5 life-changing skills we can learn from exercising.

What is exercising? Many benefits to our well-being and overall success are still largely unknown. You might think of exercising as simply moving your body. Part of that is true. However, it is way more than that. Exercising should not be considered a luxury you wait to afford or try to squeeze in to your day. Exercising is, in fact, a necessity. Please allow me to explain.

In a nutshell, these are five life-changing skills we can learn from exercising.

1) Problem-solving. During any exercise, you will come to a point where you’ll need to make a decision that will either help you move forward or stop you in your tracks. Therefore, exercising requires wisdom and troubleshooting. It stimulates the brain. For real.

You don’t need to be in top shape to complete a successful training routine. You do need to be smart and make good choices. We all need more of that. I have witnessed many fit athletes run out of breath sooner than they want or should.

2) Learning strength. We’re not born strong. It is quite the opposite. Feeling strong comes from learned behaviors. Sometimes, a client performs well at a particular exercise but still feels dissatisfied. The struggle makes people think there’s something wrong with them. The limitations of an untrained mind make it extremely difficult to be balanced and happy. For many people, feeling strong, capable, and good about themselves is foreign and subsequently quite uncomfortable. Exercising and performing strenuous tasks help people develop physical and emotional strength. They gain the confidence to feel capable and good about themselves. Those traits are very attractive.

3) Self-discovery. While at the gym, we shouldn’t focus entirely on learning how to exercise. Or at least that shouldn’t be our number one priority. The main reason we join the gym should be to learn more about ourselves. Dumbbells, medicine balls, and treadmills are merely accessories, tools designed to reveal our limitations and help us move forward. No one truly hates squats, cardiovascular training, or weight lifting. They hate how they feel when squatting, running, throwing medicine balls, or pushing weights. Our goal is to feel better at the end of the exercise than we did before it. If we still feel weak and inadequate after each task, why do them?

4) Bringing out the champion within. Everyone can feel sadness, joy, jealousy, or anger. However, the more we connect with a certain feeling or side of ourselves, the more we identify with that side and bring it forth. Exercising, if done right, is the only activity I know of that helps us connect with the fighter within. The more often we bring out the inner champion, the easier it will be to access that side of ourselves when needed. The less we remind ourselves of our inadequacies, the faster we’ll improve.

5) Releasing bad energy. E-motions are energy in motion. Beginning an exercise routine releases stagnant energy trapped within our bodies due to our lifelong traumas. I’m not just being cute or mainstream here. As a professional trainer, I have experienced countless times when clients became emotional as soon as they start moving. Everyone knows that exercise benefits us physically and emotional. Unfortunately, this concept is too often devalued or disregarded. Remember, our emotional state drives our actions. The better we control our emotions, the better we behave.

One of the major consequences of the technologically saturated 21st century is the inactivity that causes us to lose major survival skills. Our ancestors used these skills to hunt and build shelter. Although we don’t usually need a spear and hunting skills to secure our dinner, we do need the critical thinking, confidence, strength, and self-esteem to eat healthy meals, drive a nice car, and sleep in clean sheets.

Without even realizing it, exercising is directly related to your income; the quality of your relationships; and your performance at work, at home, and even in bed. We need emotional intelligence and self-confidence to discover our purpose.

Let’s keep lifting and sweating! Let’s improve our quality of life!

Cheers.