In case you didn’t already know it, your thoughts (how and what you think) are powerful.
Powerful because thoughts dictate our actions.
Our actions that then dictate our results.
Finally, it’s these results that then dictate our health, happiness, confidence, and self esteem.
Depending on what these all look like then determines what our next set of actions with be.
Your Thoughts Matter
It’s a cycle (thoughts, action, results, outcome) one that’s either working for you or working against you.
Your thoughts are either providing you with more health, happiness, confidence, and self-esteem or depleting you of these.
I don’t know about you, but I want all of the health, happiness, confidence, and self-esteem I can get.
I mean seriously, is there anyone who doesn’t?
The really cool thing is we can have all of these right now, today, without the need of having to go anywhere, buying anything, or depend on anyone.
When it comes to health, happiness, confidence, and believing in ourselves, it’s a choice we make to be or have any one of these.
I know it isn’t always an easy choice, but it’s possible.
The way we can make it easier on ourselves to experience more health, happiness, confidence, and self esteem is by exercising regularly.
Physical & Mental Benefits Of Exercise
We tend to associate exercise with physical health, which makes sense.
Exercise means losing weight, leaning up, adding muscle, looking our best physically for a big event such as a wedding, reunion, or a birthday milestone.
Exercise can and definitely will help us look our best physically for each one of these special events.
Aside from the physically benefits, exercise has the ability to provides us with so much more than I think many of us even realize.
I don’t just say this either because I myself love exercising and am a big advocate of it.
I say this because it’s the fucking truth (first time I have ever dropped an F-Bomb in one of my posts).
Exercise WILL make you happier.
Exercise WILL give you more confidence.
Exercise WILL give you more self esteem and help you believe in yourself.
I’m not making this shit up either.
When you exercise, there’s stuff happening inside of you, physiologically (that’s just a big word that means your blood flow, heart rate, and hormones) that provides you with positive feelings and thoughts.
Remember what I mentioned earlier – our thoughts dictate our actions, our actions dictate our results, and it’s our results (good or bad) that dictate everything else (health, happiness, confidence, etc).
Exercise Helps Improve All Areas Of Your Life
If you don’t like the life you’re currently living, start exercising.
If you don’t like the career you’re currently in, start exercising.
If you don’t like your current relationships with family, friends, or significant other, start exercising.
Exercise gives you the confidence and clarity necessary to identify and pursue the life that you want – full of happiness and fulfillment.
It increases your self-esteem and ability to focus on the career you do want and start believing in yourself and in the idea that you can and will land the job you want.
Because of your increased confidence, energy, and belief in yourself and all that you’re doing and creating because of regular exercise, you’ll no longer worry about what others think or say about you.
You’ll be focused, committed, and 100% focused on who you are, what you want, and where you’re headed and nothing can or will get in the way of that.
In fact, you’ll notice your actions and new way of being inspiring others to also take action – to begin exercising regularly so that they too can feel and have what you have.
And what you have, this thing, these feelings, your drive – it doesn’t cost you a cent.
You’re only investment is your time, effort, energy, and commitment to exercising daily.
That’s it, nothing else.
No Time For Exercise Isn’t An Excuse
Is there any wonder why I am such a huge fan of daily exercise?
The benefits, both physically and mentally, that exercise provides us with is awesome.
You’re awesome and I care about each and every one of you very much.
Because I do love you guys, I feel comfortable providing you with a small bit of tough love.
The thought, idea, or excuse that you don’t have time is bullshit.
Stop telling yourself you don’t have time – you do have time.
Exercising daily doesn’t mean you have to exercise for hours at a time, go to a gym, or have fitness equipment at home.
You actually don’t need any one of these to make it happen.
Here’s a 15 minute workout you can do anytime anywhere.
15 minutes too long? I don’t buy it but OK, here’s a 12 minute workout you can do.
12 minutes too long? Here’s a 5 minute workout you can do anywhere anytime in JUST 5 MINUTES!
If you tell me you can’t spare 5 minutes, then we need to have a serious heart to heart talk about time management.
Better yet, have a listen to my recent Motivational Monday Message on time management.
None of the workouts I’ve provided you with require you leaving the house, needing equipment, or having to be at a certain fitness level to complete.
When There’s A Will To Exercise There Will Always Be A Way
If being happy, healthy, confident, believing in yourself and living a life that’s fulfilling and meaningful to you is important to you, you’ll always find a way to fit in exercise.
If it’s not important to you, you will always (and I mean always) find an excuse and reason why you can’t, shouldn’t or just flat out won’t.
“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”
There will always be reasons you can use to justify not exercising. They’ll always be there and truth be told, many reasons are legit.
In spite of the reasons, choose to exercise anyways, knowing that you have a legitimate excuse not to, but you do it anyways, because you believe in the power of exercise and all of its benefits.
“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.”
I’m not saying it’ll always be easy, I’m saying it’ll always be worth it.
Of course there will be times when we just don’t feel like getting it done. I’ve been there many times myself and still find myself there from time to time.
My bed is so much more comfortable at 5am than getting up to exercise is. Trust me, I get it.
Here’s 5 ways to motivate yourself to exercise when you’re just not feeling it.
It’s Not About Having Time, It’s About Making Time
I recently had the pleasure of listening to Jon Acuff speak in which he said, “Time isn’t going to find you, must must find it.”
Make the time to exercise.
If it means getting up earlier in the morning, do it! The rewards you will get from getting up 15 minutes earlier to exercise versus laying in bed for and extra 15 minutes are incomparable.
If it means exercising on your lunch break, do it!
If if means exercising late at night after dinner when everyone is out for the night, do it!
If it means sacrificing some of your happy hour time, do it!
If it means watching less television (come on, seriously) – do it!
15 minutes of exercise per day will change your life.
Simple Daily Health Habits Will Change Your Life
It sounds cliche right, and maybe even like a bunch of bullshit.
That’s the problem… Because we don’t believe that exercising 15 minutes a day can have a significant positive impact on our lives, we just don’t do it.
For some crazy reason, we believe that unless we go to the gym to exercise for an hour or longer at a time, anything less than that isn’t worth doing.
Speaking of bullshit – this couldn’t be further from the truth.
When it comes to exercise, some effort is always better than no effort.
It isn’t the one massive 2 hour workout you do on a Saturday that’s going to provide you with a sustained level of health and happiness. It’s the smaller daily consistent steps, your daily health habits, your 15, 12 or 5 minute workout that matters most and makes the biggest difference.
If you need help getting started, here’s a 7-day health kick-starter for all fitness levels that will help get you started.
Commit To Yourself & Start Today
It really doesn’t matter where and how you start, as you long as you start – that’s what matters.
Once you do, not only with the exercise provide you with more health, happiness, and confidence, but so will your commitment to yourself and doing what you say you’ll do.
There’s power in keeping your word to yourself and doing what you say you’ll do.
Every workout you do is a promise to yourself that you complete and in doing so, you begin to build trust and confidence in yourself.
Start today, start right now – don’t wait for the perfect time or the perfect moment, it doesn’t exist.
The perfect time and moment is when you get it done.
If nothing I’ve providing you with here has made you comfortable with where and how to get started or if you have questions and need further guidance, no problem at all.
Reach out to me and let me know what you need – I promise to help.
You’re not alone, you’ll never be alone – you’ll always have me and this incredible Wellness Bucket Community to lean on for help, support, motivation, and accountability.
You’re already awesome and you’re about to get awesomer (I don’t think that’s an actual word).
Oh well, that’s how we roll here – we make the rules! 🙂
Cheers!
Mike
