5 Mental Reasons why you Need to Workout

5 mental reasons why you need to be working out:

We all have differing reasons why we workout, and why we value our fitness.  So often we just talk about the surface level benefits of why people workout.  We talk about shedding lbs., about slimming our waist sizes, and about getting toned up for the beach vacation.  These are all great, and I am not lessening their value at all.  But this post is dedicated to the deeper, often misunderstood benefits of working out and creating a healthy lifestyle.  These are often thought of as indirect benefits of fitness, but in fact, they are just as real, measurable, and tangible as the circumference of your biceps.

1.Routine- Some of us like the hustle and bustle of an unpredictable schedule.  I am not one of them.  Humans are often creatures of habit.  There is nothing that ingrains a productive and successful routine more than having a regular fitness schedule.  Even if you are continually active in your job, a specifically designed fitness routine will help deliver the best results and put the mind in its comfort zone.

2.Positive self-image/positive feedback- Like it or not, most our minds default to negativity as our natural state.  In our society we are always judging, always comparing, always wanting more.  Fitness helps combat this.  Working out routinely is a lot of work, but it is also a lot of accomplishment.  This gives us a positive image of ourselves and give us positive feedback as we accomplish our goals and see improvement along the way.

3.Devours excess negative energy- One of the most beautiful things about working out is that it takes up energy.  A lot of it.  Often, we are restless when we try and sleep, we cannot shut our minds off, we simply have too much energy left in the tank at the end of the day.  One of the best remedies I have found for this problem is good old fashion hard work.  Therefore one of the most important benefits of exercise is improved sleep quality.

4.Improved cognition/physiological benefits- I will not bore you with peer reviewed scientific journal research but realize there are boat loads of studies on exercise and cognition as well as the health benefits of exercise.  They are overwhelmingly positive findings, as you would expect.  From personal experience, my brain is at its finest when I am exercising regularly… I would bet yours is too.

5.Provides community/support/connection- This is more important now than ever.  The last 6 months have been challenging to say the least.  For anyone who values their gym and their exercise routines it has been especially hard to cope with life devoid of our favorite part of the day.  Gym’s offer a unique community for many of us, and that has all but disappeared.  I must admit, I have been rocked to the core personally by this.  But I do feel the changing of the tide, and great things are just around the bend.  Stay strong, this too shall pass.  I look forward to creating a new, flourishing community at Smart Strength.  Please come join me.

Work Smarter, not Harder.

Your Trainer,

Alex