Boosting Creativity with Regular Exercise: The Results Speak for Themselves

A Hectic August Experiment Breakdown

August's whizzed by like a bolt of lightning, leaving me eager to discuss my madcap adventure in tracking the link between exercise, good grub, and creativity. If you're just catching up, I shared my thoughts on the relationship between physical activity, creativity, and intellect at a writing powwow last year. Guess who found herself couch-potatoing during the pandemic? Yup, this gal! So, I decided to kickstart my own investigation to get the old mojo going.

To bring this experiment to life, I kept tabs on my calorie consumption, workout days, and perceived creativity/motivation levels during writing sessions, all while carefully noting my word count for the day.

You won't believe what I found! One week, towards the beginning, I managed to get my lazy bones in motion every day. Guess what? I experienced a surges in motivation that were the highest for the whole damn month! I felt like I was swimming in a sea of ideas and layin' down the words like a boss.

I also noticed a delay in the gains I raked in from working out and healthy eating. Most days after getting my sweat on, I felt revved up and motivated as a banshee. But, you know those days when I indulged in junk food? It mucked up my morning motivation to write like nobody's business. And, when I knocked out some intense workouts, like running, I slept like a baby and was refreshed for my 4am writing stint.

Guess what else I discovered? My creative juices flowed like a torrent during and after my workouts. I found solutions to plot problems while jogging and in the shower post-workout. I also brainstormed one helluva outline for my manuscript's sequel, which should help me move mountains this National Novel Writing Month in November.

But, I got hit by a bug in the middle of the month and boy, did it throw my progress for a loop! It sent me careening off the workout wagon and my data never quite recovered from the crash. My mojo and energy took a nosedive, despite still hitting the gym four times a week. I even started binge-eating, which sent me spiraling downward for the rest of the month.

However, there's a chance my data might be skewed because around the time I got moldy, I also realized I was aiming too high with my plan to revamp my entire manuscript by September 22nd. The crushing weight of that goal squashed my motivation and probably hindered my word counts and motivation from leaping as high as they might've during my physical activity and eating practices.

Last but not least, it seems the types of foods I scarfed down mattered more than the quantities. Days I pigged out on junk food and chocolate, my creativity plummeted, I felt lethargic, and working out felt like climbing Mount Everest. But when I noshed on balanced meals, I felt like a creative powerhouse and my workouts packed a bigger punch!

Back to the Drawing Board

In my first blog post, I listed a few things I was hoping to learn from this experiment. Mission accomplished! My trivial tango with my body clearly showed me how important proper nutrition and physical movement are for supporting my brain's chemistry. I can't deny the facts – I made strides in my projects that I hadn't before and I felt like the flashiest, most productive gal around, churning out astronomical word counts daily.

My second hope was that I'd find a secret weapon to whack my creativity into submission when I absolutely needed it. Well, sit on down 'cause exerting myself is one mean creativity booster! It doesn't take long for the brain-boostin', oxygen-pumpin', idea-crankin' chemicals to kick in, and before you can blink, I'm unleashing an avalanche of ideas.

The third thing I was curious about was whether there were any hidden bonuses to this lifestyle change. I discovered a few.

I felt zippier and snored sweeter. Turns out, scarfing down dessert before I hit the hay keeps me tossin' and turnin' all night long. Overeating also put the kibosh on quality shut-eye, while hard workouts helped me catch my Z's early enough to feel refreshed for my 4am writing sessions.

Exercise also got less daunting as I got stronger. I just needed to commit to working out every other day, which took some of the intimidation out of the workout arena and gave me a much-needed break. I also learned that extreme heat takes a toll on my physical performance and that overall, I was in a much better mood. The exercise was like a magical elixir that kept my down days from sinking too low.

I can sure as shootin' boost my creativity through physical fitness. Both exercise and nutrition have a fabulous influence on my creativity, and if I'm lookin' to give my creative output a kick, I'm gonna take care of my body and reap the rewards. The next time I find myself stuck in a creative pickle, I'll just lace up my sneakers and get running!

I plan to keep up this new habit – mission accomplished!

So, what's your secret for coddling your body that sparks your creativity? Fill me in on the details in the comments!

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Research Insight

While there's no concrete research directly connecting personal experiments on exercise and healthy eating to creativity, studies suggest that these factors have positive impacts on cognitive function, mood, and overall well-being. Leading to better brain health and executive functions, this could indirectly bolster creativity. By closely tracking changes in creative output, mood, and physical activity, individuals can observe the potential effects these lifestyle choices may have on their creative capacity.

Engaging in regular fitness-and-exercise activities has proven to boost mental-health and stimulate creativity as I found out during my August experiment on connecting exercise, good nutrition, and creativity.
A balanced education-and-self-development plan focusing on health-and-wellness topics can contribute to personal-growth by improving cognitive function, productivity, and creative output.
By incorporating fitness-and-exercise routines into daily life, one can achieve better health, enhanced mental-health, and improved creativity, all of which play a vital role in productivity and personal-growth.
Novel writing or any creative process can significantly benefit from maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes well-balanced meals, regular exercise, and self-care strategies to support mental-health, cognitive function, and overall well-being.