Walk

During the pandemic, I canceled my gym membership.   Instead, I started walking in my neighborhood.  That became one of my best habits.  Thirty minutes in, my heart is pumping, oxygen rushing to my brain, and suddenly ideas jump in like 7 year-olds with glitters.

Stanford did a study that found walking boosts creativity by 60 percent.  Sixty percent!  That’s like moving from a brain freeze to a brainstorm about a table spoon.

When you sit all day glued to your devices, hoping ideas will pop up, you know what happens?  Nothing.  The only thing that pops up is an Amazon ad for something you don’t need.

So, if you’re stuck on a project, get up, and go for a walk.  Better yet, when an idea hits, say it out loud.  Yes, you will look crazy.  Your neighbors will think you’re either on a very heated phone call… or auditioning for a one-person Broadway show.

I do this often on my 50 minute walk.  Oftentimes, I rehearse my speech, sometimes I rhyme, sometimes I just say random things like “Drama.  Green.  Stupendous. ”  That’s when my neighbors slowly close their blinds.

The best part?  Walking in nature.  The trees, plants, flowers…they give you energy.  Imagine the trees gossiping as you walk by: “Look, here comes that speaker again.  Let’s see what weird rhymes she’s practicing.”

By the time you get back home, you’re refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to tackle anything.  So, walk.  Talk to the trees.  Pretend the squirrels are your audience. And let the magic….even a little madness….happen.