Why YOU Should Make Exercise A Priority

Nowadays there seems to be an eternal feed on how to exercise, what to eat, why we should do this for our health, why, we shouldn’t do that and the whole thing can be completely overwhelming.

You don’t have to do flick your way down through your TV guide far now to find a programme dedicated to either diet, exercise, or both.

We all know the benefits to a healthy lifestyle and exercise but why do I feel that the latter is not just about raising heart rate and pumping iron?

Modern day life is a stressful affair, regardless of if you are a businessman or woman with all its associated pressures or a parent with the stresses of children

If exercise stops, then overall health goes downhill too. With the loss of physical health, motivation, productivity, and focus is also affected.

WHAT I’VE LEARNT

I’ve learned first-hand that exercise in my life promotes excellence in all other areas of my life, and a lack of it creates the opposite. This is why now, even after a long day of coaching clients, I will often see my Nike trainers left by the back door by my wife ready for a quick run to unwind after the day.

It’s during these I can be alone with my thoughts, decide on how best to deal with pressing issues, put aside petty differences, decide on new ideas for the business or simply unwind and de-stress. So many of life’s issues can be resolved in only one way, but all too often we muddy the waters by adding in many other options by over analysing the situation.

The science explains this, exercise drops stress hormones and increases the number of neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine, which are known to accelerate information processing, it also improves oxygen saturation and angiogenesis (blood vessel growth) in areas of the brain associated with rational thinking so it is proven to help simplify these decisions by improving cognitive function, reducing stress in the process.

WHY EXERCISE REALLY WORKS

Exercise increases concentrations of norepinephrine, a chemical that moderates the brain’s response to stress, so the prescription is fast acting and proven.

Similarly, when on holiday my family now understand that by giving me a small window each day or every other day to get my physical and chemical fix I can relax and enjoy downtime that much more

BUT IS IT SELFISH OF ME……?

Sure, taking time away from precious family time is a selfish act, especially at holidays and Christmas and I do accept that, but your own happiness is solely the responsibility of you, no-one else can ultimately be responsible for your happiness, family and friends are intrinsically linked to happiness but the onus is on you.

In some cases, exercise can be just as effective as antidepressant pills in treating depression and I’m sure loved ones do accept if not understand, eventually.

DON’T OVERCOMPLICATE IT……..IT’S SIMPLE!

Exercise is the easiest area of my life to control. It’s easy to measure. Either I get up and get on with it, or I don’t. When I do, it lifts all other areas of my life, including my home life & business, when I don’t, both suffer.

WHAT CLIENTS SAY

Over the past 8 years I have coached over 10,000 personal training sessions and I would put a value close to 50% of those who come in with a lethargic approach mentally, I accept that a lot of these groans are just an act of dread at the oncoming storm that lays ahead, but the tone is usually of the like,

‘I’m not looking forward to this”

“Come on then I suppose we better do this”

“I was going to cancel today, but thought I’d better not”

And yet to this day have never heard a client walk out at the end of the session and say that they regretted doing it.

GOOD DAYS OR BAD DAYS, JUST GET OUT THERE

You don’t need to hit the roads on long outdoor runs as I do, that just happens to be my method of relaxation, as perverse as that may sound, and you don’t need to be setting a personal best every time you go out, in fact often the intensity or kg’s being lifted are irrelevant unless you’re training for a specific event. The point is, get up get out there and get on with it.

Find a discipline you like, be it weight training, swimming, spin classes or a mixture of these and I guarantee you will not regret it, nor will your body and mind.

The hardest part will always be the first step.