This month's Fitness Magazine has a candid, interesting article about the rather wise and balanced health habits of...Condoleeza Rice?! Hey, I'm no fan politically (to say the least), but she's definitely an example of a busy woman, and gets credit for allowing her workout to be photographed (egads), as well as for sharing insights into how she manages (obviously) intense job stress by taking care of her health - adequate sleep, nutritious food, and regular exercise. (The website only provides her workout, not the full interview, but it's still worth checking out.) Yet another example of a busy woman who names rigorous workouts as the source of her energy. Hmmm...

In fact, rigorous exercise, as outlined in the excellent book SPARK, by John J. Ratey, MD, is also the key to stable mood and a sharp intellect, among other healthy brain functions. From Amazon.com:

Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat? The evidence is incontrovertible: Aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance.

In SPARK, John J. Ratey, M.D., embarks upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection, presenting startling research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause to Alzheimer's. Filled with amazing case studies (such as the revolutionary fitness program in Naperville, Illinois, which has put this school district of 19,000 kids first in the world of science test scores), SPARK is the first book to explore comprehensively the connection between exercise and the brain. It will change forever the way you think about your morning run---or, for that matter, simply the way you think.

Sound interesting? It is, in fact I couldn't put it down, not to mention I can't think of a better motivator for getting out the door and moving my butt. (Fitting into skinny jeans can only take you so far, and as you probably already know, that's not very.)