You're busy.  Experiments, lab meeting, journal club, classes - you barely have time to sleep, let alone make it to the gym to exercise.  We'll tell you about 10 creative ways other grad students and postdocs stay physically fit, and how it's boosting their productivity and self-confidence.

You don't have time NOT to exercise
The research is clear: exercising is good for your mood, your productivity, and your health.  So why do so many of us believe we "don't have time for it?"  To reap the benefits of exercise for people on a busy lab schedule, we asked the LabRats group on Reddit and other grad students and postdocs for advice on staying in shape.

Here are some of their tips:

* Bike to lab!
* Take a class at the university gym
* Take the stairs
* Learn a martial art
* Schedule workout time with your lab-mates to make it social
* Sign up for intramural sports on campus
* Check out cross-fit at a local gym or online
* Try the New York Times 7-minute workout or other apps
* Read papers while riding a stationary bike or elliptical machine
* Do squats while waiting for the centrifuge

Bottom line - find something you enjoy, and make it a priority.  You'll feel more confident, and tie your sense of accomplishment to something more than today's experiment.

 
Salted Caramel Everything
After all that exercise, it's time to indulge as we sample a New Belgium Brewing/Ben & Jerry's colla-BEER-ation (see what I did there?)  It's the Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale, and it's not as bad as you'd think.  The brewer's sense of restraint is appreciated, as this still tastes like a beer and not a chocolate milk-shake.

We also celebrate the season this week with a reading of The Night Before CRISPRmas, and an etymological tale about the origin of Santa's name.  Happy Holidays!

 

References

Exercise and workplace performance

Exercise and cognition