We have all heard that working out and exercising is good for us. Yet many of us still do not have it incorporated into our daily routine. Our lives are so fast-paced and it seems like every minute is occupied with some activity, chore, or responsibility. Moreover, when we have some down time, exercising is far from what we want or desire to fill that time with. With all the craze and hype our news feeds are filled with about an active life style, many still struggle to get ten minutes of exercise each day.
If you are like myself where the last two and a half years has been consumed with grad school caveman lifestyle, then I am sure most can relate to the most sedentary of our primes. I really was starting to feel the sluggishness will be my pariah. To be fair, the constant late night studies and sleepy days did not allow much time allocated for exercise. Walking from the parking lot to my classes seemed like the most exercise I was getting during this time.
However, when I consciously decided to become active again, no point intended, I started by getting up thirty minutes before my normal alarm snooze. To say it was an easy decision would be false. Rather the struggle was real. For the first few weeks, I missed some mornings so I forced myself to exercise after work. Nevertheless, no matter what, I made sure to get at least thirty minutes each day of active aerobic exercises, running on the treadmill, kickboxing, squats and Pilates. Within two weeks of incorporating working out part of my daily routine, the results were amazing in all areas of my life-emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally.
· The extreme tiredness and sluggishness I was feeling was gone. I could work 8-12hours at the office and still feel energized.
· The more I exercised, the more I looked forward to it and my body felt different (not in a good way) if I went two to three days without working out.
· I felt a deeper need to grow spiritually connecting with my inner self.
· Waking up early to begin my day did not seem like a challenge anymore, allowed me to get an early start in my day, and at work before most arrived for the day.
· Thoughtful thinking and solutions to my entrepreneurial company seemed more attainable and allowed me to make strides and cover ground in a month more than what I had covered in a three month period.
· My self-confidence and self-esteem improved and the overall feeling about myself was noticeable.
· Overall, my desire to seek more knowledge, read more, and do more was remarkable.
Overall, my life has improved in all facets. It had been a while that I felt energized and feeling like I can conquer the world. Exercising might be hard and with the business of our daily lives, it can be hard to think of working out at the end of the day. However, it is worth planning and making time for it just as we plan for other activities. In doing so, it will become routine in itself.
Studies have shown the benefits of exercising but I think sometimes, we do not pay attention to the advice of health experts because they seem so abstract and intangible. However, indirectly, exercise may help us live long active lives and as some studies reveal, happy lives as well.
So consider working out, start small, in short intervals and build momentum, and before you know it, you cannot do without it.