For the last few months, I've been pushing myself to be more active. Since moving last Fall, it's been harder to get out and do the fun activities I love because trails aren't as close and riding along the valley canals is boring. I've had different people try to push me to try different things, like CrossFit (or some kind of functional mobility exercise), but it wasn't the same to me. I love to engage my mind in everything and if the activity isn't stimulating for whatever reason, the motivation to keep doing it doesn't follow. How did I get around this?
I started going to the rock climbing gym. When I first moved to Arizona, I was active every day and was at the rock gym (Climbmax is my personal favorite in the East Valley) twice a week. I missed being active and I didn't realize how much better it really made me feel.
For those you that have never done it, rock climbing is both a physical and mental exercise. I enjoyed spending my time doing it, not because it was exercise and I'm a gym rat, but because it doesn't feel like exercise - I'm just having fun. It just so happens that I'm also getting some much needed exercise in while I'm at it. It's a mental exercise because the routes are pre-planned and the goal is to learn techniques that allow you to follow the route. Outside climbing is supposed to be easier because you just use whatever holds are available, but the rock gym lets me work on the skills and mentally think through how to accomplish something.
That mental exercise is something we go through every day we begin planning projects and thinking about all the tasks that need to happen in order to see it through to completion. I don't look at a rock wall and think about it like a development project, but the exercise certainly helps my brain make those connections.
What do you do to keep your mind sharp and stay productive?