Recently, during a stint subbing, one of the children asked me what imagination was. Imagination is a huge word and we talk to our kids about their imagination all the time, yet as adults – we don’t really talk about our imagination. At least, we don’t talk about it much. Imagination is a wonderful facility that humans have. We utilize our imagination in many different ways whether we are suspending our disbelief when watching a movie, reading a book or creating our own stories. But we can use imagination in many other ways too.
Music and Imagination
Now I am going to share a bit of a personal story with you because I think it had a great deal of impact on my exercise program when I was younger and it still has an impact on what I do. I like music, I love that music can tell a story, that it can rev me up, cool me down and basically inspire me. When I had my first membership at a health club many, many moons ago, I used to get on the stair climber every day and try to climb the Empire State Building.
That’s a lot of steps.
How did I do this? I would put on my headset with my Walkman cranked up, usually on the tape side instead of the radio. (Yes, a Walkman. They didn’t have iPods, Zune or any of the other really cool MP3 players then) and I’d click the music on. I usually compiled my own songs. The first would be something inspirational and the next few would be upbeat, fast paced music designed to get my legs pumping.
Then I’d start the stair climber and let my imagination go. I wasn’t just in the gym, sweating away with a hundred other people. Instead, I was on the stairs of the Empire State Building, jogging up them like a super hero on a mission. Maybe I had a mission, maybe I needed to get to the top to save someone. Or maybe I needed to get to the top to meet the romantic lead, but someone was chasing me and there was a chance we’d miss each other.
Imagination Kept Me Going
The story varied, the music varied, but the imagination was there. With my imagination, I could push past the boredom and sometimes push past the desire to stop. With imagination, I could reach further, do more. I’ll even confess that there are a few times I’ve played Bionic Woman in my head when I was on the treadmill. It really didn’t matter what I was imagining as long as it kept me going, pushed me further and harder – that’s what I needed and wanted to do.
Imagination counts in exercise and it can make you reach further, do more and achieve more – you just have to use it.
Do you use your imagination when you exercise?