Exercise equals endorphins, endorphins make you happy.
Harvard Health Publishing stated “It is a common experience among endurance athletes and has been verified in clinical trials that have successfully used exercise to treat anxiety disorders and clinical depression”
This is one of the big reasons I am always preaching to people about exercise and mental health benefits.
I totally understand that it can be difficult to find time and motivation. Trust me, I have experienced this myself. This is why it is crucial to find an exercise routine that you love and feel passion for. Ultimately, if you don’t have passion, everything you do will fizzle out or, at best, be mediocre.
I will give you an example of this. I was training very consistently between the ages 19-24. During this time, I was only focused on looking better. I became obsessed with the idea of being bigger, and thought I needed this to be a well-respected PT. I think this has always come from people making comments about my size. I have always had a skinny frame, and people have made comments that made me think it was unhealthy. It was almost as if they looked down on my personal training abilities all because of the way I looked. I think people believe it is more acceptable to call someone skinny, because calling someone fat is mean, whereas calling someone underweight is completely fine.
Over time it got to me, and I felt I needed to pack on muscle and size. This led to low enjoyment in training and it wasn’t sustainable. After lockdown I was forced to reset and really think about my training. Everything I was training for changed and I switched my mindset. I almost forgot about my appearance and took time in nature on walks. I started running again and lifting weights in my flat.
Exercise has become so much more to me than just about appearance:
- 1)It is a form of escapism from stress and to focus on myself
- 2)I use it to improve on performance and to stay motivated
- 3)I train with friends and my partner which is one of my favourite things to do.
- 4)It Improves my mood and mental health.
- 5)I zone into how I feel over how I look. This ultimately leads to better results!
As you can see, exercise fuels my mind and helps me become the best version of myself. The feeling I get after hitting a PB, there honestly isn’t anything like it.
I have seen it help so many people, and I really think it could change your life too…
I want the person reading this to take inspiration from the journey exercise has taken me on. Choose a plan you feel excited about following and go smash it.
Remember, you are one workout away from a good mood.
Thanks for reading,
Matthew.