At Seiden, we have a work-life balance that’s kind of legendary for our industry. But advertising being what it is, there are weeks that get so hectic that you’re left at zero mental capacity by the end of the day. And it’s a cold, dreary February in NYC – the holiday fun is done, the excitement of a new year over and it feels like a very long stretch in the office till summer’s here.

Sometimes we’re soooo tired that all we want to do when we get home is sleep. (And for many of us with kids, all we want to do when we wake up, is sleep.) But too often, a part of the tiredness at this time of year is a lack of exercise.

Now, exercise is the last thing you feel like you have any energy for. I never believed the annoying people who said exercise gave them energy. It sounded so counter-intuitive. But here’s the deal with just a few things exercise affects:

BLOOD FLOW:
When you exercise, you get more blood moving through your body. Which gets more oxygen to parts of your body that need it. And apparently, over time, your body builds more capillaries to deliver oxygen to more areas. Which means more blood flow. And more blood flow translates to more energy. And round and round we go.

In case you missed it:
Exercise = Increased Blood Flow = Increased Energy
 

ENDORPHINS:
Your body releases these guys when you exercise. Endorphins decrease appetite, block pain and reduce tension and anxiety. So it makes sense that with fewer of them circulating through your body, you might feel more weighed down than you normally would.

HORMONES:
When you exercise, your body secretes the hormone epinephrine: a.k.a. adrenaline! (Did you know they're one and the same? Apparently the U.S. calls it epinephrine and the rest of the world calls it adrenaline.) Anyhoo, epinephrine increases your heart rate, which gets your blood really flowing and pumps oxygen through your body to where you need it the most.

And that, dear friends, is why exercise gives you more energy. So ironically, when you're tired, a quick run might do you a lot more good than a quick nap. Try it and tell us how much better you feel.

Bonus Excuse blocker: What to do when it sucks outside and you have no treadmill? Start your morning with 50 jumping jacks, 30 squats and 30 push-ups – do them in sets of 10 or 5 if you have to. Just do them. If you haven’t been exercising at all, it will be that many more than you did yesterday!