A recent Stanford University study found that the simple act of walking improved a person’s creative thinking ability by 60%. Someone who is walking, or has recently sat down after walking, is 60% more creative than a person who has been sitting. Another interesting note is that it didn’t matter if a person walked indoors or outdoors. The simple act of walking made them more creative regardless of the environment or if they used a treadmill.

Many pastors have a sitting problem.

We sit 90% of the day.

We sit while writing sermons. We sit while answering email. We sit while making phone calls. We sit in meetings. We sit while counseling people. We sit at restaurants. We sit driving to work. We sit in Bible studies. Some of us even sit while preaching.

It is obvious to see how pastoral sitting can be linked to decreased activity and weight gain, but that is another problem for another time.

The problem that we often don’t realize is that all of our sitting is actually hindering our creativity. Yes, sitting actually makes you less creative!

Why You Should Walk More

Don’t just take my word for it. A recent Stanford University study found that the simple act of walking improved a person’s creative thinking ability by 60%.

Someone who is walking, or has recently sat down after walking, is 60% more creative than a person who has been sitting.

Another interesting note is that it didn’t matter if a person walked indoors or outdoors. The simple act of walking made them more creative regardless of the environment or if they used a treadmill.

For years people have claimed that they do their best thinking while walking or exercising. Now there is finally research to prove it.

Do you ever struggle with creativity? Maybe you are sitting too much.

Do you ever have writers block when writing sermons? Maybe you are sitting too much.

Do you ever have trouble finding new solutions to recurring problems? Maybe you are sitting too much.

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