Exercise, Activity and the Creative Artist.

Exercise, Activity and the Creative Artist. 08/04/2010

I was proud of my art skills but not of the size 22/24 and 115 kilo I got to, before I realized my creative activities were out of balance with my own physical fitness needs.

New Health Report Jolts the Creative Artist in Me.

My creative artistic time is a mixture of physical exercise, bush walking and sedentary time, creating. The sedentary time far outweighs the amount of hours spent in physical exercise and I had hoped my one or more hours of strenuous planned activity per day would outweighs my feet up on the sofa, writing or painting at the easel, time. We often hear about the benefits of exercise how it will improve your quality of life and help you live longer. Although exercise is key, how you spend the other 23 hours a day is just as important. If I ever needed a reason to understand that I need to put down my brush or pen and turn off the computer, and MOVE, more often, a new study says that if you spend a lot of the day sitting, you have an increased risk of mortality regardless of how much you exercise.

Researchers at the American Cancer Society analysed survey responses from over 123,000 men and women. The results are published, in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Participants had no history of major health issues and were studied, over a 13-year period. According to the results, women, were more affected, by leisure time sitting than men. “Women who reported more than six hours per day of sitting (outside of work) were 37 percent more likely to die during the time period studied than those who sat fewer than three hours a day. Men who sat more than six hours a day (also outside of work) were 18 percent more likely to die than those who sat fewer than three hours per day. The association remained virtually unchanged after adjusting for physical activity level.”

“Women and men who both sat more and were less physically active were 94 precent and 48 precent more likely to die during the study period, respectively, compared with those who reported sitting the least and being most active,” according to researchers. Obviously, the worst thing for your health is to sit a lot and not exercise. I know from my own past personal experience that creative people can neglect their own health while they pour passion into their creative pursuits. Remember the greatest artwork you can create is your own healthy balanced mind and body and assist in the development of that same health in those you are responsible for. Try it. Keep doing your regular art and crafts but see yourself as the major work and remember to nurture yourself, by becoming an active as well as creative, person.

What do you think?

Can you combine a creative life with an active life?I am constantly ‘working at achieving the balance’; it does not come naturally to me.

Can you achieve this balance?Read more: Exercise might not help you if you are a couch potato

Less than a year after taking self care, seriously, exercising, being more active, and eating healthy and portion controlled (not dieting), I was four sizes smaller and a lot happier, healthier and game to turn side on to a camera, lol.

The most important art lesson you can learn.

Do not die for your art.

Artists tend to self-abuse, even if it’s in the socially accepted way of lack of exercise and overeating.
That does causes lifestyle disease.
It does happen, we do not ‘get away with self neglect’.
Break the self-destructive cycle if you are on one, see yourself as the most important work of art, in your life.
Love yourself into self-nurture today.