Have you exercised today? Maybe you have or maybe you haven't. Either way, that's okay. But did you know there is more to movement than your daily (monthly?) sweat session.
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​Moving your body is an often unappreciated element of the creative process. Creativity and physical activity are inextricably linked. Have you every had a breakthrough on a problem when out for a stroll? That's the link in action. And it's not only the epiphanies - brain health, memory, and learning get a boost from movement.
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​So, let's get moving on the topic of movement!

Physical activity goes by many names: exercise, working out, training, aerobics, and the list goes on. Regardless of what you call it, there are differences both subtle and overt. 
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​Any bodily movement that uses energy falls into the general category of physical activity, while exercise is (usually) planned, structured, purposeful activity. So, all exercise is physical activity, but not all physical activity is exercise. 
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​Exercise is a general term that can be further delineated. For example, going for a run is exercise. Workouts are more intense and usually have more specificity. With the running example, running at a sustain pace for a set amount of time or doing a structured set of sprints would be a workout. 
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​With regard to training, the intensity and type of activities may vary, but you are working toward a specific goal like a marathon or competition.
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​Whatever you choose to call your physical activity or however you choose to do it, you need it. Physical activity can be divided into four categories:

Resistance training is pushing or pulling against the resistance of an object, including your own body. This category consists of strength training, weight lifting, and calisthenics.

Aerobic exercise or "cardio" is any activity that increases your heart rate and breathing. We typically think of running, biking, swimming, or the elliptical. You can also include resistance exercises, as seen in CrossFit WODs or metabolic conditioning (think "lift weight faster"). 

Recovery activities are low-intensity activities that promote blood flow to the muscles, increase mobility, or improve balance. In this category, you'll find gentle yoga, stretching, and balance training. You can also do easier or slower versions of other exercises like walking, low-intensity swimming, or a casual hike.

NEAT refers to the energy used during any activity that is not sleeping, eating, or exercise. This is a broad category that includes everything from cleaning, gardening, or walking the dog to fidgeting and running through the airport to catch a plane.
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​Even people who exercise regularly get more movement from NEAT activities in a day than they do from exercise. Consider this: if you sleep eight hours per night and exercise one hour a day, only 4% of your day is spent on exercise, while 63% of your day is spent on NEAT.

For optimal physical and mental health, you need activities from all four categories. Most of us are lacking in one or more categories. And we may not even be aware of it.

We might be giving ourselves a pat on the back for doing our 45 minute workout, but it's not enough to make up for the other 15 to 18 waking hours of being sedentary.
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​So, where are you lacking?

It feels impossible to be "optimal" in all four areas at the same time. One option is to take a seasonal approach to movement - especially as you are starting out and trying to build habits. Focus on one area at a time during different times of the year. The categories lend themselves to the characteristics of the seasons. Take a look at one possible seasonal breakdown:
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​Summer
​Focus on strength training. You can be indoors with air conditioning and just lift heavy $h!t.
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​Fall
​As you move into cooler weather, turn your attention to aerobic exercise. Most cardio activities are conducive to being outside and fall is a great time to be outside. Daylight savings time is still happening (at least at the beginning) and it hasn't gotten so cold that it's challenging to leave the house.
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​Winter
​'Tis the season for NEAT. For most of the country, it's too cold to go anywhere, and you get busy while all the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Focus on getting more movement indoors with NEAT. Baking cookies, shopping, and getting the house ready for guests all count.
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​Spring
​Spring is a time for rejuvenation and growth. Recovery activities are a great way to get your body ready and fully recover as you move into the busier movement seasons of summer and fall.

Physical activity benefits your health and creativity. Let's look at some of the evidence:
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​Studies show that women with the highest levels of cardiovascular fitness have a 30% lower risk of developing dementia as they get older when compared to sedentary counterparts.
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​Being sedentary for 10 hours or more per day is associated with an increased risk of dementia.
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​A 2018 study monitored people for two hours and results suggest that prolonged sitting has a negative impact on perceived mental state and creative problem-solving abilities.
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​Physical activity lowers the risk of depression and improves depressive symptoms, regardless of diagnosis. In mild cases, exercise has shown to be just as effective as antidepressants. With more severe cases of depression, exercise is often used as a beneficial complementary treatment.
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​Exercise reduces symptoms of anxiety regardless of whether the episode is acute or chronic.
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​Exercise isn't only beneficial after the physical activity is over. Creative solutions can come to you during your sweat session. Researchers explain this phenomenon with the theory of transient hypofrontalilty. The theory proposes that the part of the brain dedicated to normal everyday functions is temporarily reduced or quieted during exercise, allowing other areas of the brain to work - specifically, the areas associated with creative thoughts. During exercise, your brain can work in unfamiliar ways and make connections it may not have made before.
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​The key is finding your exercise sweet spot. In the study, The Impact of Physical Exercise on Convergent and Divergent Thinking, researchers compared athletes to non-athletes. When non-athletes participated in intense exercise, they did not have the same creativity benefits that athletes did. The takeaway is if you are looking for creative insights, find an activity that is not too difficult for you.
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​NEAT activities offer a physical reset for the body and mind. Breaking up long periods of sitting with brief movement breaks can prevent mental fatigue and maintain energy levels, ensuring optimal conditions for creative thinking and productivity.
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​Exercise fosters feelings of happiness and well-being. It promotes relaxation (at least after you’re done!) and gives you a sense of accomplishment and self-efficacy (your belief in your ability to complete a task or goal successfully), all of which contribute to improved emotional regulation and creative expression.

Physical activity also helps you get more and better sleep. It can reduce the length of time it takes you to go to sleep, waking up less in the night, increasing deep sleep, and less daytime sleepiness. This is important because this is when the brain cleans house and consolidates information and memories, which enhances cognitive function.

Circulation
Movement enhances blood circulation throughout the body, including the brain. Improved blood flow delivers oxygen and nutrients to brain cells, promoting optimal cognitive function and creativity.

Neurotransmitters
Exercise releases neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters play key roles in enhancing memory, mood, attention, and motivation. They support optimal brain function, facilitate faster information processing, improve memory retention, and enhance cognitive flexibility.

BDNF
Exercise also stimulates the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a neurotransmitter modulator so it supports the growth and survival of neurons. Increased BDNF levels promote neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to form new connections and reorganize neural pathways. It is released by muscles, liver, and fat cells when you do any exercise that raises the heart rate. It goes to the hippocampus, which is a learning and memory center. This enhances learning, problem-solving abilities, and adaptability, which are crucial components of creativity.

This supports theories regarding protection against demential and Alzheimers. The longer and more regularly you move your body, the more hippocampal cells and synapses you create. You are not curing the condition and you may not be able to completely avoid it, but you are making the areas that are susceptible to aging and dementia more resilient delaying the onset if dementia is in your future.

Stress
Physical activity triggers the release of endorphins that act as mood enhancers and stress relievers. Additionally, regular exercise reduces levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). Stress can be a creativity killer. Chronic stress decreases BDNF. As noted above, you want more BDNF for brain health and creativity. By getting in a few minutes of exercise on most days, you can alleviate anxiety and promote a calmer, more focused mindset. Plus, exercise can be a healthy outlet for managing stress or providing a distraction from daily stressors.

Myokines
When you exercise, your muscles release a protein called myokines. They enhance cognitive function and improve communication between brain cells while fighting inflammation in your body and brain. They also play a role in insulin sensitivity, which protects against cognitive decline. Myokines strengthen neural pathways between muscles and the brain, which creates a feedback loop that enhances overall brain function.

There's no debate about the benefits of exercise. Lack of knowledge is not one of the reasons why we don't regularly engage in a movement practice. Think of you own reasons why you're not exercising as much as you think you should.
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​Topping the list is always time. It's not only the literal amount of time it takes to do the exercise, but it's also planning time, transportation time, or time it takes to learn (especially if you are new to it).
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​Another frequently cited reason is lack of confidence.  Even the most dedicated fitness enthusiast can experience bouts of self-consciousness when faced with the mirror-lined walls and weird looking machines that fill most gyms. This is only compounded when you feel like you don't "look" the part or lack experience with moving your body.
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​Financial concerns, although largely misplaced, can also play a role. Physical activity can be free, but there is a lot of pressure in our society to have the right clothes or shoes, or buy the "right" product to achieve our exercise aims. We let this get in our way of getting moving.
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​But above all, we are fighting against our evolutionary biology when we exercise. Our brains are hardwired to avoid excess energy expenditure. We evolved under conditions where all of our basic life functions required huge amounts of energy, like obtaining food, shelter, and water. So, when given the opportunity to take the easy way out, our brains will push us to take it.

When humans were up and coming in our evolutionary history, the easy opportunities were few and far between. Now, the easy way out is ALWAYS available. Bottom line, we are fighting against our biological programming instilled over thousands of years.

The closest we can get to this in our modern times is doing a hard workout and then going out for breakfast. Or getting coffee with friends after a run - or running to a coffee shop. Cycling groups will go for a long ride and halfway through stop to eat and then riding home. This is an evolutionarily sound way to honor your biology.

Many of us also have exercise horror stories from childhood like not getting picked on a team, gym class embarrassment, or running as punishment. The very thought of exercise can trigger negative emotions and anxiety that prevent us from engaging in these beneficial activities.

When you factors all these things together, it’s a wonder anyone exercises at all. But... we have to! So, let's figure out how to get started.

Getting started with new habits and behavior change is hard. Physical activity is especially challenging, especially if it's new to you, because there are so many options and tons of information about the "best" way to do it. Where do you even start?
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​Start where you are.
​Get a baseline of your current activity level. You can use our Physical Activity Inventory to help you track and calculate your weekly total in each of the four movement categories. Wearables like FitBit, Apple watches or Oura Rings track many activities. And there is no shortages of phone apps like Strava (for running and cycling), Nike Training Club (for a variety of workouts), or other modality specific apps like Peloton and SmartWOD (CrossFit).

Whether you chose a simple or more complex method for tracking, it's important to get your starting point. You'll use your baseline to note opportunities to improve, to see where you are meeting goals, and to acknowledge progress.

Pick one focus area.
We all lead busy lives filled with obligations and the thought of adding ALL the physical activity is a non-starter. This sentiment is real, which is why you are not trying to add it all at the same time. Review your inventory and pick one AND ONLY ONE area to focus on.

This area could be an area where you have zero minutes for the week. Or it could be a category where you are just a few minutes short of meeting recommendations. Pick something achievable and where you might find activities you'll enjoy. 
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​Start small.
​Think about your most challenging day. What is one activity you can still do with 100% confidence on this challenging day? It could be as simple as putting on your workout shoes. Or walking around the block, parking further away from the building when you go to work, or doing five squats while you wait for your coffee to brew - don't over complicate it.
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​As you gain more confidence in your abilities, you can add more.

As you start setting goals for your physical activity, you may want to consider recommendations and guidelines as something to work toward. But depending on where you are in your journey it may not be the starting point. Also, depending on what you are trying to achieve, it may not be the end goal. So really, it’s just something to consider if you need direction.

Complete two resistance training sessions per week. Total accumulated minutes will be around 60 to 120 minutes. For women, especially as we get older, this is the minimum.

Aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity (or a combo of both) per week.

Moderate intensity is at a pace where you are breathing heavy but you can have a conversation. Think of an exertion scale of 1 to 10 where one is sitting on the couch and ten is an all-out sprint. You should pin your effort somewhere between 4-6.  With vigorous activity you are not able to hold a conversation and you need to focus your attention on your activity. On the exertion scale you are at a 7+.

The amount of time you spend in recovery will largely depend on how much and how intensely you are working out. More time and intensity = more recovery. 
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​It is not advisable to go a full day completely abstaining from movement. On recovery days, be sure to include a session of a low-intensity exercise of your choosing. Additionally, include intentional mobility and balance activities. Space out recovery days throughout the week, avoiding back-to-back recovery days.
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​Mobility
​Include 5-10 minutes of static stretching (long hold in one position) after your workouts. Or you can complete longer 20-30 minutes of mobility session 2-3 times a week.
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​Balance
​There are no clear recommendations for a weekly allotment of balance exercises. Aim for twice of week. These can be sprinkled in with your current routine or completed separately. You can also incorporate balance into your normal daily activities like standing on one foot while you brush your teeth. Or try putting on your socks and shoes while standing. Bonus points if you have to tie your laces. 

Like balance, NEAT is another area where the guidelines are not clear cut. One study found that the optimal level is 2.2 hours accumulated over the course of the day. The study defined NEAT as movement equivalent to less than 100 steps per minute.