Most of the time my morning routine consists of hypnosis, meditation, affirmations and a solid ass-kicking from Jaiya and his team at Your Next Victory. Between workouts with Jaiya and workouts with the Derby Dolls, I can get pretty beat up sometimes. This a.m. I opted for an entirely different type of exercise ala "just like when I was a kid." I got on my pink beach cruiser with the wicker basket, put on my headphones, turned on my iPod and started peddling. Although I do have an official workout playlist that I like to use for motivation, today I decided to leave the iPod on shuffle and see what would happen. I didn't realize my podcast was set on repeat>albums so the first 4 songs I heard were by Flipper. Which is totally fine because I LOVE Flipper. I heard Way of the World, In Your Arms and Ha Ha Ha. After that, I heard Transitions by the Beastie Boys followed by Rhythm (Devoted to the Art of Moving Butts) by A Tribe Called Quest. I finished off the ride with Steppin Stone (a Monkees cover) by Minor Threat. It was an exhilarating ride. Something I lost touch with for a long time thanks to poor body image and food obsession. Today I can honestly say I love my body. I love the feel of my muscles burning. I like to challenge myself. I love the feel of the wind on my face. I like to guess what people on the bike path are thinking. I think the diet, fitness and advertising industries stripped the notion of fun right outta exercise and now, more than ever, its time to bring it back. I watched a portion of The Brain Fitness Program on KOCE-HD. Here's what brain researchers are finding: "Throughout our lives it (the brain) can be physically and functionally changed even improved on, depending on how we use it." It turns out that exercise is one of the few things that can cause the brain to grow new neurons. According to Sharon Begley, co-author of The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force "Something as simple as one hour of aerobic exercise 5 times a week will dial up the rate of production of new neurons in the brain." That means memory loss is not something we're completely powerless over. It is not an inevitable side effect of aging. Don't you think existence in modern day society is stealing enough of your brain already? Don't make it worse by being a couch potato. This is your life. Live it. It is never too late to change.