Countless studies have demonstrated that exercise can improve how you feel and how you look. A useful guideline for exercise is that you should spend at least 30 minutes each day doing something. That’s roughly two percent of a 24 hour day, which is why this habit is called “Exercise 2% plus.” The “plus” is an encouragement to do more when you can.
As you build a routine of low to moderate level exercise, or if you routinely exercise already, gradually increase the duration and intensity of your workouts. There are many schools of thought concerning what fitness habits work best for a particular individual.
The simple best practice for proper exercise is to get started and do something. Do that something routinely, and enjoy doing it. Know how to warm up and cool down. Know your limits. It can be a competitive team sport. It can be a personal routine you enjoy for a life time: Yoga (especially Vinyasa focused on flow). Jogging. Biking. Walking. Golf. Lifestyle changes that become part of your normal routine are the key to lasting health.
Exercise improves circulation to every part of you: your heart, lungs, digestive system, even your brain. Your brain is, first and foremost, a physical organ. Exercise improves the flow of blood in the brain just as it does in other organs. In addition, it can enhance the role of neurotransmitters involved in thinking throughout the day.
Talking to your coach. Using your own measure of success, once a day or throughout the day tell your coach why you have—or haven’t—spent at least 30 minutes walking, jogging, working at the gym, doing yoga, whatever. Making the journal entry will stimulate your thinking. Your coach will ask questions, not expecting an answer, but rather to help you understand how consistently do that 2% plus.
