Active August: Creativity

August is a great time to get into the great outdoors and being active outdoors doesn’t just have to be about sport or exercise, I for one am sometimes reluctant to do activity so, I have to slip it into my day without it being the main focus. One way I have managed to do this is to take my creativity outdoors.
Here are a few ideas to help keep you active without you noticing...
1)     Photography – Most of us have smartphones with amazing cameras, others love a good DSLR. Pick somewhere beautiful, maybe one of our nature reserves or parks and go find beauty in the great outdoors – not only does this get you out but whilst you’re walking around looking for the perfect shot, you are getting lots of steps in too. This is also a really great way of adding in some mindfulness and encouraging yourself to observe your surroundings. For some top tips on how to get that perfect nature shot, check out this video
2)     Drawing/ Sketching /painting – There are so many scenes worth capturing in our beautiful county, The Cathedral may be the most famous but with all our woods and parks, canals and rivers, bridges and churches there is plenty to study. Again, by taking your time to find the right angle for your scene you are being active and breathing in the fresh air – which after so much time spent indoors it’s important to soak in some sun and fresh oxygen. You can increase the activity here by travelling to your destination on foot, or by bicycle, or if travelling by car you can park slightly further away, get off the bus two steps earlier. Check out this tutorial for outdoor pen and ink sketching.
3)     Natural Sculptures – This is great way to increase your activity, by using natural found objects you can create sculptures that make use of natural colours and form. Picking objects for your chosen sculpture and carrying them to the site of your sculpture takes energy and uses lots of steps. You can use so many different objects too – Pinecones, Rocks, sticks, leaves, soil. This is also perfect for any age group to get involved with and needs no equipment other than the natural world, so zero money needed. Remember to use objects found already on the floor - no park gardener will thank you for clipping all their flowers or leaves! I am a big fan of the artist Andy Goldsworthy, he uses natural objects to create sculpture. Here’s a YouTube lesson on how you can create similar work
4)     Art Bombing – This is another great one to do with family and friends – it involves creating small pieces of art, this could be simple hanging decorations, painting rocks or knitting scarves and going to a local park and dotting them around for people to find, you could also turn it into a geocaching adventure. You could also turn your patio into a giant canvas with the use of chalks. If you are local to Lincoln check out the Art Ninjas www.artninjashq.com
5)     Kite creation – Kites are a lot of fun and there is nothing better than flying a kite that you have made. You might be thinking you don't have the materials - but that carrier bag stash you have under the sink ...perfect! Want to learn how, watch:-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lmfwarW88E
6)     Music – Whether it’s a garden performance for those in your bubble or an afternoon using your local parks’ climbing frames and benches as drums; making noise outside is good fun - some parks have outdoor musical equipment too. If you are a musician already, why not organise a socially distanced jam session. Singing outdoors is also a great lung workout and you can entertain the neighbours too. For inspiration check out this clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti6qhk3tX2s
7)     Pottery – throwing a pot takes stamina, massaging and needing the air out of clay takes strength, standing up at a work bench whilst finishing the details or painting the glaze takes dedication and effort. It may not get your heart racing – (unless you drop it) but it does take effort and balance. There are a great range of air-drying clays that you can use without a kiln. Taking this into the garden also gets you out into the fresh air and surrounded by inspiration!
8)  Den Making – this has to be my favourite, even as an adult, building your own shelter in the woods or at the bottom of the garden is a brilliant way to get moving and creative at the same time. We have some beautiful woods in Lincolnshire and exploring them is good for the soul.
I hope those have given you some ideas of how get active outside if you’re not feeling sporty. When we couple our creativity with activity, we can become healthier without even realising it!
Over the month of august we will be blogging about all the many ways you can make outdoor activity work for you.
If you would like support to increase you activity or to take up any of our free healthy lifestyle programmes find out more here
 

Nicola Stanton,

July 29, 2020

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