I Workout Everyday But Not Why You Think
When I was a teenager I worked out to add muscle so I wasn’t the super skinny kid.
When I was in my 20’s I worked out because I wanted to get as big and as strong as I could.
Today, there are a multitude of reasons why I workout and only ONE of them has to do with aesthetics.
The Hidden Benefits of Working Out…
I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge how exercise and eating right effects my body composition and weight BUT that is not what this is about. Why do I workout?
Let’s take a look…
Improved Energy
You might think when I workout how I might be drained of your energy for the rest of the day.
On the contrary!
Once I’ve finished training I am amped up and ready to attack other parts of my day with the necessary attention to help those around me. This is especially true when it’s first thing in the morning!
Improved Immunity
I don’t know about you [other person who works out consistently] but I have noticed I don’t get sick nearly as someone who doesn’t workout.
Not just that, I’ve also noticed it doesn’t seem to last as long either. Of course this is not a scientific [controlled variable] type of study I’m doing. Rather it’s an empirical observation I’ve made.
Thankfully, studies do back this observation in both duration of sickness and frequency.
Improved Body Image
This is kind of a touchy thing but it’s something which is brought up A LOT and there’s nothing wrong with it.
The one thing I do feel comfortable in saying is working out makes me strong [in some capacity] and who does not want to be strong?!
For me? Having a strong set of legs and a big butt (that I need to find bigger jeans for) is a badge of honor. I’m not looking to be the “big upper body and no legs” guy after all.
Improved Mood
Ask anybody who loves to workout and they will probably tell you there is a workout equivalent to “hangry.”
And when I train?
I feel accomplished, I can check a to do list item off my list, I know I am affecting my body in a positive way, and this doesn’t even include what’s happening in my brain post workout.
The human brain is chemically setup [after a good workout] to quiet down.
This means if a stressful event presents itself, it is not nearly as big an event as if no workout had taken place that day.
Improved Confidence
This comes in many forms:
- The dopamine rush from checking an important item off my list
- The accomplishment I feel from attacking a workout I might have previously thought I couldn’t do
- Knowing I’m making myself stronger physically AND emotionally
- The knowledge I have control of my body and how it changes. The onus is on me after all…
- If a situation presents itself in real life, I am more capable of handling it when I’m fit than if I’m not
- And probably dozens more I cannot think of right this second…
Improved Sleep
Sleep is not only important for the brain, it is important for the body.
When I workout regularly, I can create consistency for my body and part of that consistency is the need to recover. With few exceptions, when I workout regularly I tend to sleep better (even dozing off faster).
Eat. Workout. Sleep. Repeat.
Improved Stress Management
Again, this comes back to chemical changes in my brain BUT my favorite way to think about it is this:
When I plan, attack, and complete a challenging workout this gives me the skills I can use to plan, attack, and complete challenging tasks throughout the day.
This happens to be the name of the game in CrossFit!
It’s My Therapy
This is my activity of choice for handling the stresses of my day to day. This is my therapy, even. This is one of the ways I teach myself to cope with the challenges every person in the westernized world needs to deal with on a daily basis.
How Does This Effect You?
Read it as it’s written: you’re talking about you in the first person.
