October 5, 2017
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation
Today’s fitspo is courtesy of the idea that just maybe, next time you hit the gym, you’ll come up with the idea for your novel. Or the perfect punny Halloween costume. Or, if you’re like Ariana Grande, the music video concept for “Side to Side.”
Grande revealed to Coveteur that she gets some of her most creative ideas during workout sessions. “I have a lot of ideas on the treadmill,” said Grande. “If I need help writing or being creative, or coming up with an idea, [I’ll work out]. I came up with the idea for the ‘Side to Side’ video on the treadmill. Usually I’ll listen to throwback ’90s hip-hop, or stuff that makes me amped.”
If you’ve ever had an epiphany in the shower, you probably get the idea. Just like during a shower, a treadmill has an established routine—perhaps you start walking, then build up to a jog, then cool down again, but basically, you’re just putting one foot in front of the other. Turns out, the rote movement puts us in a type of meditative state, which means the mind can roam free and (for some people) land on chart-topping song lyrics. According to Wired, these eureka moments are all due to a mental state called the “default mode network.” When an activity is physically or mentally stimulating enough to keep you “engaged but not bored,” ideas and creativity begin to form.
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“Psychologically, the term ‘flow’ comes to mind because exercises induces us to get into our flow zone,” says psychologist Ariane Machin, Ph.D., cofounder of the Conscious Coaching Collective. “Exercise is a great way to get into our flow zone and experience greater ideas, explore ways to cope with difficult situations, and feel emotionally grounded.” Machin points out that the commonality between idea-inducing activities is that they facilitate relaxation.
Many contemporary artists also admit to shifting into default mode network to help get creativity flowing. Filmmaker Casey Neistat told Runner’s World that he gets most of his work done mid-run. “I plot out the day, figure out the movie, write scripts. I came up with the plan to marry my wife on a run,” he said. “I decided to start a tech company on my run. Every major decision I’ve made in the last eight years has been prefaced by a run. Where else do you get those uninterrupted hours to do nothing but think?”
Earlier this month, Katy Perry shared her shower-ideas hack with W Magazine. “I get [song ideas] in three different ways. From transcendental meditation, where I rest and kind of restart my mind. Or during a massage. Or showering,” she said. “I always have my phone on standby when I hop out of the shower.”
Shy of spending all day in the shower, there’s no foolproof way to recreate the flow experience, says Machin. “The most common activities are physical exercise like walking or running and when you are not distracted by your devices,” she says. Where ever you find your flow, we suggest you copy Katy Perry and keep a notepad nearby.
