blog > It’s not about exercise

It’s not about exercise.

The common idea is that exercise gives you something extra and you have to work really hard to get it. That’s rubbish.

It’s about your body exerting some physical effort. And you don’t get something extra. You get the basic stuff the body needs to function properly. By being sedentary we literally starve ourselves of the chemicals and hormones we require to function properly. Our bodies are built to move. They are built to produce what we need. But they only produce it with activity.

We are mostly stressed, anxious, in pain and fatigued not because of life but because we don’t have enough of the stuff that allows us to be resilient and feeling good. By being active we get:

Feeling good all the time.
Building healthy habits that you can transfer to everything else in life.
Having more energy.
Being mentally sharp.
Learning time management.
Gaining confidence.
Overcoming fears.

The second mistake we make is the idea that we have to exercise a lot. We don’t. Did you know that a simple brisk 30 minute walk a day is enough? Oh and btw, that’s not 30 minutes every day. It’s just 5 days a week. Check out what the American Heart Association has to say on the subject.

If you want any the above, start exercising. Why? Here you go:

Feeling good. Here’s what exercise does for you:

Serotonin – reduces depression, anxiety, frustration, fatigue. Helps self-esteem, memory function, sleep, PTSD, OCD. References here, here, here.
Norepinephrine – helps with focus, memory, anxiety, depression, sleep, low blood pressure, low blood sugar, ADHD. References here, here, here.
BDNF – helps memory and brain plasticity. References here, here, here.
Dopamine – helps with motivation, reward and reduces depression. References here, here, here.
Endorphins – the ultimate “feel good” chemicals. They help increase confidence, relieve pain, calm fear, reduce anxiety. References here, here, here.

Healthy habits are the key to success. Successful people aren’t magical, they just have good habits. They consistently do the things that are beneficial for them personally and professionally. Exercise teaches consistency, teaches the benefits of doing what’s good for you, and the ability to keep going when things get tough.

Having more energy. Everyone is always too tired to better their life. But healthy people seem magically less tired. Why is that? Well, it’s not magic. It’s Serotonin. It reduces fatigue. It’s one of the chemicals produced during exercise. References here, here, here.

Mental sharpness. Sure would be nice if your were more focused and efficient so you could get shit done right? Exercise creates Norepinephrine. It helps with focus, memory, and ADHD. References here, here, here. It also creates BDNF which helps memory and brain plasticity. References here, here, here.

Learning time management. As exercise becomes a part of you life, you learn how to manage your time more effectively so you have time to do it regularly. Apply that to everything else you never had time to do.

Confidence. Who doesn’t want that? Exercise to produce Endorphins – the ultimate “feel good” chemicals. They help increase confidence, relieve pain, calm fear, reduce anxiety. References here, here, here.

Overcoming fears. See above…Confidence. When you’re confident, you don’t care about fear.

And oh btw, a walk doesn’t have to be boring. Yes let’s be honest, it can be boring. But it doesn’t have to be. If allowing your mind to take a break and just look at the sky or trees or whatever isn’t your cup of tea, bring your phone. When I’m not in a peaceful mood, I listen to music and podcasts, check email, look at social media. No need for boredom 🙂