Like most creatives (those who aren’t Garth Ennis, or Robert Kirkman, or Stephen King who can afford to wipe their arse with the spare change in their pockets from all the royalties they earn from film and T.V. adaptations of their work - nope, not jealous at-all) we, at Sweet Nightmares have day jobs.
John is a VFX artist for film and T.V. Whilst I (Troy) run a small personal training and online fitness business.
Many of my clients are busy professionals, some of whom are designers of some kind or other. But they still find time to come and see me, to throw some kettlebells around and discuss their food choices for the week. Because they know that their success in business hinges on their ability to perform the work needed. That, coupled with wanting to be the best father/mother/spouse they can be, they have identified health-seeking behaviour as a key aspect of that over arching goal. The physical or aesthetic achievements aren’t the primary goal, they are a side-effect, a very positive side-effect, but a side-effect all the same. Their superordinate goal is to be a better family person and a better business person. A health-seeking lifestyle is a part of the process to get there.
Fitness Is Self-Love (not that kind you perv)
What does any of this have to do with creative writing or art?
The healthier you are, the more clarity of mind you will have, the more mental and emotional resilience you will have, as well as a better attention span to boot.
Oh, and this isn’t one of those things where I just say stuff that sounds vaguely valid relying on you, the layman, being ill-equipped to extract the B.S. from the mess of pseudoscience. I always cite my claims with scientific evidence.
For example, Mikkelson et al. examined a body of literature that showed how exercise can not only improve fitness and body composition, but can have significant positive influences on anxiety, depression and mood (1).
Similarly, a paper published in ‘Trends in psychiatry and psychotherapy’ in 2021 (2). Concluded that increases in daily physical activity would be likely to reduce the burden on mental health services.
While in 2023, a paper published in Cureus (3) noted that exercise has favourable effects on the HPA Axis and cortisol management, resulting in a better mood and quality of life. It was also shown that exercise can help reduce cravings for substances and even attenuate some psychotic symptoms.
**FYI you don’t need to worry about taking expensive herbal supplements to reduce chronically elevated cortisol. Most cortisol related conditions are the result of LOW cortisol. If your cortisol is chronically elevated it’s almost certainly because you lead a very stressful lifestyle. So sort your life out before you buy unnecessary shit you heard about in a TikTok video**
I don’t intend to imply that you are mental and simply swinging a kettlebell will stop you from donning a William Shatner mask and stalking high school girls with a kitchen knife. But setting aside a little time to be nice to yourself by doing some kind of focussed movement you enjoy could definitely help you to think more clearly and feel calmer.
Not only that, but never in the history of writers block has staring manically at your screen waiting for writers block to magically disappear ever worked.
Stepping away from your desk for a few minutes is not only a healthy thing to do, but mindfully concentrating on some exercise (and therefore switching off your creative lizard brain) for a little bit might actually help you find the inspiration that had been eluding you.
I know a lot of writers and artists who complain of back pain. Well, no shit Sherlock! You work all day, you come home to family life and then spend half the night sat at your desk drawing or writing. Of course your arse is weak and flaccid and your lower back is tight! Plus you are stressed to the heavens and you are chronically under slept… oh, and that caffeine addiction isn’t helping…
But guess what? It turns out that movement of any kind is better for reducing back pain than no movement at-all (4). Sure, you don’t need a scientist to tell you that. But it’s interesting to find that yoga and Pilates are no more effective than lifting weights, running or even walking. This means you could literally do anything and you’ll feel better than just sitting there moaning about it.
Just think about it for a second.
Incorporating some regular exercise into your daily routine, a basic health-seeking habit, could improve your mood, make you feel less anxious (or psychotic) make you feel more comfortable because your back hurts less and, help open up a world of creative excellence.
I made an Instagram post giving some simple and practical advice for desk-bound professional recently, you can see that here .
Make a Note
What does any of this have to do with Sweet Nightmares, I hear you ask. About a month ago, John came to me with an idea for a printed workbook. Basically a notebook for VFX artists - if people like it we’ll produce more for other specific creative fields. Storyboard artists, screen writers, Dwarven scribes, etc. But John wanted it to be more than 200 blank pages in a fancy cover (the pages aren’t all blank by the way). So he asked me to come up with some health and fitness advice for busy creatives. Therefore, if you get the book there is a section that offers some simple behaviours to incorporate into your lifestyle. Some very simple and basic strength exercises that you can do at or by your desk, and a little bit of practical nutrition advice. And not a glucose monitor in sight!
(Seriously, you don’t need to know what your blood-glucose is doing unless you are diabetic, but don’t let Tim Spector’s aggressive marketing campaign get in the way of facts)
If you are still reading this has obviously interested you enough to go and follow @tmfitnessuk on Instagram or check out my website at www.tmfitness.co.uk
Here’s to a healthy and creative 2024.
Troy
P.S. I’m hoping to make an exciting announcement regarding Aphelion soon. Keep your eyes peeled.
References:
Mikkelsen K, Stojanovska L, Polenakovic M, Bosevski M, Apostolopoulos V. Exercise and mental health. Maturitas. 2017 Dec;106:48-56. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2017.09.003. Epub 2017 Sep 7. PMID: 29150166.
Schuch FB, Vancampfort D. Physical activity, exercise, and mental disorders: it is time to move on. Trends Psychiatry Psychother. 2021 Jul-Sep;43(3):177-184. doi: 10.47626/2237-6089-2021-0237. Epub 2021 Apr 21. PMID: 33890431; PMCID: PMC8638711.
Mahindru A, Patil P, Agrawal V. Role of Physical Activity on Mental Health and Well-Being: A Review. Cureus. 2023 Jan 7;15(1):e33475. doi: 10.7759/cureus.33475. PMID: 36756008; PMCID: PMC9902068.
Macedo LG, Hodges PW, Bostick G, et al
Which Exercise for Low Back Pain? (WELBack) trial predicting response to exercise treatments for patients with low back pain: a validation randomised controlled trial protocol
BMJ Open 2021;11:e042792. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042792
You captured me perfectly, detailing how this whole mess culminated in a painful year that included a surgery, mental health problems, and physical health problems (affecting my comic book deliveries! Not too bad, but up till now I was like a Swiss watch!). I can't even talk about how terrible was 2023... I used to play tennis regularly, but I had to give it up. I never got sick when I was training regularly! Well, Let's remain positive, make an effort to follow your recommendations, and come back stronger! ...I'm hoping! :)