Life and all its challenges can be draining to say the least, at times it saps all energy, self-worth and motivation right out from underneath you. There is a way to overcome these overwhelming feelings. I am sure you are well aware of the benefits of a strong and healthy body; from weight-loss, stress relief, and over-all confidence. With the wealth of knowledge now available on how to preserve and strengthen our bodies so that they can work and perform at their optimum when we’re older, there is an immense value that comes when you take care of your body and develop it into the picture of your best health. 

In order to make a change and turn 180 degrees, you need to be IN10TIONAL. 

Choose to be and stay healthy and in the famous words of Walt Disney,

“Keep moving forward.”

I also like what Charlotte Mason says in her article, I am , I can, I wish I did about will-power.

“You remember that Will is the gatekeeper. He stands at the gate of our minds and decides which ideas are allowed in to influence behavior and which ideas are rejected. There are two ways to strengthen Will so we can make good choices every time: feed him and give him exercise.”

When you make that decision and commit to a stronger healthier you will see how looking healthy and feeling strong can improve your overall performance in your career and even in life.

There are many different varieties of exercises like walking, jogging, swimming, team sports, and gym; and, with each comes amazing benefits your body will thank you for later.  From better sleep to reducing stress levels, whatever exercise you choose to be IN10TIONAL about doing, you can rest assured that with consistency your body will grow in strength and endurance. The emphasis on consistency.

It is unfortunate that a big majority of people only look to exercise when they feel they can’t fit into their favourite jeans anymore, but weight-loss is not the only awesome benefit to exercise. 

Below are a few of the benefits you may not have known or may need reminding of.

1. It creates discipline and endurance

Many people ask me; how do I learn discipline? For me it was an easy answer: 1. Start something 2) Keep at it 3) Get good at it and 4) then DO NOT STOP. To get that routine going is not as easy. The way I managed was to remain physically active because it is such a challenge for me. Time, meetings, school sports and everything else always seemed more important at the time, until I got it right!. It is always easy to start something, but to keep at it, that’s a different story.

One of my mentors gave me this life changing advice and encouraged me to just enjoy what I am busy doing, rather than to have a goal like weight loss or fitting in this skinny jeans. I had to adjust my goals, thinking and routine and see exercise as something I wanted to do and something I enjoy rather than something I have to do to lose weight.

The result was weight loss, yay! BUT the reward was so much greater than that, discipline and endurance.

2. It releases happiness

Stress is an inevitability we cannot escape as long as we are alive and, though it’s been here since the dawn of mankind, dealing with it for most, can be stressful in itself and though unseen, it wreaks havoc on the entire body.

Physical activity brings about changes in the brain that regulates anxiety and stress.  In fact, it’s been scientifically proven that regular participation in any form of exercise results in decreased tension levels as well as a stabilised and elevated mood.  In fact, with the minimum investment of 5 minutes of aerobic activity, your body will be able to stimulate anti-anxiety effects. 

3. Increased energy levels

Despite the fact that the actual work done during exercise is tiring, after you’re done you can enjoy a significant amount of increased energy levels.

As a matter of fact, if you suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, studies show that exercise assists in effectively combating it. 

4. Better mood and better memory

A healthy body promotes a healthy mind. When you exercise or become physically active, your heart rate increases promoting the much-needed flow of oxygen to the brain.  What this does is, stimulate the production of hormones that can enhance the growth of brain cells. 

According to studies, regular exercise in older patients has been shown to increase the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory, thereby increasing mental function.   Studies also have shown that patients with Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia have improved their effects when encouraged to regularly exercise. 

5. Relaxation and sleep quality improves

When energy is depleted during exercise, it’s recuperated during sleep resulting in better sleep.  Over and above this, when the body’s temperature increases, it is said to drop during sleep thereby improving your sleep quality. 

A study showed that 2 and a half min of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per week improved the sleep on 65% of those who participated in the experiment.

6. It eases inflammation in the body

Chronic pain can reduce the quality of your life and those suffering from it have to find ways of coping.  Luckily, an effective way of coping is through exercise.  Several studies show that exercise has the ability to help control pain that stems from diseases like lower back pain, fibromyalgia, and chronic soft tissue shoulder disorder.

What’s even better is that exercise has the ability to decrease your pain threshold so that when inflammation comes it won’t feel as bad as it did before.

7. It strengthens muscles and bones

As you age, muscle mass and function are lost sometimes resulting in injuries and disabilities. Regular exercise reduces muscle loss and maintains the strength you may have lost as you age.

Combined with the adequate amount of protein intake, weight lifting for both men and women yield great results for muscle and bones health.  This is owed to the hormones that are released that promote the ability for your muscles to absorb.

High impact exercises are proven to be the best at improving bone density.

8. Reduces the risk of chronic disease

Lack of exercise brings with it a host of other problems over and above being overweight and the potential of developing obesity. 

One disadvantage of lack of physical regular exercise is that there’s a higher risk of developing chronic diseases. Type 2 diabetes is one such disease that is a result of fat built up in and around the mid-section.

Regular exercise has been shown to reduce belly fat and in so doing reduce the risk of the diseases related to it.

9. Improved skin health

Stress is dangerous because sometimes when you’re stressed signs of stress only show once it’s taken its toll on your body.  Oxidative stress shows on your skin in the form of rashes and breakouts. 

Oxidative stress comes about when the body’s defences can’t entirely and completely repair the damage caused by free radicals damaging the skins internal structure leading to its deterioration. 

Exercise can stimulate blood flow and induce skin cell adaptation which help the appearance of skin aging. 

There you go! 9 reasons why you need to be IN10TIONAL about turning your body into a stronger leaner 2.0 version that will take you well into your golden years of life and career development.

You only have one body – treat it like a respected temple keeping in mind that the seeds of strength and training you sow now you will reap when you need it the most, not only physically but also mentally.

Only you have the power to change and when you accept that as truth, take each day and the body you have, as a gift.  Aim big but take small steps while building momentum and before you know it, you will have a temple that’s strong, capable, and full of energy ready for your next challenge.

Did you say challenge? Well I accept!