Many years
ago, I heard someone speaking about how they were highly offended when a
personal trainer who I know proclaimed to them that, “If you get disciplined
and train with me, I will assure you that you will become physically better,
mentally better, become a better wife, a better mother, a gracious friend, and
an overall more satisfied person.” They
thought that this trainer just had such nerve as to assume such a specific and
personal transition. I thought this
prospective client had a point.
As I reflect
back on overhearing this woman tell this story many years ago, the position I
have has changed. That was a bold
reflection of reality to paint for another person, but as a person now dedicated
to understanding the sciences and integration of fitness, I know that this
trainer was absolutely right. Your body
is a phenomenal work of art. It provides
itself a system of alarms and defenses that enable you survival when conditions
are not optimal. These defenses, that
many people live within regularly are not particularly good, but they beat
being dead.
We are a
culture with exceptional obstacles. We
are too busy to eat healthy, while our environmental conditions have bankrupted
the nutrition in even that which we consider healthy. There is such a demand in technology that we
have become more sedentary than ever, disabling ourselves from the movement and
energy creation that we need to start our journey toward being more active and
fit. Often we need that extra push, that
teammate, that trainer, that workout buddy, that likeminded, goal oriented
individual to get us there.
That
teammate can miss practice when you need it the most. That workout buddy might be staying late on
Thursday to finish up a deposition. Your
counterpart might have PTA tonight. Your
personal trainer depends on you for their livelihood and there is where you
have found a mutual companion. They will
show up because it is their job and you will show up because you are paying
them. You need each other to flourish
and to live better.
The science
of it all takes hold when you make a commitment to fitness or hire someone to
force you to when you do not want to.
Exercise lowers your cortisol levels, increases your metabolism,
secretes various chemicals in your brain that make you happier, supports and
enables dense and strong bones, gives you better circulation and cardiovascular
health, and enables your body to naturally trigger greater energy levels. Exercise helps you wake up earlier regularly
and make that commitment to a healthy life.
People who
are happier, radiating energy, losing weight, standing up taller, breathing
deeper, and walking stronger are people with greater self-worth and
self-esteem. People with greater
self-worth and greater self-esteem believe in themselves and believe in
others. They are encouraging, they enjoy
better clarity, reach further, relish in more success, are more extroverted,
more loving, and enjoy their body.
Did you know
that over 90% of Fortune 500 CEO’s are not overweight and are generally health
conscious people? In short, this trainer
that I referenced in the beginning was absolutely correct. If she can keep you be dedicated to working
out regularly and getting ample results, you will be a better person in every
aspect of life because of it. When
someone achieves physical results that they otherwise once thought were
impossible, it opens their mind to the possibilities that are out there for
them professionally, mentally, and emotionally.
Nourish your
body, because “Your Body is Power.”
