Exercise: Your Secret Ingredient To Winning
We all have our own reasons for why we exercise. Health, self-improvement, meeting others.
Not only is exercise proven to improve your performance both physically and mentally (1), it creates your own secret ingredient for making you your best self and improving your chances at winning in everything you do.
There is article after article about the benefits of exercise and why you should do it. I thought that since you don’t need anymore noise on the “benefits” I would tell you a personal perspective of why for the past year I’ve committed to working out and lifting weights six to seven days a week for at least an hour.
1. I Look Better: I know what your thinking – how original. But seriously, I look better. People have used the word “vibrant” to describe the improvement. My skin looks better, my clothes fit better, and I have a higher self-regard for “me”. In other words, I’m proud of myself.
2. Improved Resourcefulness: I think it’s fair to say that everyone, both guys and gals alike want to feel like they can take on and overcome any challenge they’re faced with. Through building a positive daily habit I’ve improved my self-confidence and belief that I can achieve what I put my mind to. I’ve noticed throughout the last year that instead of getting frustrated when challenged with something complex I look forward to figuring out how I’m going to find a solution to my problem. I’ve also found that with improved self-confidence I have improved creativity which has help me find faster results.
3. Community: Humans are social beings and we crave surrounding ourselves with a community of like-minded individuals. That’s why being a part of an athletic team is so popular throughout every high school and college in the world and it’s also a major reason why you are seeing activities such as CrossFit flourish. People are desperate for community and CrossFit offers it with all the kool-aid you could ever want to drink. One of the main reasons I love going to my gym is having the opportunity to connect with others. Don’t get me wrong, I go there to work out, not stand around. But I have found it to be energizing to meet new friends, new business contacts, and enjoy being in a place that is specifically meant for bettering yourself.
4. I Feel Better: It was October 1st, 2014 that I started my “reinvent me” campaign with my buddy Adam. I was coming off a year of winning the “Husband of the Year” award by gaining a whopping 25lbs. of sympathy weight while my wife was pregnant with our third child. I got up to the highest my weight had ever been – 217 lbs. Boy did I have fun while my wife was pregnant! By this coming October 1st I’ll be right around 190lbs. That’s a loss of 27 lbs and I feel great! When I was 217 lbs. all I wanted to do was eat more, sit around more, and be less productive. 27 lbs. lighter I enjoy getting up at 5 a.m. to workout, attaining new physical goals and I feeling mentally sharper to take on the daily challenges of my company.
5. I’m a Better Family Man: I’m a better father and husband now that I’ve gotten into a ritual of being active on a daily basis. Instead of passing up on opportunities to do active things with my family, I typically jump at the chance to spend time doing something with them or initiate our next family outing.
If your like I was a year ago and have found yourself a little too idle and stationary in your day-to-day life, I would encourage you to get started with a workout routine that you believe is achievable and doable in your life. Maybe it’s walking or running, or maybe it even incorporates some lifting. Either way get started today and begin to enjoy the transformation that you see not only in your body, but in your mind as well.
Citations:
(1) Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. Darren E.R. Warburton, Crystal Whitney Nicol, and Shannon S.D. Bredin, CMAJ. 2006 Mar 14; 174(6): 801–809.