If you’re not exercising regularly, you’re missing out on feeling and looking your best.
That’s a bold statement, but a true one.
Regardless of how well you eat and sleep – without exercise, you’re missing out.
If exercise helps us feel and look our best, why doesn’t everyone exercise?
That’s a great question and one we’ll address here.
Why Exercise
I could probably write for days on all of the reasons to exercise along with all of the benefits.
Let’s keep it simple though.
First, exercise is not a must.
Let me repeat that… exercise is not a must.
You don’t have to exercise, and many people don’t.
If on the other hand, you choose to exercise, which is what those who exercise do – they choose to exercise, you can expect to reap the benefits of exercise and begin feeling and looking your best.
It is scientifically proven that exercise makes us feel good.
Something as little as a 20 minute walk (yes, that is considered exercise) has the ability to trigger different hormonal responses in the body that will help you to feel good and give you more energy.
Exercise boosts your confidence and immune system too. It decreases your chance of injury and illness and allows you the opportunity to do, see, and create so much more than if you don’t exercise.
With so many positive reasons to exercise, why is it that some chose not to?
These three beliefs below could be the reason.
3 Common (Wrong) Beliefs About Exercise
1) It’s Painful / Has To Hurt
Unless you’re training for the Olympics or are out to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger, you can go ahead and forget the whole notion of “no pain, no gain” when it comes to exercise.
Exercise shouldn’t hurt and if does, you’re doing something wrong.
Will it feel uncomfortable sometimes? Of course.
If you’re walking or running up an incline or going for 15 push-ups instead of your usual 10, yes it’s going to be challenging, but not to the point where it’s painful and unpleasant.
This is OK…
If you jog, run or even walk a longer distance than you normally would, do a new exercise, or use more weight than you normally do – you can expect to feel some soreness the next day.
This is NOT OK…
What you shouldn’t feel is pain all over your body the next day to the point where it is debilitating (e.g. a struggle to sit done to use the bathroom). If this happens, you’ve over done it.
Unfortunately, this seems to be the extent to which most people feel they have to exercise in order for it to be beneficial – which is absolutely not the case.
When you overdo it with exercise to the point where you’re sore and can’t move for several days, you forfeit your ability to feel your best on these days because of both your soreness and inability to exercise.
I’m not saying not to push and challenge yourself whenever you exercise.
Pushing and challenging yourself is healthy.
It keeps you making progress and feeling good about what we’re doing and accomplishing with each exercise.
The key here is gradual exercise progression.
Gradual Progression
If you haven’t ran in several months, the thought of going out for a 3, 5, 10, or even a 1 mile run can seem daunting.
Start by walking / jogging one mile. Start there and see how you feel the next day.
You may feel a little soreness and stiffness the next day (expected) but nothing discouraging or debilitating that’ll keep you from doing it again the next day and feeling your best afterwards.
If your belief about exercise is that is hurts or it has to hurt in order to work and be beneficial, I ask that you revisit this belief and change it.
Exercising doesn’t have to hurt. In fact, it shouldn’t.
2) It Takes Too Long
The idea that you have to spend an hour or more exercising in order to get in a good workout is a crock of you know what.
When it comes to exercise, it’s quality that matters, not quantity.
Unless you want to spend an hour or more exercising, the truth is you don’t have to in order to get in a good, effective workout.
There are lots of exercise routines that take 30 minutes or less to complete that’ll challenge you and give you a great workout.
Here’s a few right here:
12 Minute High Intensity Interval Training With Stretches
10 Minute Anytime / Anywhere Travel Fitness Routine
If you think you can’t get in a good workout in just 10 or 12 minutes, try these two routines out – I have a good feeling you’ll thinking differently afterwards.
Even a 5 minute workout like this one will give you a great workout.
The idea that exercise has to be a long drawn out process just isn’t true.
The average time it takes me to exercise is anywhere between 35-45 minutes and when I’m done, I feel completed worked.
I don’t get consumed with long hours of exercise. Instead, I get in done quickly, effectively and feel great, energetic, and more alert the rest of the day.
Better yet, I feel great the next day and am ready and able to exercise again and feel great.
If you belief exercise has to take long to be effective, I ask that you reconsider that belief.
Unless you can’t spare 5, 10 or 15 minutes to exercise, at which point I’ll call bullsh*t, you can get in a great workout that’s quick, effective and doesn’t take long to complete.
3) I Need A Gym To Exercise
It’s nice to have the option to exercise in a gym.
It provides you with lots of equipment and different options.
If you have access to one, great – if you don’t, great as well.
You do not need a gym to exercise.
Walking, running, hiking, biking, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, burpees – all of these exercises and many others, do not require a gym.
They can all be done anytime, anywhere.
The three exercise routines I mentioned earlier (this one, this one, and this one) can all be completed anytime, anywhere without the need of any exercise equipment.
Not being able to make it to the gym is no longer an issue when you have exercises and workouts that you can do without needing gym equipment.
It’s a matter of knowing what exercises to do.
Once you understand the various exercises and options you have to work, the belief that a gym is necessary to exercise will goes away.
Your Beliefs Are Powerful
They can either help you or hold you back, depending on what they are.
I encourage you to revisit what your beliefs are when it comes to exercising and consider the three beliefs we’ve discussed here.
If you believe exercise hurts, takes too long, and can be done in a gym… guess what?
Exercise is going to hurt, it’s going to take long, and it will only happen (if it happens) in a gym – because that’s what you believe.
Henry Ford said it best when he said, “whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right“.
We believe what we chose to believe is true.
Choose To Believe…
Exercise doesn’t hurt or has to hurt to be effective.
Exercise doesn’t have to take long to be effective.
You can exercise anywhere and not just in a gym.
And lastly, choose to belief you’re awesome, because you are.
Cheers!
Mike
