Tony Taylor

The average American gets 3000 to 4000 steps a day. This pales in comparison to our hunter gatherer ancestors who got 16,000 to 17,000 steps. This image shows 2 brain scans that represent a students neural activity during a test following sitting and walking for 20 minutes. The color blue represents lower neural activity, while the color red shows higher brain activity in a given region. This shows that exercise has a massive impact not only on your physical health but your mental health. Here are 5 reasons why: 1) It increases serotonin, norepinephrine & dopamine, which manage your thoughts & emotions. 2) It releases endorphins into your body that block out pain and make you feel good. 3) It promotes neuroplasticity, which enhances your brains ability to learn skills and change. 4) It increases oxygen supply to your brain that can help with memory, flexible thinking and self control. 5) It helps you manage stress & increase energy, which will help you become better at every aspect of life. If exercise came in pill form, it would be plastered across the front page, hailed as the blockbuster drug of the century. Do you need to hit a gym to get the benefits? It helps but no. You can find ways to get more movement throughout your day. It could be taking the stairs instead of using the elevator. Or parking a bit farther from your spot. You could even do walking meetings. You can do micro workouts like doing 10 pushups each time you use a door or squats before you sit. There are many ways to get more exercise throughout your day that the only thing you have to get over is yourself. Do not sleep on what a few more steps or a bout of intense exercise will do to your brain and body. It is the #1 metahabit in the world for a reason. Use it to your advantage. Ps. Credit to @SahilBloom for being the first one to bring this brain scan to my attention.

Work is not all of life. Your co-workers shouldn’t be your only friends. Schedule life and defend it just as you would an important business meeting. Never tell yourself “I’ll just get it done this weekend.” Review Parkinson’s Law and force yourself to cram within tight hours so your per-hour productivity doesn’t fall through the floor. Focus, get the critical few done, and get out. E-mailing all weekend is no way to spend the little time you have on this planet.

.@HarriSmith22 speaks on his decision to stay in Minnesota.