From Cheryl's Writing Crate
One of my favorite ways to get exercise and clear my mind is to take a power walk. I've been walking for years now and my routine is generally the same. I stretch for five minutes then I jump right in and walk briskly for at least 30 minutes, longer if I have the energy or the time.
Though I do enjoy power walking with friends, truthfully I much prefer to do this alone. It's "my" time to just be alone with my own thoughts, and I can choose to go at any speed I like or take any route that suits my fancy.
Last week while walking my thoughts wandered into the area of my life that I can never seem to get enough of--writing! My intentions for making more time to write are always grand, but unless I'm very disciplined I still don't honor my writing goals as sincerely as I'd like.
As I began walking faster and faster my mind just wouldn't let go of my obsessed desire to find new ways to sneak in more writing time. The quicker I moved, so did my thoughts. It was as though I couldn't get out of my own way and then a new idea on how to supercharge my writing came to me the instant I finished my walk--power writing!
I have always gotten some of my best ideas for articles and journal entries while walking, so I paid good attention to these thoughts of power writing.
Basically, I decided to turn my extra energy from walking into some extra energy for writing. I packed one of my journals along with my walking gear and decided to experiment with my new idea. After walking one morning last week, instead of heading straight home I grabbed my pen and journal and sat down under a tree and just let my mind and pen work together. After 15 solid minutes, I had turned out over 8 pages of what I considered to be some of my best ideas!
My heart was still racing from the power walk and that extra bit of oomph transferred right to my pen. Wondering if it was just a fluke, I tried it again the following morning, and although my ideas were completely different and my area of concern was more of a "to do" list, it was still very productive and I ended with a feeling of great productivity.
I've since done this new form of power writing at least a half dozen times, and each time I have walked away with inspiration, a feeling of accomplishment, and I even managed to write most of an article yesterday, a process that usually takes me at least a couple of hours!
I don't know if I will use all my power walking jaunts to power write as well, but I will definitely be taking advantage of as many of these opportunities as possible because for me, so far, it's a winning combination!
What physical activities inspire you to write?
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