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The importance of exercise for writers

December 6, 2010 by Nathan Bransford 141 Comments

Now that we are approaching the end of 2010, it will soon be time for our resolutions (or now time for pre-resolutions, as the case may be).

And as you cast your eye toward self-improvement, might I suggest one of the important fundamentals to the healthy and productive writer: exercise.

Not only because writing is a solitary pursuit, that writers sometime need the occasional mood-lift while pondering the depths of the human condition, and because we want to keep writing as long as Louis Auchincloss.

No. Not just those reasons.

Do it for the creativity boost!

I can’t quantify this. I don’t know if it’s been proven by science (Livia? UPDATE: see her comment for the science).I don’t know if it’s the endorphins talking. All I know is that when I’m stuck on a plot challenge or can’t think of where things go next, I exercise. And it’s amazing how it unlocks the brain.

And even from a macro sense, I find myself more productive and happier during weeks where I exercise. The ideas and words just tend to flow better.

Am I alone on this? Does exercise help your creativity?

Photo by Gruban via Creative Commons

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Filed Under: The Writing Life Tagged With: Staying Sane While Writing, writing advice

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    December 7, 2010 at 2:44 am

    I run two miles every morning, celtic music running into my ears via mp3 player. I usually sing loudly as I go, and am ignored by the continuous line of pine trees (I live in a tree farm). The days that I don't run, I don't usually write. So yes, I have to run or there isn't another chapter!

    Reply
  2. Other Lisa says

    December 7, 2010 at 2:50 am

    Oh, lord yes. I've commented about this before, many times. I'm hardly a jock, but I absolutely have to get out and get some oxygen to my brain. It helps me problem-solve, keeps me from getting hideously depressed and at least prevents a few of those middle-aged pounds from accumulating on my butt from all the "butt in chair" (the rest of them, what can I do?)

    Plus I have a bad back from an accident, and if I don't exercise regularly, I have really bad pain to deal with, and nobody likes that.

    Reply
  3. Ty Johnston says

    December 7, 2010 at 2:54 am

    I totally agree with this post. Usually I walk a couple of miles a day around a track, and the whole time I just keep getting fantastic ideas while also working out plot elements and characterizations. Recently I even dug out an old tape recorder from my news reporting days and carry it with me while walking to record my ideas because I was forgetting far too many of them by the time I got home.

    Reply
  4. Amanda Sablan says

    December 7, 2010 at 3:01 am

    Exercise definitely helps my writing! And even if it didn't, how could you say no?

    Reply
  5. Tess Cox says

    December 7, 2010 at 3:39 am

    Absolutely! The other thing is doing something outside myself for someone else. There's something about the look in someone's eyes when they "receive" from me that makes the gears and wheels in my head turn faster. My heart is engaged, but it propels my thoughts to a deeper level of character development. It makes me feel *human* and my writing reflects that vulnerability, I hope.
    Good to hear from you, Nathan. Happy Christmas!

    Reply
  6. Livia says

    December 7, 2010 at 4:19 am

    J.T. Shea

    Lol, my bad!

    Reply
  7. sex scenes at starbucks, says

    December 7, 2010 at 4:34 am

    Works for me AFTER I write. I pretty much have to write first anyway or my day is screwed.

    Reply
  8. Silicon Valley Diva says

    December 7, 2010 at 4:42 am

    Not only is exercising helpful to stimulate creativity, it is vital to a writer's health. We tend to sit for long stretches at a time. Not good, especially as we get older. It is so extremely difficult to break away when we get in a writing groove, but sometimes we must. I began to suffer some major muscle pain in the past, so I now try to force myself to take breaks and go for a walk or hit the gym. 9 times out of 10 I find doing so will also help rejuvenate my creativity and thus, help improve my work.

    Reply
  9. Janette Dolores says

    December 7, 2010 at 5:15 am

    Preach it from the mountaintop, brother! Exercise boosts self-confidence, which lets you get your mind off of yourself for a minute. In my experience, if I am not happy with myself physically, it consumes too much of my thoughts. I don't mean in a vain way–but in a health-conscious and self-respect-having way.

    So I exercise to be a happier me with more mental focus on all things creative. And I know a teeny amount about exercising for the sake of restoring focus–I lost 49 pounds in 2009. One year and four months later and *not a pound* is back. Thanks for the post, Nathan!

    Reply
  10. Avery June says

    December 7, 2010 at 7:16 am

    There's nothing like the pain of running to remind me how pleasant solving a plot problem is.

    Reply
  11. Tracey says

    December 7, 2010 at 10:36 am

    Does it help me with creativity? Not in the least. In fact, thanks to lymphedema tarda, walking around is pretty much guaranteed to exhaust me, leaving me little energy for writing or daily chores and, most likely, with swollen legs and a lot of pain for the next few days.

    Going for regular walks and getting fresh air in my snoot isn't worth suffering bone-aching pain and being unable to sit, stand or walk without feeling that my feet are resting on knife blades pointing upward. It just isn't.

    Reply
  12. RobynBradley says

    December 7, 2010 at 1:28 pm

    Does obsessively clicking "refresh" on your email after you send a query to an agent count as exercise for your fingers? šŸ™‚ Seriously, I agree. Some of my best ideas come when I'm focused on something else, be it power walking or showering or cleaning the cat's hairballs off the carpet.

    Reply
  13. Hart Johnson says

    December 7, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    I'm a deep believer that when your body is busy and mind relaxed, those connections form that didn't seem to be gelling before, so I'm with you. If I'm REALLY stuck, I don't even take my iPod.

    Reply
  14. sinisterechoes.com says

    December 7, 2010 at 3:09 pm

    Definitely! I always go for a long walk when I'm stuck with something in my writing or when I simply need to clear my head. It's also a great way to keep in shape.

    Reply
  15. Tart and Soul says

    December 7, 2010 at 4:12 pm

    Feeling blocked? A little downward dog and the blood flows back to the right place and brings them lots of ideas!

    Reply
  16. J.C. Martin says

    December 7, 2010 at 4:21 pm

    Definitely! Great stress relief, and the adrenaline seems to help my creativity!

    Reply
  17. Kiara Golding - The Secret Writer says

    December 7, 2010 at 4:53 pm

    You are absolutely right!

    I walk to and from work every day, and I've thought of so many scenes and ideas while walking. The time alone and away from distractions means I can really think about what I want to happen in a scene or plot, and it's great to have that time while still doing something purposeful.

    Great post, you are definitely not alone in this.

    Reply
  18. Paul Greci says

    December 7, 2010 at 8:08 pm

    I'm totall with you here. Exercise helps me solve story problems and boost my mood. I even have a treadmill desk and spend part of my writing day walking.

    Reply
  19. Rachelle says

    December 7, 2010 at 10:34 pm

    Totally agree! I love to run while listening to my ipod and when I'm concentrating on a story arc, it seems like every other song is describing my characters. The connections I feel to my characters strengthens and it helps me to add depth to them and their situations.

    Reply
  20. Claudie A. says

    December 7, 2010 at 11:14 pm

    Nathan, that's the second time you post something I experience right after. Perhaps it's just because I notice it more? ^^

    There's been a lot of snow up here in Quebec City, and let me tell you, I'm getting a *lot* of ideas while shoveling. Take that, plotholes! Winter is winning over you! šŸ˜€

    Reply
  21. evelonies says

    December 7, 2010 at 11:35 pm

    i noticed this BIG TIME during NaNoWriMo. normally, i run 3-4 miles per day, plus weight lifting and stretching. i'll occasionally throw in some cycling or swimming as well. i was doing really well until my kids got sick during the 2nd week of november. they were sick, so i didn't work out. my writing slowed considerably and it was a struggle to get a few sentences down. then my husband and i got sick, so again, no exercise, which meant craptacular writing. after thanksgiving weekend (during which i didn't exercise either), i got back into it. everyone was finally healthy, so i made myself get back to the gym. i'll tell you what, i cranked out about 15,000 or my 50,000 words in those last 3 days. about half of it on 11/30.

    Reply
  22. Jen P says

    December 8, 2010 at 12:38 am

    So if it is mutually and equally compatible, if I complete the London Marathon this year, maybe I will complete my novel too?

    Sponsors for Whizz-Kidz welcome – and fitness/marathon advice in the forum perhaps? šŸ˜‰

    Reply
  23. Sara says

    December 8, 2010 at 4:58 am

    Exercise is key! Gets the blood flowing, gets me out of the house and away from the computer, and it's a change of scenery. All very important šŸ™‚

    I also teach yoga. So if I don't have time to get a workout in and I'm really stuck/blocked/frustrated, I'll try an inversion in the house.

    I highly recommend it! It literally flips your perspective, turns your world upside-down, and irrigates your brain with blood. If you're new to yoga/inversions, almost everyone can do downward-facing dog, or just sit/stand and fold at the waist – anything that gets your head below your heart. Give it a try! šŸ™‚

    Reply
  24. Jan Markley says

    December 8, 2010 at 5:22 am

    It's great for writers to remember to exercise regularly. Thanks for the post!

    Reply
  25. Bryan Russell (Ink) says

    December 8, 2010 at 1:52 pm

    Going for a run this morning! The frozen beard effect is always charming, right? Right?

    Reply
  26. Jamie says

    December 8, 2010 at 2:27 pm

    My internist says running helps her with puzzling cases. Often out running the diagnosis will pop into her head. For me, it is frustrating to have a great idea while on bike, on run or in pool and not have a place to jot it down.

    Reply
  27. Kristina says

    December 8, 2010 at 3:21 pm

    Most definitely. Gets the blood pumping, endorphins running, good feelings going. Love it.

    Reply
  28. Lauren says

    December 8, 2010 at 9:37 pm

    I could not agree more, Nathan! I do yoga almost every day, and I have had countless ideas come to me while on the mat.

    Reply
  29. SariBelle says

    December 9, 2010 at 5:54 am

    These post came at a great time. I've just made some pre-resolutions and one of them was to excercise. I made this one knowing there was a high likelihood I would fail.

    Maybe this is just the extra boost I need?

    Reply
  30. Anonymous says

    December 9, 2010 at 8:52 am

    There's lots of material on exercise improving learning acquisition and recall, mainly by affecting the activity of a growth factor called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) in the hippocampus.

    BDNF is signaled strongly by inflammation, stress hormones, and other such signaling events which are stimulated by exercise. This is more of a long-term effect, as — per the name — BDNF is involved in the growth and plasticity of neurons in the hippocampus.

    The post-exercise euphoria and creativity boost is likely a function of endorphins (your body's own morphine) and increased blood flow to the brain; there's some research into this but not as much as you'd want to draw real conclusions.

    Reply
  31. A.M Hudson says

    December 9, 2010 at 9:41 am

    Hmmm. Interesting. I will try this exercise you speak of. No, seriously, I never thought of using the pursuit of better heart health as a tool to help writers block/indirection. So thanks!!

    Reply
  32. Victoria Snelling says

    December 9, 2010 at 1:21 pm

    Actually, I think it's the switch between mental and physical activity that boosts creativity. If I'm stuck, I do the washing up or the hoovering, or clean out a cupboard. It's not technically exercise, but it is changing to a type of activity that is done by the body rather than the mind. Disengaging conscious thought (and giving yourself the fiction that you're doing something constructive and not procrastinating) allows your sub-conscious to sort out your writing problems.

    Reply
  33. Jeffrey Ricker says

    December 9, 2010 at 3:01 pm

    I know this is true from experience: I come up with more ideas and solve more problems when I'm running. Also, I've been known to sit on a weight bench between sets and write down ideas. The people at the gym are occasionally not amused by this….

    Reply
  34. Diva says

    December 9, 2010 at 7:24 pm

    I agree completely! Doing anything to get away from your work for a while can provide a new perspective, but there's something special about breaking a sweat.

    Reply
  35. Kate says

    December 10, 2010 at 3:32 am

    I'm terrible when it comes to exercising, but I do find a walk in cold air always clears the cobwebs and I am usually brainstorming (without paper at hand) while I walk.

    Reply
  36. Marta says

    December 14, 2010 at 1:23 am

    There's some interesting research being done related to health and sedentary lifestyles (reported for example at https://blogs.plos.org/obesitypanacea/2010/12/10/sedentary-physiology-part-4-future-direction/).

    I've always found exercise to be a reasonably pretty good stress reducer. But the most dramatic effect I've felt was on both my creativity and alertness. This was years ago when I was writing a dissertation day and night. On days that I decided I had to devote all day to writing, I managed to stay up until 9 or 10 at night, but I wasn't terribly productive. On days when I convinced myself to start the day with a half hour walk, against my instinct to get to work right away, I ALWAYS was able to focus better and almost always able to continue writing a good 3 hours longer. Strangely, walks in the afternoon or evening weren't nearly as effective. After a couple weeks of noticing this effect, I started walking every morning.

    Reply
  37. M. Tate says

    December 24, 2010 at 4:38 pm

    I think overall, you are correct, but not quite for me. I'm a competitive marathon runner, and when I am in training, a lot of my exercise is very intense and long in duration. Basically after a 30mi run, your brain does not function normally for a couple days, or at least mine doesn't.

    That makes it difficult to write as you can imagine, plus I require extra sleep and I have a day job to boot.

    But now that I'm in 'vacation mode' and I do little exerciwse, I am far more productive in my writing.

    Overall I agree with you, but you should mention that you can over do it, and then your writing will suffer.

    Reply
  38. Judy Holland says

    October 26, 2012 at 4:47 pm

    What a wonderfully helpful blog — you are a creative super star!

    Reply
  39. Unknown says

    February 26, 2017 at 10:18 pm

    Exercise definitely helps my creativity, although in my case it doesn't take the form of running. I did jog for 2-1/2 years, but had to stop after I was able to run for an hour at a time because my ankles and feet began to give me definite signals they were not coming along for the ride. (I am 56 years old.) These days my exercise takes the form of bodyweight training, some weightlifting, stretching, and active range-of-motion exercises, including capoeira.

    Beyond improving creativity, I find physical exercise — especially the kind of exercise I do — improves every single aspect of my being, from mental acuity, to the ability to handle emotional stress, to the ability to get things done quickly and efficiently, to reducing my likelihood of injury. It forces moderation in my vices (such as drinking) and healthy living habits in other areas of my life (such as getting proper sleep, staying hydrated, and eating sensibly). It's far better than any drug because it actually teaches your brain to manufacture its own endorphins, and get a high out of maintaining and increasing your overall health.

    Reply
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