Want to be creative? Go for a walk.

Imagine you’re out for a stroll, and suddenly your brain decides you are a genius. You start thinking of clever punchlines, solving puzzles and remembering things you’ve long forgotten, even that thing you promised to do last week. Guess what, science is not surprised. 

Studies from Stanford show that walking (even on a treadmill facing a terribly boring blank wall) can make your creative brain 60% more active than when you’re stuck in your office chair. That means a short walk can put your brain into overdrive.  

If you want attention and focus that stick around a little while, moderate walking could have your back. A federal health review on the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion website reveals reasonable evidence that brisk walking offers a temporary boost in attention, memory, processing speed and decision making for a short time afterward. Imagine your brain turning into a speed-reading, memory-recalling ninja for a bit after your walk. 

There’s more. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you don’t need to run a marathon to see benefits. Even short bursts of walking can help with thinking, learning, problem-solving and emotional balance.  

So, basically, walking is like hitting the refresh button for your brain. Your neurons perk up, your memory whispers, “Hey there,” and creativity runs around like it just discovered caffeine. All of this wears off eventually, so enjoy the show while it lasts. Next time you’re stuck on creative ideas or forget what you walked into a room for, try walking out of the room, do a lap or two around the house and come back to finish what you originally set out to do.