You can run 20 miles a day, eat like a rabbit and try your best to be healthy in all areas. But what many people overlook is the brain.

I exercise my creative mind on a daily basis: story ideas, interview questions, writing killer ledes and pure curiosity keep me on my toes creatively. While I am constantly coming up with new ideas, I realize that others are not doing the same.

I am suddenly reminded of that Lumosity commercial that sells their “brain games” to improve creativity and intelligence. It’s super cheesy, but certainly true.

Being creative makes you smart. In just about any career, and especially in journalism, college students looking for a job need to be fresh and have new ideas. Someone once told me that employers are looking for someone to change the game. And how can someone do that if they’re drab, boring and just go with the flow?

Even if you’re not a writer, artist, singer or other creatively driven individual, anybody can practice their brain. Here are some ideas:

Keep a journal

This is the easiest thing you can do. Find an old notebook and write down your thoughts: what happened during the day, what dreams you had the night before, plans for the next day, hopes, dreams, etc. 

Read a book

Reading is good for the soul, and it sickens me that people don’t read like they should. Don’t have time to read a book? Read the newspaper. But hey, you’re already reading this column, so you’re doing well so far. Reading will expand your vocabulary and inspire you to write.

Get a hobby

Bake, try ceramics, bike, cut hair, paint nails, anything. Hobbies force you to come up with new ideas and will exercise your mind beyond your day-to-day routine.