Improve Your Productivity: Go Running

One of the most important keys to having a clear mind and operating your business effectively is this: look after your body.

More specifically, what you should try to do as often as possible is go for a run.

I know, I know. Youve never liked running. You think back to those cold, miserable p.e. lessons at school when it always seemed to be raining and you got a stitch and you just wanted to give up and everyone was *so* much faster than you. But that was then, this is now! I hated running when I was younger, too.

I love running now, and thats not just because Im worried about not training enough and having a heart attack ten minutes after the start of my next marathon. Apart from the health benefits, its the only time during the day when Im my own man, free to think about what I want.

During the day, there are too many distractions. Email coming in. Spam to grumble over and delete. Telephone calls from people offering advertising. Cups of tea to make. Chocolate to eat. Theres never a chance to step back and look at things from a distance.

But that's what you get with running. I dont know what the actual physiological effect on the brain of all that bobbing up and down is, but its almost as if the clutter you carry around in your head gets bounced together and solutions come to you as if by magic. Im sometimes a bit dense, so it took time for me to realise this, but when I stopped to think about it the other day I had to admit to myself that almost without exception, the best and most effective ideas Ive had for my business (and not just business; ideas for how to run my life) have come while Ive been running. When youre stuck in the office staring at the mouse cursor blinking dumbly back at you, theres just no way you can think of new and creative answers. You need to get out.

When I did the London Marathon two years ago, although I enjoyed training with running partners in the months before the race, I always had to run at the same pace as them and had to, well, make conversation! Youre running with friends, so you cant just ignore them for two hours, right? It didnt give me time to switch off. I run alone now and its a lot better, much though I may occasionally miss the company. I can go at the speed I want, dont have to concentrate too much on the outside world other than avoiding being run over, and while the legs are doing their own thing I can drift away and think about things. I find that being able to run at my own pace is very important.

Thats also why I dont listen to music any more when Im hitting the streets. Why? Because when you run to music youre forced to listen to the songs and subconsciously trapped into slowing down or speeding up according to the beat of what youre listening to. I always find myself going slightly mad when I cant quite run quickly enough for the song Im listening to. So no more music. Besides, its dangerous to not be able to hear whats going on around you.

So what do you think? Will you have a go for me? Runnings cheap, you know. Dont need to pay out for gym classes, personal trainers or exercise equipment. Just get yourself a decent pair of running shoes from a reputable shop and youre set.

Youre too old, you say? Too overweight? Don't have the time? Believe me, its never too late. Slow is absolutely fine, because the only one youre racing against is yourself. And youll never find time to do new things; you have to make the time.

A tip before and after your run (very important): S-T-R-E-T-C-H your legs. Itll dramatically lower the risk of injury. Try to lean over and touch your toes while keeping your legs straight. You might not be able to do it at first, but you'll get there.

Oh, and one final thing. Im not a qualified health professional -- cant you tell? -- so saying this probably isnt a good thing, but one huge and often unstated benefit of running for sweetaholics like me is this: it burns off the calories like you wouldnt believe. You can then, if you so choose, replace those missing calories with chocolate... cake... whatever you like!

So what are you waiting for?

About The Author Daniel O`Connor is a leading freelance copywriter in the UK. See his satisfaction-guaranteed site at www.daniboy.com. He`s worked for some of the biggest companies and organisations in the world -- including NTT and Mitsubishi Electric, not to mention the 1998 Olympic Winter Games -- as well as some of the smallest. And he can do a job for you, too. Fluent in both Japanese and French and with a background in languages, Daniel is supremely qualified at explaining complicated things in a simple way. There`s nothing you can throw at him that he won`t have dealt with before. Because it`s all about one thing: the words. The right words for you and your business. Blog articles. SEO for websites. Direct marketing. White papers. Flyer advertising. You want words? Daniel O`Connor has words. Want to try out his writing before getting in touch? Check out his daily business blog at www.daniboy.com/blog/. Read this article in its original context at: http://www.daniboy.com/articles/Improve-Productivity-Run.html