How Exercise Makes You More Creative
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Sometimes I’ve been a typical couch potato, and at other times I’ve followed my exercise program loyally. Without exceptions, I’ve been most inspired to learn and create during the latter, when I’m most physically active.
When I realized this I did some research in the internet to see if there was a cause-effect relationship between exercise and creativity. Lo and behold, I found a huge amount of respectable studies that demonstrate this relationship (some of which I link to at the end of the post) which I knew existed because of personal experience.
So, I guess you know what I’m gonna tell you right? That’s right: exercise. Your creative and intellectual endeavors will benefit in many ways:
- Stress relief: Negative stress is an enemy of creativity and thought-generation, and exercise is a proven stress-buster.
- Increased attention span: Exercise has been proven to widen a person’s attention span, which should lead to greater concentration. Scientific studies are provided at the end of the post.
- Increased memory: I don’t think I have to convince you that a more powerful memory will help you when gathering knowledge.
- Improved life-work-leisure balance: Exercise is a great way to create balance in your life, since many times the stressful and unhealthy work and family situations aren’t conducive to creativity.
- Increased productivity: Your newfound energy from exercising will enable you to complete tasks more effectively and efficiently.
Having said all that, what’s the best way to start an exercise program that’ll result in more creativity and intelligence? Remember you should always get checked out by a doctor to see if there are any conditions which might worsen with exercise, but here are some guidelines:
- Aerobic exercise: Include at least 3 sessions/week consisting of at least 20 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise such as walking. If you’re totally out of shape, start slowly and increase intensity as you progress. You can also start doing it 2 times/ week and increase the number of sessions over time. Follow this link for more information regarding cardiovascular exercise.
- Strength training: I’m a believer in including heavy strength training in every exercise program. Personally, I do it 3-4 times a week. You’ll find hundreds of possible routines here.
- Rest: O.K., so this isn’t exercise, but it’s just as important if you want to benefit from it. Leave at least one day between strength training sessions and one day between aerobic sessions. I’m not saying this is the only way to do it, but it’s a good rough tip. You’ll find more suggestions regarding rest in the above links. I like to strength train Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and do aerobic exercise on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. You could also do the aerobic exercise after your strength training if you’re pressed for time or just prefer to do it that way.
- Diet: Don’t be fooled by the fact that I’ve barely mentioned the role of a healthy diet in an exercise program. It could be even more important than the exercise itself. You’ll find great information here. Also, I really enjoy Tim Ferriss’s views on nutrition and the information in this post from Zen Habits.
- Timing: I find that my best exercise sessions happen in the early morning. I use them as energy shots that make me feel deeply invigorated and mentally sharp during the whole day.
Obviously I haven’t provided you with specific exercise schedules and routines. This is important because everybody has different necessities and limitations, so it’s up to each of you to act. Research, hire a personal trainer, or browse the internet for reliable information (I recommend Bodybuilding.Com, T-Nation.Com, and this section of Zen Habits). Next, just put your program into action and reap a more creative, productive, and intellectual life.
Studies:
Aerobic Exercise and Creative Potential: Immediate and Residual Effects
The Effect of Exercise and Music on the Creativity of College Students
Simple Lifestyle Changes May Improve Cognitive Function and Brain Efficiency
Physical exercise improves cognitive function, memory and intelligence
Image: derek7272
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Hey, this is good. I was wanting a schedule like this for long but I suppose, I was lazy in working out a schedule for myself.
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thanks for ur guidance.i am in eng. final year and found ur this article immensily good and helpful for me. i decided to do exercise daily and will start reading good articles like this.
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@satish: Thanks for the kind words!
I’m experimenting at the moment with taking regular breaks during my workday and doing some dumbbell exercises. I have no scientific basis for this, but it does seem to be increasing my mental clarity even though the exercise isn’t aerobic. (I do take deep breaths when I’m doing the exercises.)
Is it the exercise, the breathing, the breaks or all three that’s benefiting me? I don’t know, you’d need to do an experiment to find out - it would be a fairly easy one to design. What matters to me immediately is that I’m feeling the benefits - mental clarity and physical strength.
@Mike: I totally agree. Exercise is in my opinion one of the best all-around therapies. I know there are some scientific tests regarding this, but my guess is that it has something to do with the focus you achieve while exercising, and with having to forget about limiting thoughts if you are to have a successful exercise session.
[…] ClaireWalternHAerobic exercise: Include at diminutive 3 sessions/week consisting of at diminutive 20 transactions of job aerobiotic training such as walking. If you’re totally conceive of shape, advise tardily and impact evaluate as you progress. … […]