The greatest misconception about exercise is this "if you're tired your best course of action would be to abstain from the thing that will make you more tired" train of thought. Exercise doesn't always work like this. Yes you'll have bad days, but you'll find yourself more energised most of the time and mentally more at peace. Thinking it will make you more tired can often be just a preconception.

It's like that classic sedentary worker ailment of the sore back. Many people take this as a sign to rest more, but these types of issues are often caused by weak musculature and the best thing to do is start resistance training. Obviously not a blanket solution, but one that definitely seems overlooked.

possibly counter to intuition, I find that since I have started to religiously use my stationary bike in the morning, I have a lot more energy for the day, not less. I suppose if you're butting up against caloric/nutrient limits you might suffer. I personally find exercise clarifies my thoughts and improves my mood, even if its the last thing I want to do when I do it.

Figure out how to get entertainment in the form of audio, like Youtube debates or audiobooks, so then exercise is simply multitasking.

> The hard part is finding time and having the motivation.

As I've said here several times: the best exercise is the one you'll stick with over the long haul.

Put another way: anything you'll still be doing in 2026 is better than anything else you'll quit before next Memorial Day.

If you live in an area with decent infrastructure, cycling to and from work is a great way to get exercise in without sacrificing much time (in some cases you even save time)

>The hard part is finding time and having the motivation.

Motivation certainly, but if we accept the results of the study, you really don't think you can find 5 minutes of time in your day to walk up some stairs or do some jump rope?