It's About the Brains

If I ever do a course on how to be self-employed  I think I’m going to make it a rule that people have to exercise regularly to be allowed to take it.

No, stop looking at me like that.  I don’t mean the 1984 style physical jerks.  I mean for whatever level of fitness that you have at the moment.  Might mean a half hour shuffle around the  block or a 5K run. (My faithful readers should be aware that I’m closer to that shuffle around the block than a 5K run!)

I’m writing this after having worked out and finished my quota for my contract work today. No, I’m not done for the day.  I don’t spend all my time on contract work.   Gotta do marketing, too, ya know.

But…

The reason I mention exercise is that I’m finding that if I’m up and have worked out early in the morning, my brain is in gear to the point where writing just flows, even when it’s not my favorite topic in the world to be working on.  The quality of the writing is superior and I don’t get that “pulling teeth” sensation that hits me if I put off writing till the afternoon, try to write without having worked out, or try to write at night.

This is not to say that I think people should necessarily be morning people.  If a workout in the afternoon and working all night is where your brain is on fire and sharpest, I think it’s fine to go with that. I do think there’s a great benefit in treating the exercise as non-negotiable.

I’m not saying that one has to be a hotshot athlete, either.  There are pics of me in this blog.  I’m hardly a model of physical fitness.   My true asset is my brain.  If exercise did not help me think better, I assure you I would not bother.  I am saying that regularly getting all sweaty and red in the face does have great benefits for how well you think.  Screw the other stuff.  Clearing the pathways in the brain is important.

Yes, yes, yes, the human body is an integrated system.  That’s rather the point.