I’m a big believer in regular physical exercise.Not because I’m chasing a personal record, though I do love a good sweat, but because it’s how I stay sane. I often joke it’s either this or intense therapy.

Whatever I'm doing—whether that's running, rowing, or lifting—I’m not consciously trying to solve a problem. I’ve usually got music or a podcast in my ears, and I’m just… moving.But something starts to shift under the surface. It’s like my brain gets to work behind the scenes.

🪢 A mental knot I couldn’t loosen earlier? It starts to give.

💡 The five competing ideas I couldn’t make sense of (spinning, anyone?!)? One or two suddenly become much clearer.

︖ That question I couldn’t quite articulate? It begins to take shape.

✍ That thing I’ve been avoiding writing? I suddenly get a glimmer of what it could be.

There’s a mental release that happens when my body is in motion. For me, getting unstuck rarely comes from thinking alone. Sure, I might talk things out. Toss ideas around with someone else. Or even with myself—doesn’t everyone talk out loud when no one’s around?! Sometimes I just start writing without a plan or a filter. (I call this v*&^ting on paper.) But the breakthrough—the clear path forward—often doesn’t show up until I’ve moved my body and let my mind catch up. At the very least, it clears out the mental cobwebs. I feel sharper, more awake, and ready to think.

And yes, research backs this up. Aerobic activity increases blood flow to the brain—especially the prefrontal cortex, the part responsible for focus, cognitive flexibility, and decision-making.Which means movement doesn’t just change how we feel—it actually changes how we think.

Sometimes, the best way out of your head… is through your body.