5 ways exercise has transformed my life
My relationship with exercise began aged 16 when I decided to wake up early one morning to go for a run at the local park with my sister. As the years have gone by, it has become an important part of my lifestyle and I now credit it for somewhat keeping me sane.
What has dawned on me is that exercise is not just about developing physical strength but also the mental agility to manage the tumultuous episodes that life brings.
1. Exercise has helped me develop mental strength, which has been pivotal in committing to uncomfortable yet beneficial stages in other areas of my life. By setting and surpassing my ambitious workout goals, I have been able to adopt the type of mind-set that approaches other limitations with a similar confidence of I ‘can conquer this’.
In the moments where I momentarily experience a nugget of self-doubt, I simply cast my mind back to a time where I had overcome what at the time seemed like a challenging workout.
2. Gain body confidence. Being in good shape goes beyond what everyone else sees and compliments you on. What is much more fundamental is feeling good within your own skin because this ultimately has an impact on your inner self-confidence.
Especially as I get older and start to recognise the importance of self-love/acceptance, I now prioritise that over anyone else’s thoughts of me.
3. Healing effects during the difficult times in my life. Exercise has become so interwoven in my daily routine that regardless of whether I am having a good day or a bad day, I still make it a priority. However this is even more beneficial after a bad day. Whilst other temporary pleasures like alcohol may seem enticing, I have learnt to see how pounding the pavements for a few miles is the better therapy.
Although being an advocate for facing difficult situations head-on rather than hiding away, I do recognise the benefits of taking some initial timeout to gain clarity. Exercise can help with that. Once you let off some steam, the fog clears and you realise that a lot of issues are not as insurmountable as they may have seemed.
4. Becoming more disciplined. Having seen the benefits of exercising as part of my daily routine, I am now at the stage where I don’t give my feelings the power to dictate my actions.
Applying the same approach has also been very fruitful with my work, personal growth and voluntary pursuits. Most of the things that have helped me progress in the past few years did not necessarily feel enjoyable in the moment because they took me away from other fun and time wasting activities. But I am grateful for the sacrifice. ‘Winners do what brings good results rather than what feels good’.
Exercise is one of the best ways to develop the ability to push past the initial discomfort in the full knowledge that the after effects will be worth it.
5. Develop a long-term view. As most of you would appreciate, it can take a while before you start to enjoy the results of your workouts. Therefore being able to be patient, keep up with the workout and not be discouraged will pay off. Similarly I have identified the need to approach life and success through a long-term lens. This is a great advantage for anyone who is working towards building a legacy rather then a quick short-term win. Most people will ditch anything that doesn’t seem to give them an instant win or gain. But the reality is that the greatest rewards are often reserved for those who can stay and fight just a bit longer. They are the ones who also seem to be at peace in challenging moments because they are not easily thrown off by not seeing immediate success.
In time they will start to see the incremental wins. Life will reward their intentional and consistent actions.
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