E115 - Create to Thrive
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Hello, my creative friend. Welcome back to another episode of Create Today with Beth Buffington. Today
I want to ask you a question. When was the last time you told yourself this, I need to eat better, I need to exercise more, I need to get more sleep. And after you had those thoughts, were you able to get. Better with any of them. Does it seem that eating and exercising and sleeping better seem to be really complicated or expensive or it just doesn't work for you if you've ever been overwhelmed by what and how you can actually get better with how you eat and how you exercise and the amount of quality sleep that you get?
What if I told you that one of the [00:01:00] most powerful tools you have for eating better and moving more and sleeping deeper is something that you might not even think of as a health habit? All. What if the secret ingredient that makes all of your other healthy choices work better and actually stick?
What if it isn't expensive and it's easy to access? welcome back to Create Today. I'm Beth Buffington, and today we are opening a door I think is going to change how you look at your whole life. So stay with me. We all know the big three nutrition, exercise, sleep, we hear about them constantly.
Eat your vegetables, move your body, get your eight hours of sleep. And these things, they matter. And science is rock solid on that. But here's what we don't talk about enough. [00:02:00] Why do so many people know exactly what to do, but still struggle with it? You know, you need to eat better. You know you need to exercise more.
You know you need to get sleep, but why aren't we doing it? Why the struggle? Why does the gym membership sit unused? Why does the salad get replaced by drive through? And why does scrolling take the place of sleep today? I want to offer you a completely different lens about how you look at answering the questions about whether you are eating right and exercising more and getting enough sleep.
What if the missing piece isn't? Willpower, which is what we all think we need. I need more willpower, so I'll say no to the cookies. I need more willpower, so I'll get to the gym. What if it isn't willpower? And what if it's not even [00:03:00] discipline or another app that you put on your phone? What if, what if this secret is simple?
What if it's. Creativity. That's why we're here, right? We talk about creativity on this podcast. What if creativity is the simple thing? You need to have more success at? Getting better at having better nutrition and moving more and getting more sleep. Research is showing us that creativity isn't just an artistic luxury.
It is deeply tied to how we feel and how we function and how we make choices about our health and our lives. And here's what I find so beautiful in all this. Creativity is something that everyone has access [00:04:00] to and my friend. It does not require talent to make it beneficial for your life, and it doesn't require money.
It just requires a willingness to see the world a little differently and to bring beauty and curiosity into your every day. In other words, my friend, it's important that you create today, today, and tomorrow and the next day, and so. What do I mean by this? Let's start with some facts. You see, when researchers study creativity and wellbeing, they consistently find something very interesting.
People who regularly engage in creativity, they report higher levels of overall wellbeing and more positive emotions and less anxiety and [00:05:00] stress.
A major long-term study found that engagement with the arts and creative activities is directly linked to better health outcomes, both physically and mentally. and here is what I find most fascinating. When we create, when we make something, arrange something, explore something, or express something,
our brains shift into a state that makes us simultaneously activated and relaxed. That's awesome. our stress hormones go down and reward and motivation centers, they light up.
And our nervous system moves out of that chronic fight or flight mode that keeps so many of us stuck and exhausted and reaching for comfort food or skipping our workout. Creativity is quite [00:06:00] literally a reset button for your whole system, and when your system is reset, making healthy choices becomes so much easier and more natural.
I can't imagine that you're not thinking this sounds great, but is it easier said than done? Beth? Let's explore how you can infuse creativity into your life to be happier and healthier. Let's talk about food first because this is where I see the most exciting opportunity.
I mean, how many of us approach healthy eating like it's a punishment, Like it's something we have to endure long enough until we lose the weight we're trying to get rid of, and then after that, then we'll have fun eating again.
So while we're trying to eat well to lose the weight, we think, Ugh. Grilled chicken, [00:07:00] plain salad, dreaded kale. Today, I wanna completely flip the thought about healthy food being a punishment.
A study that was conducted in New Zealand followed about 400 young adults over 13 days, tracking what they ate and then how they felt. And here's the thing. Researchers found that on days when, participants ate more fruits and vegetables.
They reported higher levels of wellbeing, curiosity, and here's the word I love most creativity. The food wasn't just fueling their bodies, it was fueling their spark, their imagination, their inspiration, and the relationship between nourishment and creative energy is a real documented feedback loop.
And here's where it gets even more interesting. A team of researchers in [00:08:00] Denmark published a review about what they called the multisensory eating experience and its connection to creativity. They found that how we eat the colors on our plate, the textures we choose to eat, the environment around us, the vessels that we use, that all can actively support creative thinking.
So what we eat, where we eat, and how we eat it all matters. So what does that look like in real life? Here are some of my favorite examples, and I want to be clear. While these are things I actually do in my life, I didn't make up the goodness that they can bring you. The goodness from these examples are based on actual research, and here's the first thing, plate artistry.
Let me explain what that is. When you arrange your food before you eat it, you are [00:09:00] using your creative brain. So think about a simple bowl of food, berries and yogurt, chopped vegetables, even a snack plate. When you take a moment to arrange it with creative intention, I'm thinking like a charcuterie board, right?
When you think about color and composition, you engage your aesthetic sense. I mean, think about those charcuterie boards that, you see, on Instagram, on Pinterest, the ones that make you stop in your tracks and go, Ooh. you're not only saying, Ooh, because that food looks good, you're saying it because the food has been arranged beautifully and it makes it more interesting and palatable to eat,
So just like you would choose paint and wallpaper to make a room more cozy or feel more luxurious, you can do the same thing with your food. I mean, how often are you eating in your car or at your desk [00:10:00] or you are tossing the food you just fixed onto a random plate?
Or worse yet, a like a Ziploc bag or you eat out of the container that your food came in, you're standing over the sink. Just looking out the window, eating your dinner. If you take a moment to take that food off the paper plate, out of the Ziploc bag away from the sink, and you choose a plate, you find appealing, and then you sit down to enjoy this beautifully plated food somewhere that gives you a sense of calm, I promise you incredible things happen inside your brain.
You see there's a payoff. Studies show that visual appeal actually increases how much we enjoy food and how satisfied we feel afterwards. How often have you thrown something in a Ziploc bag taken in the car and you're just cramming food in your mouth while you're [00:11:00] driving somewhere and when you get wherever you're going?
You don't even feel full. That's because you haven't been aware of what you are eating. If you take that same food and take just a moment to sit down with a pretty plate in an area where you can just be calm and enjoy the food you are eating, not only through taste, but through a visual sense. You eat more mindfully and you slow down.
And research on mindful eating consistently shows that it leads to better food choices and healthier portions over time. And my friend, if you wanna watch your waistline, watch your portions, this is creativity aiding you, helping you at no extra cost.
okay, let's talk about. This question, what should I eat to feel great? And when you think about that question with genuine curiosity rather than [00:12:00] obligation, everything changes.
So when you stop thinking, I have to eat right? So that means chicken, that means kale. When you change the way you approach that decision making, it changes everything. For example. Try exploring a farmer's market to find one ingredient you've never cooked with before.
Try a new cuisine that has healthy eating habits tied into it. Asian stir fries, grilling fish, those kinds of things. Search for a recipe that uses a vegetable you might be avoiding. For a long time in my life, I have not liked sweet potatoes. there was a year a couple years ago where I thought to myself, this is a year I'm gonna learn how to like sweet potatoes.
So I started experimenting with how to fix them. And what I found out was it wasn't that I didn't like sweet [00:13:00] potatoes, I didn't like the way they had been fixed for me in the past. And when I found the ways that I liked to eat sweet potatoes. It changed my attitude about eating them, and I think that you can do that with food that you are hesitant to eat as well.
So you see, curiosity is the engine of creativity, and when we bring it into the kitchen, healthy eating stops feeling like a chore and it becomes an adventure. Now the Danish research team that I mentioned before also found that the eating environment itself, you know, the tableware, the lighting, the ambient sounds, even the pleasant aromas of food can meaningfully influence the experience of a meal and the creative and emotional state of the person who is eating.
So you don't have to have a fancy dining room to do this. [00:14:00] You can light a candle. On a Tuesday night, you can use those pretty plates. You've been saving for just special occasions. You can put fresh flowers in a small glass on your table. When you do these tiny little things, in addition to the food that you're serving, you're setting a stage for nourishment.
And when you eat in an environment that feels beautiful and intentional, the food you eat in that moment, even if it's simple. It feels fancier and it feels like a gift that you've given to yourself. This is creativity beautifying your life, making you happier and also healthier. Now, let's, let's think about food photography for a moment.
I mean,
here's a reason to join the phenomenon of food photography and documentation. When we pause to photograph [00:15:00] or sketch or describe what we're eating. When we take that moment to purposely observe our food before we just inhale and consume it, we engage our creative mind and our brains slow down.
So if you wanna watch your waistline slow down, how fast you eat your food. So taking this step prior. To digging in will slow down the start of your consumption and help you to continue to be mindful of what you're eating and how fast you're barreling through the enjoyment of the beautiful food that you're enjoying.
And this all happens by just taking a picture of the beautiful food that you've just plated and being mindful of the beauty before you begin to taste. Research on this practice of food photography shows it's connected to greater satisfaction with meals and increased [00:16:00] awareness of food choices.
Now, one thing to note is you wanna take yourself away from the focus of performing for social media. This food photography is not to get. More followers or likes on social media. It's not for performance. This is for you to just admire, respect and have gratitude for the food you are about to consume.
Maybe you don't even post your food on Instagram. You're just taking pictures for yourself, and then use your photography as a way to pause. Truly see what you are about to receive and enjoy. It's kind of like a visual prayer of thanks for the bounty that you are about to enjoy. Now let's move away from the kitchen for a moment and let's talk about movement.
And I'm going to call it [00:17:00] movement instead of exercise, but they're interchangeable here. So if you're someone who really loves to exercise, when you hear the word movement. Think exercise. And if you're someone who is frightened about anything that seems like exercise, I want you to take that word out and replace it with movement because exercise or movement might be the area where the creative connection is the most immediate and surprising.
A study out of Stanford found that walking increased participants' creative output by an average of 60% compared to just sitting. That's an amazing result. It increased creative output by 60%. And the fascinating thing was it didn't matter whether the person was walking outdoors or indoors, that movement.[00:18:00]
What did the trick, the act of walking itself was what activated creative thinking. So it's important to realize that movement and creativity are in dialogue with each other and this dialogue, this communication, it works two ways. Movement activates creativity and bringing creativity into how you move makes it so much more likely.
That you will actually move
A comprehensive analysis published in the Journal of Sports Medicine in 2024, reviewed structured dance programs against standard exercise programs and their finding dance was equally effective and sometimes more effective than traditional exercise for improving psychological wellbeing and cognitive health.
The artistic and expressive dimension of dance adds something that a [00:19:00] treadmill simply cannot. So the takeaway here is you might want to add dancing to your weekly exercise. Or your weekly movement, it's going to bring some added happiness to your day.
So now let's talk about some real and gorgeously beautiful ways that creativity and movement can come together in your life. As we've already discussed, dance is a great one, and you do not need a studio or a teacher or a dance class.
You need a kitchen and a playlist that makes you. Feel something. Research consistently shows that dancing of any style improves mood, reduces anxiety, builds coordination, and yes, it gets your heart rate up. The phrase dance like no one is watching. Do that, do that. When movement has music and self-expression added to it, your brain processes it [00:20:00] differently and it becomes joy rather than obligation.
and here is another way you can add creativity to your movement. Treasure hunting on walks. So here's an idea that transformed how I think about daily walks. Instead of walking to complete a fitness task, I need this many steps today at my walk.
Walk with a creative mission instead. So think about birdwatching with a field guide or an app and choose a few birds that you want to find on your walk, or collect interesting rocks or seed pods or pieces of driftwood and arrange them when you get home.
Or hunt for interesting textures that you can photograph. If your walk a purpose that awakens your curiosity, and suddenly you are no longer exercising, you're exploring and you're seeking treasures, You'll find that your legs [00:21:00] will take you farther when you're seeking treasure than they would ever go when you're just.
getting your steps in. Here's another way you can think about adding creativity to your movement, and that is through photography hikes.
So. Take a camera, even your phone, and choose a theme for your hike. Maybe it's light and shadow. Maybe it's the color blue in nature. Maybe it's finding things that are round, maybe it's animal tracks that you find as you walk. And when you move through a natural space with creative intention, your brain is simultaneously engaged in physical activity and aesthetic exploration.
So when you combine these two things together, remember the dialogue that happens, time flies and your body gets stronger and your spirit gets lighter. And my friend, these ideas that I've just mentioned here, they're backed by science. [00:22:00] The research on nature-based creative activity shows real measurable reductions in cortisol and improvements in mood and cognitive function.
What is not to love here? Right? And now let's consider mindful movement like yoga or tai chi. These movement practices are inherently creative because they ask you to bring your full attention to how your body moves through space. this kind of mindful movement, they're actually art forms as much as they are exercise.
The research bears this out. Studies show that yoga Tai Chi, they reduce stress hormones. They improve sleep and support creative thinking by calming your nervous system. And now let's go in and just ponder a little bit [00:23:00] about how creativity and sleep is so important. Huh? Let's talk about that. Ever important.
Oh, sleep. It's the pillar of health that so many of us treat as an afterthought. so today, let me share something that I find truly magical. MIT researchers in 2023 confirmed something that Thomas Edison had been using intuitively for years.
The very first stage of sleep that dreamy twilight between wakefulness and full sleep is called hypnagogia or N1. It is one of the most creatively fertile states our brain can be in and participants who briefly
entered this state were dramatically better at creative problem solving when they woke up and Edison used to nap, holding a metal ball, and the moment he fell asleep, it would drop and wake him up. And he was [00:24:00] deliberately harvesting from that creative threshold.
so sleep and creativity are in a profound dance. Another level of sleep is called REM. It's a dreaming stage. It's when the brain makes novel and unexpected connections between memories and ideas. neuroscientist, Matthew Walker writes that good sleep is essential for cognitive flexibility, which is the foundation of creative thinking.
and the flip side of that, sleep deprivation impairs divergent thinking and divergent thinking is the exact cognitive function that creativity depends on. So now we know that sleep helps our creativity.
So how can we use creativity to actually have better sleep? Because most of us out there in our world today are constantly [00:25:00] struggling to get better sleep. So how do we use creativity to get better sleep? Here's some beautiful evidence backed approaches that you can try. A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that people who wrote a to-do list or journaled before bed, fell asleep significantly faster than those who didn't write expressive writing before sleep, which is writing your thoughts, your feelings, or your creative reflections.
This quiets that mental chatter, that inner voice. That can keep us awake. So this type of writing is not just productivity. It's a creative ritual that settles the nervous system. And as you sleep, it will help you stay away from those negative thought spirals that just keep you thinking on things that are worrying you or causing you [00:26:00] anxiety.
Another important creative factor for good sleep is environmental.
That means that the room we sleep in communicates to our nervous system, either safety and peace. Stress and chaos. so that means that arranging your bedroom with intention is purely creative. What colors feel peaceful to you? What textures make you feel calm and safe?
What sounds make you settle down?
You might consider a small vase of flowers or a nightlight or a pillow spray with a scent that calms you down. You might consider this as a ritual that signals to your body. The day is done, it's time for sleep. A piece of art that you truly love looking at the last thing before you go to sleep or music that lulls you to [00:27:00] slumber.
Well, these are not frivolous indulgences. They're signals to your whole system that where you are right now, this is a sanctuary. You are safe. You can rest, it's okay to go to sleep.
And here's one more bit of creativity that will help you sleep, that I think is truly underappreciated. And that is the creative things that you do throughout your day. They directly affect how you sleep at night. When you have made something you're proud of, you've arranged flowers, you've tried a new recipe, you've taken a beautiful photo on your walk, you carry a sense of fulfillment into your evening, and your mind has something positive to rest on rather than racing through unfinished worries or things you are stressed about.
Creativity is like [00:28:00] a positive emotion generator and research consistently shows that positive emotional states lead to better sleep quality.
So here's what I want you to take away from what is going to be two episodes about creative health. I want you to understand that creativity, it's not a bonus. It's not something you get to do if you have extra time. It is one of the most powerful tools you have for making the big three nutrition, exercise, and sleep actually work in your life.
creativity is the thing that makes healthy choices feel like joy rather than obligation or punishment. Creativity is the ingredient that makes a walk into an adventure, a meal into an [00:29:00] experience, and your bedroom into a sanctuary.
And next week in part two, we are going to go even deeper. We're going to talk about how you can accelerate all the things we've talked about today and how you can discover more. Actually build these ideas into your daily life, into a way that sticks and is successful for your health, your creativity, and how you feel about yourself.
And I'm going to share something in the next episode that's very special about how one of the Silva events that I lead with Health Coach Lisa Murphy, how one of the Silva events might be the best thing you do for yourself.
But before I let you go, I want to give you one small creative challenge between now and [00:30:00] tomorrow, do one thing to make your food more beautiful. Arrange it. Choose a plate you love. Take a moment to truly look at your food before you eat and see what happens.
Try doing this each day between now and when we meet again, and you might be surprised at how you're able to stay creative, my friend.
