be demanding and rewarding at the same time. Can you endure the trials and adventures that lie ahead, mentally and physically?
Adapting Your Creativity into a Healthy Lifestyle
Recently, I have been struggling to keep up with this weekly blog among work and other personal commitments. It can get you down when you start to miss daily goals more frequently. I have noticed that time spent for exercise and self-care have been omitted for more important tasks.
Taking care of your physical health is important. Our eyes in front of a screen, sitting by the desk all day, frequent snacks to save time and late nights can affect our sleep, concentration and endurance for another day. It is not about allocating more time, but focusing our time to stay fit physically and creatively, too.
Integrity as a Creative
Think about it: how can we create when we are sleep deprived and tired? Or when our backs or eyes feel strained? Or when the food we eat does not sustain us for the day? It can be hard to make time for ourselves when we work hard for our team, a deadline or a client. But what will they receive when we are not at our best? A lot of people are able to manage and get things in. I know I have done that when I started. Some of my work was passable but I was never really happy or proud of it.
I knew that if I had planned better and placed myself in a better situation that was less stressful, I would have produced better work for myself and the client. It can mean changing your diet, scheduling workouts or a walk throughout the week, or sleeping early. This topic is not new in the creative industry. You can see the changes companies have made to encourage creatives to also incorporate healthy lifestyle choices. For example, I am fortunate enough that my current office offer fresh fruit daily as snacks.
Manageable and Consistent
My personal fitness journey has spanned over years. There have been highs and lows and I am still trying to work out a plan that is manageable and consistent. I understand, everyone is in different stages in their life. But I believe that if you want it enough, you can make anything happen. I have scaled back my fitness plans to be simpler and enjoyable. For example, I like taking photos, so earlier this year, I went on photo walks and explored the city with my camera.
Or instead of hours or cardio at the gym in my old office, I opted for about half an hour of circuits for core strengthening in the morning at home.
Being creative does not end at the computer. With your creativity and fitness in mind, you can discover great ways to exercise your body and creative mind.
Persevering in Becoming the Best Version of You
I want to be a fit creative — strong in the inside and outside. Why can’t we have both? Life can throw many things at us and it truly is survival of the fittest out there. So remember to take care of yourself today. Have fun, hang out with friends, balance your work and get a couple more steps on that counter and you are on your way.
As I mentioned, this can take years. But these self-sustaining habits of enough rest, daily exercise and good nutrition will help you keep going and reach your goals.
“Time and health are two precious assets that we don’t recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted.”
Giving your best requires you to be at your best — physically, mentally, emotionally and creatively. Let us create a healthy and happy design industry that is strong, active, fit and explosive with new ideas and innovative collaboration! ■