Exercise and creativity

When I'm stuck on a writing project--the words just aren't flowing, I'm getting distracted, feeling frustrated, etc.--I find that there's one solution that pretty much always works: exercise. I'm not the world's greatest runner--my endurance isn't very high, I get stitches all the time, my lungs ache, and my nose gets all runny and gross. But I find that getting out in the fresh air, seeing other people (and hoping they don't look too closely at my red face and runny nose), and getting the blood pumping to my brain really puts me in a creative zone. There's something so invigorating about running along the pavement with a good playlist on my MP3 player. I find that this is a great time to think through writing problems--plot points that just aren't right, flat characters, whatever.

But the real magic happens when I get back from running. After a run and a hot shower, I can concentrate crazy well, like an ADHD kid who's taken his Adderall. I feel calm, relaxed, and really focused.

And I'm not alone. Apparently, the link between exercise and creativity is well documented. This is from Newsweek:

"Almost every dimension of cognition improves from 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, and creativity is no exception. The type of exercise doesn’t matter, and the boost lasts for at least two hours afterward."*

Cool, right?

There has been some debate about whether exercise improves creativity on its own, or whether the increase in creativity is due to the good mood that most people experience after exercise. Some people from the British Journal of Sports Medicine wrote a paper on the subject in 1997, suggesting that these two benefits of exercise--good mood and creativity--may occur independently of each other.

Whatever the case, the end result is the same. For writers, artists, musicians, and other creative types, exercise can be an amazing (and, importantly for starving artists, cheap) tool that can help us reach our creative goals.

So next time your WIP is bugging the crap out of you, try 30 minutes of vigorous exercise. Your brain will love you for it.

*From the article "Forget Brainstorming," July 12, 2010.