Exercise Your Way to Becoming a Smarter Lawyer

(Photo: Shutterstock)

Yes, that's right. Clinical research indicates that getting up from your desk for a vigorous workout improves brain functioning and productivity.

In March, the Cognitive Neuroscience Society met in San Francisco to present the latest research on the short-term and long-term effects of exercise on the brain. Clinical research now confirms what I've known for years. Exercise makes you both physically fit and mentally sharp.

Anecdotally, many of my clients tell me that working out improves their productivity. San Francisco lawyer Thomas Gaynor, co-leader of Nixon Peabody's M&A and corporate transactions team, credits regular exercise and proper nutrition with becoming “a more productive lawyer.”