How to Turn Walking Into Your Go-To Creativity Booster and Stress Reducer
Stephen King's creative tool: Walking
Walking is a huge stress reducer and creativity booster.
And the best part is that walking is free!
Read on to see why it’s so good for us, and how it can help you:
Think up solutions to problems
Lower your cortisol levels and stop overthinking
Write that book
Get in the creative, artistic zone
Bonus: walking EVEN counts as exercise.
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“I wake up. I eat breakfast. I walk about three and a half miles.” — Stephen King
Walking Boosts Thinking Power
Walking or running reduces stress and gets blood flowing through the thinking parts.
A stressed brain gets stuck repeating thoughts about what’s troubling it. This won’t help you solve problems or create!
Nothing is better than a walk to clear your mind and help you relax. And when you relax, your brain can jump out of the stress thinking mode and go on little excursions into creative territory.
How to use this:
Whenever you are working on a hard problem, step out for a 15-minute walk.
If you have a stressful conversation or are about to have one, take a stroll around the block to ensure you are in the right frame of mind
Writers! Copy successful authors like Stephen King and give your brain some exercise outside. It can help you write your way out of that terrible plot corner you painted yourself into.
“If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.” ~ Raymond Carver
Visual and Physical Input: The Outside World Sparks New Thought Patterns
Indoor living is hard on the brain.
Everything is straight edges, unnatural light, artificial colors, and flat surfaces.
Getting outside for a walk floods the brain with healing stimuli.
The colors, natural light, and organic lines of vegetation and terrain are what we were evolved to understand.
Walking outside means navigating various obstacles such as curbs, light posts, cars, people, roots, tree branches, rocks, etc. All of this forces your brain to fire up and do more calculations.
Stress levels drop as your attention moves to the new surroundings.
Go for a walk and let your thinking parts heal!
“The moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
Cardio Exercise Is Good For the Brain
A healthy cardiovascular system keeps your entire body in better shape, including your thinking parts.
According to Harvard Medical School, “cardio activates a molecule called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF helps repair brain cells and make new brain cells. It’s also been associated with a larger hippocampus, the brain region that stores and retrieves memories.”
Brisk walking counts as moderate-intensity aerobic activity.
Thirty minutes of walking, 5 days a week, is a good place to start.
That’s around 3000 to 4000 steps.
Aim for a total of 7000 or 8000 steps minimum in a day.
“My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the hell she is.” — Ellen DeGeneres
Find Nature and Get In It
Walk near or in nature, and you’ll get a bigger boost.
Here’s a study of sixty people to see the difference between an urban city walk versus walking while surrounded by nature. They found that it dramatically helped the brain to get the natural experience, instead of the concrete jungle.
I use hiking to boost my creativity. I always make notes on my phone during a hike. Sometimes I can’t keep up with the creativity. It keeps throwing ideas out there like a hockey player shooting pucks at me.
I save it all and go home rich with ideas. Thanks, nature!
That’s the bottom line. Walking is good for your brain, your body, your soul, and even your creativity. It’s also free and readily available.
Go for a walk today.
Join the Walk More, Die Less Challenge!
The Walk More Die Less Challenge is exclusively for members of Time2Thrive. What’s the goal? Walk more than you usually do! You’ll increase cardiovascular health, improve your mood, and reduce stress. Not to mention increasing your potential healthy lifespan.
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A brain in motion taps into creativity: Problem-solving, coming up with content ideas or thinking about the day ahead - walking is THE best way to do that.
Great article Tim!
Like Jessica, I can't always get outside throughout the day (I don't give myself enough lunchtime to eat a decent meal AND go for a walk). However, just today I had to watch a video as part of client work so I stood up and marched on the spot when I would've otherwise just sat on my ass watching it.
I thought I was sneaking in extra steps for our challenge but realized my watch had been dead since yesterday. It has registered ZERO steps today.