1. Why exercise…
Most people think of exercise in terms of burning calories, losing weight, and producing endorphins (chemicals that help relieve pain and stress). I mentioned it in a recent blog post, but there is a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) that acts like Miracle-Gro for the brain. It helps neurons in the brain grow and helps protect existing ones. Exercise increases the production of BDNF. Physical movement (a.k.a. exercise) has been proven to reduce depression (better than the leading meds for some people), boosts moods, helps prevent Alzheimer’s, slows aging, boosts learning capacity and cognitive function, and MUCH, MUCH more. It seems silly to tell you to make sure you are exercising, as it is so basic and simple, but the benefits are INCREDIBLE! Stop thinking about exercise in terms of weight loss, muscle building, and fitness, and start thinking about it in terms of what it really is… a required nutrient!!! Start today! Pick an activity… any activity… preferably one you enjoy… and GO DO IT! Get out and increase your BDNF (and take your kids with you)!
2. Question I was asked this week…
Your money or your life? Author Vicki Robin asks this question, which is also the title of her New York Times Best Selling book. She asks… if someone came up to you and jammed a gun in your ribs and demanded, “Give me your money or your life,” the answer is obvious. We would all give our money. However, as she points out, many of us are actually giving up our lives over money with the way we work, spend, go into debt, and prioritize our money. I’m only a few chapters in, but it’s always good to rethink money and how it is dictating our behavior and life. She states that the phrase earning a living is a myth… that we are earning a death. At the end of the day, after working so hard, for so many hours, most people come home anything but fully alive. Stop and ask yourself… Why are you working so hard? Are you excited with what you do? Are you making a difference? Do you feel a part of something bigger? So… I’ll ask you one more time… your money or your life??? You can click here to get the book in paperback or the audio version.
3. Game-changing service I love…
I love books. I love that I can take a deeper dive into almost any topic. However, my time is limited, so I rely on audio books a lot. I use Audible.com. It is a subscription-based service, giving you a certain amount of credits each month, which you use to purchase audio books. At first, I didn’t want credits building up because of lack of use, but those credits push me to get more books. Audible is “the world’s largest seller and producer of audiobooks and other spoken-word entertainment…” You can get a free 30-day trial by clicking here. At any given time, I am reading a book and listening to a book. I am not the world’s fastest reader, but the audio books allow me to knock out a couple of books a month. If you’re in your car a lot, you could listen to many more. You can adjust the speed of the audio, allowing you to get through some books even faster. (I usually listen at a speed of 1.25x’s. My brother can actually listen at a speed of 2x’s.) I know not everyone can do this, but I find that I can hike, run, or workout while listening to audio books. Check it out and give it a try here.