If you want to change your lifestyle and live a healthier life, exercising is important. Over the last 4 years, I have been working out hard in the gym and opted for a healthy diet. Below are some changes which I have found since I have started to live life on the healthier side.

1. Makes you mentally tough

Apart from keeping you physically healthy and fit, exercise helps you to stay mentally strong. Whether you are struggling to do a yoga pose or running on the treadmill, exercise helps to release all the tension from your head. It pushes you to exceed your limits and do more than you have ever thought. This attitude helps to build your self-confidence. It encourages to keep on trying to beat your own records every day. Being mentally strong is all about the faith and determination that you have. It is the capacity to get up again after failing. Exercise definitely helps you to achieve this attitude.

2. Teaches us discipline

When you start working out, you will start following a schedule. Your life will be back on track as you will eat, sleep and exercise on time. Apart from physical and mental enjoyment, discipline is one of the most important contributions of exercise. Discipline is all about putting your priorities first. If you are lost in your life track, try starting some exercise first, you might find your life goals along the way.

3. Helps you notice all the small improvements

We get so busy in life at times, that we forget to be grateful to all the small changes in life. Working out is a great way to enjoy small things along the way. If your goal is to lose weight, let’s agree that you will not lose them all at once. It starts with 1 pound each day before you reach your goal. You improve day by day and this adds to the beauty of working out.

4. Helps to de-stress

Whether you are studying or working, negative stress always finds you. It is a sign that we are out of balance and energy. Negative stress always finds a way to steal happiness away from us. By working out, we get a chance to re-channel the negative stress and change it to a positive one. It helps us to release all the tension from our body. It explains why you always feel better and lighter after a work out session.
5. Helps you focus

Just like you cannot do bench press and squat at the same time, exercise helps you focus more. If you master the skill of focusing, you will move smoothly in life. We are so keen to have everything at one time that it creates frustration and confusion. By staying focused, we see things clearly. Exercise teaches us that by focusing on one thing, we can easily move on to the next.

6. Teaches us perseverance

Imagine a winter morning, you are all wrapped up in your warm blanket and the alarm goes off, it is time for the gym! What do you do? Even though working out will become a habit after some time, the aim is to persevere every day. It’s about following your schedule and maintaining the discipline. Perseverance is the only thing that keeps you going. It helps you to focus on your goal and achieve it. Without perseverance, you find yourself back to square one everytime. No matter how slow you go, all that matters is that you are moving forward.

7. Boosts your confidence

When you are getting into the shape that you have always been dreaming about, your self-confidence starts to boost up. If you want to gain confidence without faking it, working out is one of the best ways. This confidence is going to follow you everywhere. Say goodbye to the shy side of you!

8. Makes you happier

When you are exercising, your body releases a chemical name “dopamine”. This chemical is considered to be a neurotransmitter which is responsible for all your happiness and pleasures. You have to go through a lot of sore muscle pain when you start working out, it teaches you that you have to go through pain to achieve happiness. It also keeps you busy from overthinking and ruining all your happy moments.

9. Schedules your day

My favorite thing about working out is that I have learned to sort out my day. It helps you to manage your time. I always manage to find some time for my work out session may it be in the morning or afternoon. I personally believe that working out made me more productive. It keeps me fresh all day.

10. Showing up is winning half the battle
Making an effort and waking up early in the morning to go to the gym is already a big accomplishment. It teaches you that no matter which battle or situation you are in, show up!