Move Your Body, Make More Connections: How Exercise Fuels Creativity

Clear the path to your flow state.

Apr 17, 2025

It seems like we tend to think of creativity as a completely mental process. Something that happens in the chaos of notebooks or sketchbooks, or larger canvases and sculptures, or when you’re knee-deep in a Google Doc at 2am.

But here’s a fun fact most creatives eventually stumble into: if your body is stagnant, your ideas probably are too. For a long time, I was under the impression -and I don’t know where it came from- that artists were not athletes, and vice versa.

But exercise doesn’t just tone your muscles or improve endurance. It actually boosts your brain’s ability to come up with new ideas, make unexpected connections, and get into the elusive “flow” state we’re all chasing. So, if you’re a writer, painter, strategist, or spreadsheet wizard with a flair for innovation, moving your body might be the missing piece in your creative process.

The Neuroscience of Movement and Imagination

Creativity isn’t just concerned with inspiration or talent. It’s deeply rooted in how your brain functions. And while it may seem like genius strikes at random, science tells a different story. In fact, regular physical activity may be one of the most reliable (and wildly underutilized) tools for boosting creative thinking.

Let’s start with the basics. When you exercise, your heart rate increases, pumping more blood (and therefore oxygen) into your brain. This improved circulation stimulates the release of neurochemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. All of these play a crucial role in mood regulation, focus, and mental flexibility, which are three things you desperately need when you’re stuck in front of a blank page or trying to solve a thorny design problem.

But it’s more than just feeling good. Exercise actually changes the structure of your brain in ways that support creativity.

One of the most fascinating areas of research in recent years involves the default mode network (DMN). This is the part of your brain that lights up when you're daydreaming, mind-wandering (what I often call “shower power”), or mentally time-traveling. So basically, whenever you're not focused on a task. The DMN is closely linked to imaginative thinking, self-reflection, and creativity.

Here’s the cool part: moderate aerobic exercise (think walking, cycling, or swimming) has been shown to enhance connectivity in the DMN. That’s one reason why ideas often appear out of nowhere when you're on a run or casually walking your dog. Your brain is literally more capable of forming novel connections in that state.

Then there’s divergent thinking, which is the ability to generate multiple solutions to a single problem, and that is another core element of creative cognition. A landmark study from Stanford University found that participants who walked (rather than remained seated) came up with significantly more original ideas during brainstorming tasks. This effect was both immediate and lasting, persisting even after they sat back down. Translation: movement doesn’t just spark new thoughts; it sets you up for continued creative flow.

On the flip side, a sedentary lifestyle has been linked to increased mental fatigue, reduced cognitive flexibility, and even structural changes in the brain associated with aging and decline. It’s not just that sitting all day makes your back hurt. It might literally slow down your brain’s ability to innovate. This is not to say that you can’t be creative if you don’t exercise, but imagine the possibilities of if you were to add exercise to your daily agenda.

To that point, I’ll add that while high-intensity workouts have their own benefits, you don’t need to train like an Olympian to access these cognitive boosts. Research consistently shows us that moderate, rhythmic activities like brisk walking or cycling are some of the most effective for stimulating creative thinking. Moving your body changes your brain. And not in some vague, motivational-poster way. It creates the chemical, emotional, and neurological conditions that support idea generation, problem-solving, and innovation.

So if your creativity feels sluggish, maybe it’s not your project. Maybe it’s your blood flow.

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Movement as a Creative Ritual

Exercise doesn’t have to be a punishment or a productivity hack. It can be a part of your creative practice. A way to clear the mental clutter, reset your nervous system, and give your subconscious space to do its thing. You know that moment in the shower when the idea finally clicks? Movement gives you more of those moments.

Some people write best after a run. Others find their visual ideas sharpen during yoga. If you’ve ever danced around your kitchen and suddenly figured out a plot hole or a better color palette, you already know this.

You Don’t Need a Gym Membership of Fashionable Athletic Attire

Just to be clear, I’m not saying you need to become a fitness influencer to boost your creativity. You don’t need fancy workout attire or a Peloton subscription (unless you’re into that, in which case, have at it). I love my oversized t-shirts with the collars cut out.

Start small:

Take a 15-minute walk between tasks
Stretch on the floor while brainstorming
Listen to music and dance
Do a few jumping jacks before you sit down to write or design

Creativity Loves a Body in Motion

Psychological inertia (the tendency to stay in familiar thought patterns) is the enemy of creativity. So if you’re struggling with the frustration of being blocked, burned out, or just "meh" (a very accurate description of this feeling straight from the mouth of my BFF) about your work, try moving your body. Not for the calories. Not for the abs. For your brain. For your art. For whatever the thing is that you’ve been trying to finish for a week now.

Often, the best ideas aren’t found sitting still. I’ll leave you with these thoughts as I head out for a run.

🖤 Megan

I hope you found this post valuable; I’d love to know your thoughts.