Half my book was written while either running or cycling.I do not have a fancy treadmill desk that morphs into a cycling desk. I have a comfy chair that I'm sitting in as I type this column, but it doesn't change the fact that large portions of this article were written in my head while running outside in cold and snowy temperatures. When the snow melts, I will do more writing while sailing along the highway on my carbon-fiber road bike.I'm not the only one who gets creative while exercising outdoors. Last year I spoke with singer Sarah McLachlan, an avid runner, who told me she likes to write lyrics in her head while being bipedal in the wilderness.I love her music, so there must be something to this idea that exercising outside enhances creativity."We've known for a long time that writers get benefit from being active out in nature," said Ruth Ann Atchley, chair of psychology at the University of Kansas. "The environment makes a big difference."

From: www.chicagotribune.com