avatarDenise Larkin, BA (Hons)

Summary

The article discusses a new writing method that incorporates regular exercise to improve both writing quality and the author's health.

Abstract

The author introduces a novel approach to writing that emphasizes the importance of physical activity to enhance mental clarity and productivity. By alternating between 15-30 minute intervals of writing and exercise, the author has found a way to overcome writer's block, generate new ideas, and maintain good health, especially during the pandemic. This method has led to a more invigorating writing process and has been beneficial for the author's mental and physical well-being. The article suggests that closing one's eyes during exercise can further stimulate the mind, supported by research indicating that this practice can lead to a more imaginative and multisensory state.

Opinions

  • The author believes that traditional writing methods, which involve prolonged periods of sitting, can lead to mental stagnation and health issues.
  • The author is convinced that integrating exercise into the writing process not only prevents writer's block but also enhances the generation of writing ideas.
  • There is a strong opinion that closing the eyes during exercise can deepen the thought process, akin to meditation, and is supported by research from Advanced Human Performance and the British Psychological Society.
  • The author encourages other writers to adopt this healthy writing routine, suggesting that it could be universally beneficial for both creativity and health.

A New Way of Writing

How to write better and still be healthy

Photo by Hannah Olinger on Unsplash

You can write better if you put your mind to it. Lately, I have been stuck in a rut. I can write as much as I want but I have always wanted to finish what I am writing quickly. I don’t know why I feel this way but I think it’s because writing can be a tedious task.

So, I found a better way to write. It’s not easy but it is healthier and it does clear my mind mentally so that I can have a better process for my writing.

Writers are always sitting down for hours at a time writing. We sit for an hour or two at a computer and then get up make coffee or eat lunch and then carry on writing again until dinner time. Does this sound familiar?

I write and write for hours but I know I must do something else for a while or I will get writer’s block. My mind will become stuck and I won’t be able to write anything. I knew I had to change my ways before this happened again.

So, how can we make our writing process healthier you might ask?

There is a way to combat this problem and it’s something we can all do if we put our body and mind to it.

Healthy writing

I found that if I gave myself fifteen minutes to write at a time to start off with, it would help me write better and faster whilst at the same time make me healthier.

Exercise is always a task that I give up on but I need to do it because I am diabetic. So, I decided I would write for fifteen minutes and then get up and do fifteen minutes on my exercise bike or use my stepper. I did this for a week. Then I increased my writing process for thirty minutes the second week and then did thirty minutes of exercise. I have continued to work like this for a third week now and I can tell you, it’s worked very well for me and for my writing ideas plus it’s been better for my health.

Body and mind

My body and mind have excelled whilst working this way. I feel excited to begin writing again. During these times of the pandemic, it’s harder to go out in case you think you might get too close to people and catch the virus. The stress of it does get to you. So, I decided to work like this to see if it would clear my mind mentally and I can say it works for me. It might work for you too.

Writing ideas

When you have a writing idea, write it down and then start typing it up for fifteen to thirty minutes then get up and do some exercise for the same amount of time before getting back to it. I find writing invigorating lately because of my health regime of exercising between writing. Why not try it. Don’t take my word for it. Just try it and see if it generates more ideas for your writing. You will find out as you exercise because your mind will think of things randomly. Ideas can just pop into the mind without a moment’s notice. Then when the time is up get back to writing and write down those thoughts or ideas you had whilst exercising. Think of nothing when you exercise and let your mind wander. Thoughts will slowly enter your mind and it might create a writing idea. It really works!

My ideas came to me whilst my eyes were closed as I exercised

One of the ideas that were generated from writing like this was this article and of course, poetry ideas popped into mind whilst I exercised on my bike. I closed my eyes whilst exercising. I have read, that if you close your eyes it can help with a process in the mind’s eye to relax the body whilst exercising, so in turn, it will help the thought process to generate ideas and thoughts.

In Research Digest, it states that the eyes closed shut reveals the mind is wide open.

“…with the eyes closed, an ‘interoceptive’ state characterized by imagination and multisensory activity, in contrast to an ‘exteroceptive’ state, with the eyes open, characterized by attention and oculomotor activity”.

In Advance Human Performance they state that closing the eyes advances their exercise performance when lifting weights, and so, it uses the mind to feel the way. Read the following:

“The reason for this is that closing your eyes on any exercise forces your muscle spindles and other proprioceptive mechanisms to work overtime in order to stabilize the movement and control the load. In other words it teaches the lifter to rely more on kinesthetic awareness rather than sight. Instead of watching your way through the movement, feel your way through the movement.”

I believe that when I close my eyes whilst my legs are moving on my exercise bike, I can feel something more powerful happening within my mind as my body moves. It deepens my thought process in my mind and gives it an overhaul to accelerate it. It’s almost like I am meditating whilst exercising by just closing my eyes. I believe all writers should do this to help them to further themselves in their writing and for their health.

So, why not give it a try and see what happens.

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