Despite my best efforts to be a morning person, I’ve always preferred late afternoon and evening workouts. After finishing work, I love to shake out my desk body with some movement, then rinse off, have dinner, and get cozy for the night.

Ever since I started working remotely, however, I noticed that I tend to gravitate right back to my laptop after my post-workout shower. I’m usually juiced up with new story ideas, have a lightbulb moment about that email I’ve been ignoring, or experience the opposite of writer’s block: a waterfall of words or a Carrie Bradshaw-like monologue I feel compelled to write down.

I’ve come to rely on those jolts of creativity, knowing that no matter what funk the workday puts me in, by my post-workout shower, I’ll feel like I have a brand-new brain.

I know I’m not the only one who has their best ideas or problem-solving breakthroughs when rinsing off after a sweaty workout—and there’s actually a lot of science that can explain why that’s the case. Turns out, the mix of a workout mood boost, relaxing shower environment, and the ability to go on autopilot turn a pretty run-of-the-mill experience into a creativity goldmine.

Here’s how it works, plus how to tap into these moments to squeeze the most out of your creative juices, according to experts.

A breakdown of the creative process

We often think of creativity as an inherent quality that some people possess and others don’t—but it’s actually more of a skill or mindset. And it’s not just about coming up with ideas for artistic projects; creativity is considered¹ the bedrock of problem-solving, innovation, and adaptive thinking. To tap in, it helps to understand the creative process.

“In most cases, creativity is a function of a series of steps,” says Indre Viskontas, PhD, president of the Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity and associate professor of psychology at the University of San Francisco.

First, we gather information, build skills, or define the problem we’re going to tackle, she says. Second, we incubate.

“That is, we try not to think too much about the problem or think about it differently,” Dr. Viskontas says. “To do that, we generally need to let our minds wander a bit and focus on something else for a while.”

Finally, we refine, edit, or verify the idea, she says. But that second step—the mind-wandering one—is where exercise and shower time come in clutch.

The exercise creativity link

Working out has undeniable benefits for your brain, including creativity.

“There are a lot of ways that exercise benefits creativity, from mood enhancement to putting us into a brain state that often leads to ‘aha!’ moments of insight,” Dr. Viskontas says.

A January 2024 review of research on the topic published in Discover Psychology found that walking, moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, and dance all improve divergent thinking (aka thinking outside of the box), while vigorous exercise is associated with improvements in the quantity and flexibility of ideas. The effects can be immediate (for example, if you’re struggling with a creative block) or long-term, as you can build a habit of allowing your mind to switch between states (think: relaxed versus aroused) on a regular basis, Dr. Viskontas says.

In fact, being more active in your daily life is linked to more creative power; a small July 2020 study of 79 people published in Scientific Reports² found that those who engage in moderate to vigorous activity daily exhibited increased creative performance compared to those who moved little or not at all. Plus, a December 2022 meta-analysis published in Sports Medicine Open³ found that working out regularly has a more powerful impact on creative ideation than a single workout.

It’s unclear exactly why exercise has this effect, but the researchers behind the January 2024 review hypothesize that it could be because physical activity improves associative abilities (i.e. linking concepts from memory) and cognitive flexibility (the ability to adapt and switch between different mental tasks or sets of information in response to changing environments), both of which underpin divergent thinking.

One reason is that exercise can help us have new experiences—whether it’s going on a hike, running a new route through your city, or taking an exercise class full of new music or movements. This matters because openness to new experiences⁴ is one of the only personality traits consistently associated with creativity, Dr. Viskontas says.

“And exercise builds stamina, which is necessary for most creative work because, let’s face it, it’s hard,” she says.

Exercise can also be particularly helpful because it’s a great environment for mind-wandering, naturally pulling us into step two of the creative process.

“[We can] let our minds go where they want, and that can often get us into the next stage of creativity—the insight or aha! moment when a great idea pops into mind,” Dr. Viskontas says. It essentially gets us out of our heads so new thoughts can surface.

Katie Steele, LMFT, executive director of the Athletes Mental Health Foundation and co-author of The Price She Pays (a book about mental health in women’s sports), has experienced this firsthand.

“A majority of ideas for The Price She Pays occurred during an exercise session, and then the writing came with ease post-workout,” she says.

A 2020 study in PLoS One ⁵confirms a link between intentional mind wandering and divergent thinking, so heading into a workout with a problem to tease out can help you incubate and finish with a solution.

As you likely already know, working out also boosts your mood—and feeling generally good is actually instrumental to exploring new ideas. Feeling good is associated with more creative thinking than feeling bad since ruminating on one set of thoughts prevents better ideas from coming to mind, Dr. Viskontas says.

“Connecting with creativity is a privilege and certainly significantly more challenging to access if there are safety concerns or a person’s basic needs aren’t being met,” Steele explains.

This can be a matter of literal safety and survival (like if you’re living in an unsafe environment) or a perceived one; for example, if you’re in a constant state of stress, fear, and anxiety from your job, you may not be able to access this free-thinking, happy-go-lucky creative state.

“You’re free of any other distractions while in the shower, and often combining all these factors allows for the thoughts, feelings, and actions to join forces in the most meaningful way.” —Katie Steele, LMFT

The shower experience

Exercise on its own can do some major things for your creativity, but following up a workout with a shower can help double down on those benefits. Like many workouts, taking a shower is also an activity that lets your mind wander—only, in the shower, you’re likely not distracted by music, your phone, or what’s going on around you.

“It’s one of the few times in the day where we’re doing something that isn’t mentally taxing, but also isn’t totally engrossing, giving our imagination network an opportunity to do its thing, without constraints,” Dr. Viskontas says.

Researchers have found that this in-between type of task—one that’s not boring but only moderately engaging—hits a sweet spot that helps lead to more creative ideas, according to a 2022 study published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts⁶.

That post-workout mood boost is lingering, and there’s a calming and fluid element to water that can elicit other senses and experiences, Steele says. It’s been famously called the “blue mind theory” by marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols, who wrote a book on the subject, and it suggests that being in, on, or around water helps you enter a mildly meditative state where you feel calmer, more at ease, and more connected to yourself and others.

Pairing that sensation with the post-workout mental clarity creates openness to new ideas, Steele says.

“You’re free of any other distractions while in the shower, and often combining all these factors allows for the thoughts, feelings, and actions to join forces in the most meaningful way,” she says.

How to make the most of this creative moment

If you’re looking to burst out of a creative block or harvest your best post-workout shower ideas, these tips from Dr. Viskontas and Steele can help. Just remember not to overthink it and let it flow; as famous author Ray Bradbury said, “Thinking is the enemy of creativity.”

1. Choose the right workout

Certain types of exercise are better than others in getting creative juices flowing.

“It can’t be so engrossing that you need 100 percent focus,” Dr. Viskontas says. “There needs to be some room for mind wandering or imagination. Generally, aerobic exercise that’s mild- to moderate-intensity seems best⁷, especially if it puts us into a new environment, like a run or a hike, or even a swim.”

Research shows that contact with nature⁸ and listening to music⁹ both help boost creativity, so workouts that allow you to blast your favorite tunes or get you outside may have even more potent benefits.

2. Microdose when needed

While a sweaty workout and shower seem to be great for sparking creative thinking, you can also get a boost from much smaller, more accessible bouts of physical activity—the 2024 review showed that just three or four minutes of walking is enough to facilitate divergent thinking. This can come in handy if you’re at work or school and need a quick jolt of inspiration.

3. Capture as quickly as possible

This is a tall order if a light bulb strikes when you’re in the middle of a burpee interval or your head’s soapy with shampoo.

“When possible, when you have the burst of inspiration to create, utilize it in that moment,” Steele says. “It can be difficult to bring that passion and vision to life later when the moment or clarity and creativity is more distant. At a minimum, capture at least the themes or ideas you just generated in a note and give some context so if you need to come back to it later you can re-access the feelings.”

4. Go in prepared

If you notice you’re a workout or shower idea person, arm yourself with tools that’ll help you grab your thoughts in the moment.

“I use running a lot to do my most creative thinking,” Dr. Viskontas. “My strategy is to define the problem I need to solve just before the run, and then run with my notes app open, so that when those new ideas pop in, I can write them down immediately.”

If you’re in the shower, consider yelling to your phone or a smart speaker to take down a note or text your ideas to a friend or family member—you can explain later. Shower ideas are so common, that someone even designed a waterproof notepad on sale for $15 on Amazon so you won’t wash any more great thoughts down the drain.

5. Keep it low-pressure

It’s important to be patient with yourself and let yourself engage in creativity as a process versus an outcome, according to Steele.

“Embrace the mind-wandering!” Dr. Viskontas adds—and you can only do that if you’re not thinking too hard about what you want.