an excerpt from Get More Power from your Brain

The nearly 86 billion neurons in our brains connect with each other through dendrites, which are like many long, skinny fingers at the ends of our neurons. When we have a well-established habit, we have actually grown additional dentrites that fire when we encounter circumstances that trigger that habit. For example, instead of thinking, “I’m too busy to exercise”, we arrange to get up 40 minutes earlier in the morning and go for a 30-minute walk or run.

If you need some more motivation, take a look at the YouTube video, 23-1/2 hours by Dr. Mike Evans.

An easy way to start an exercise program is to start counting the number of steps you walk per day. You will need a pedometer, or you might want to go high tech and get a Fitbit, which will track steps, distance, calories burned and even stairs climbed.

Here is what my friend Jeannette Folan says about using a Fitbit:

“Being self-employed, I always thought my time was best spent working on generating income, not exercising. But after using the Fitbit to track my daily exercise, I quickly discovered that I was billing 10-15% more hours during the weeks when I got at least 45 minutes of exercise a day. And now I realize that the exercise was boosting my physical AND mental energy levels.”

Choose an activity you enjoy. Arrange your schedule so that it’s easy to change into comfortable clothes and shoes, and start at the same time on those scheduled days. Tell yourself, “I prefer to have a healthy brain and body.”

Every time you follow through on that thought and exercise, you’re changing the structure of your brain. Within weeks your brain will treat it as a regular routine, and after a few months you will feel uncomfortable if you don’t exercise. The biggest benefit is that you will be getting more power from your brain.