Instead of worrying so much about what exactly you should be doing, just get up and MOVE. Moving can be anything - setting an alarm every hour to stand up and stretch, doing a couple flights of stairs, or getting outside for a quick walk (provided you’re practicing social distancing!).

Though body and mind are typically thought of as being separate, it’s helpful to consider them as a unit because they work together. For your mind to be engaged, your body needs to be energized. There is a growing body of research showing that physical activity improves brain function and facilitates learning, creativity and problem solving among other key functions. Even simple movements like walking get you physically energized and open up the possibility of creating beta wave activity in the brain, which is reflective of the brain state you need to be in if you have to work at a task or perform an action that requires your concentration.

If you want to live a world-class life, you’ll need an exercise plan, because physical activity can dramatically improve your health and performance. In particular, you will want an approach that capitalizes what I call the 4Fs: Fitness, Force, Fast and Flexible.

In the last six months, I have been exploring ways that exercise can facilitate a change in mindset when it comes to improving physical and mental health and performance. To take advantage of this shift, I want you to think about exercise in a new way.

I’ve talked a lot recently about the importance of exercise for controlling focus and attention, which is one of the main benefits on top of the major impacts exercise has on physical health.

But exercise is also essential for establishing and sustaining a joyful and positive mood, which is a funny effect because the secret to establishing a consistent habit of exercise is actually finding the joy in movement.

Enjoying the summer? I’m loving it. Summer makes it so much easier to get outside and get active. But despite no longer having the weather as an excuse, Canadians still don’t come even close to getting enough physical activity.

A recent report on Canadians’ activity levels showed that only 15 per cent of us are getting enough exercise on a daily basis. That means that 85 per cent of Canadians are at risk of chronic illnesses like cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes simply because they are not physically active on a daily basis.