Far too often, people get into the habits of working out and going to the gym for the wrong reasons. Most people want to lose weight. They have a wedding, reunion or event coming up, and they want to look their best. That is great. It is admirable when people want to make a change, but it should go beyond just trying to lose weight for a temporary purpose. Exercise and living a healthy lifestyle brings so many more benefits to your life than just weight loss.
Let’s start there and focus on the term “healthy lifestyle.” This should not be confused with just losing weight. A healthy lifestyle means devoting all aspects of your life to be healthy, not just the physical part. Reduce the stress around you, eliminate bad habits, get enough sleep and have meaningful strong relationships with the people in your life. Plenty of people drop the pounds they want, but are they happier in the end?
It all ties together. Exercise is good for you; it’s actually great for you. It helps you in so many ways, beyond losing a few pounds. It’s one of the main components, along with eating better, sleeping enough and communicating with others. When you go to the gym, run outside, take a fitness class or just do something fun and physical outside, you are actually doing more than burn calories.
Exercise relieves stress. Everyone probably knows this. However, it’s an important thing to consider. If you are having a bad day, sometimes the last thing we want to do is exercise, but it could be the thing to get you through the rough time. Physically it will get your endorphins kicking in and you feel great afterwards. Mentally, it gives you a chance to unwind, forget about the things stressing you out and focus on your workout. Even for 30 minutes to an hour a day, it can make a huge difference.
For some people, exercising is about the accountability and discipline it creates in their daily routines. Some people need those types of traits to keep them happy, healthy and moving. Waking up a little earlier, or carving time to get to the gym each day, makes it easier to get through the rest of the day. It makes larger, more involved errands or aspects of your life not seem so bad.
Don’t sign up for a personal trainer, a gym or start an exercise regime with the sole goal of losing weight. Go in with the mindset of changing your life, improving it, and making your whole attitude better. Exercising will help you get there. Yes, in the end you will be happier.
