I included a free quickie 10-minute video workout from me at the bottom of this message, but first I want to rehash some of this week’s JillFit info …

All week, we’ve been talking about stress and focus and energy management and how to stop spinning your wheels, and start getting more productive.

It’s been a fun week. Yesterday on the JillFit Facebook page, I gave some book recommendations and one gal replied, “Not much of a reader. I don’t have the time!” And then, she caught herself while she was commenting and had a bit of a mental turnaround—which comes first? Invest in tools and resources that can help you with time/energy management OR continue to insist you are “too busy” to stop and figure it out?

I know which one I choose for years. The idea that I would invest time, effort, and yes, even money into creating a better experience for myself felt absurd. I was ALWAYS that person saying, “Well, when things slow down, theeeeeen, I’ll do it.”

Ever said that?

You know what blew my mind about that statement? I was reading a book on willpower (lol) and the author actually showed research that in fact, things never slow down! Or at least our perception of the hectic-ness doesn’t ever change, until we change our perception.

Think about it. If I am always insisting I am too busy, then I can’t be surprised when I am, well, too busy all the time.

The key is changing your perception. And to do that, you have to change both your language around “busy” and also actually take even the smallest step in the direction of clearing your schedule, or at the very least, clearing your mental plate somewhat. Burning the candle at both ends is no way to live. It might be working for a while, but it’s pace that’s unsustainable. You might be doing stuff, but your effectiveness suffers.

I know it did for me when I was personal training client after client. I was going through the motions. I remember, the counting and the cuing was so automated in my brain that I could be training someone, while also thinking about what I was going to be making for dinner later and what was happening tomorrow. As you can see, that didn’t make me such a great trainer! I was unable to be present because I was trying to maintain this low level of focus 24/7, rather than allowing my brain to work in ebbs and flows.

In last week’s email, I shared some of my favorite ways to start giving your brain the downtime it needs, including things like letting your brain wander while driving, taking a few extra minutes in the shower to meditate, or including a 10-min leisure walk at lunch.

When it comes to brain refreshers, every little bit does actually count because it’s not the moment-to-moment attention that matters, but the cumulative restoration that happens throughout the day. Your brainpower is like a piggy bank. Investing in it, even with small change (like a 10-min walk!) makes a difference.

Exercise is one key aspect of brain recharge. It both helps clear our mental plate through providing the stimulation of blood flow, increased circulation, mental checkout that all help replenish our brainpower.

I’m certain you’ve experienced this. You’re stressed the hell out, and then you hit a hard workout and all of a sudden, you can take on the world. That’s not a physical switch, but a mental one. It’s a mental reset. Much like sleep.

More meditative exercise works well, too (though I tend to think all exercise is meditative), like yoga, tai chi and foam rolling. Group fitness classes where you are exercising to fun music is great for energy reset, like Zumba or Soul Cycle. And things that help hone your physical skills like boxing and weight training are also rejuventating. And the latter also give you that badass factor, so that helps ;)

But let’s face it. Exercising for hours? Well, ain’t nobody got time for that! Ha. So the solution is efficient workouts. Fast workouts that give you the intensity you need to feel accomplished, reset mentally and like you can take on whatever the world gives you.

It’s the most empowering way to train, IMO ;)

So, I want to make sure you have the opportunity to get the NINE 20-minute video workouts that I provided for my friend Sarah’s online course, SH(I)NE, which is on sale for 75% off until tomorrow only. The course is all about stress management, getting more productive, efficient and also honoring yourself with things like individualized nutrition, sleep insights and yes, efficient workouts, which I provided for the program.

The course includes 9 full-length 20-min workouts, where I am taking you through as the trainer. All nine workouts can be done at home or the gym:

To give you a taste of the kind of workouts and how they work, I took a 10-minute clip of a workout (this is NOT one of the workouts in the program, but it’s similar) for you to try out, here. Or click on the image below. It’s a 10-min lower body circuit for the gym. You can also do it at home with dumbbells.