There is no doubt that exercise plays a major role in keeping us mentally stable and healthy. Well, it sure keeps me mentally stable and healthy. So why do so many of us not exercise? Why can’t we make ourselves spare a few minutes of the day for our body?
The first step is the most difficult thing for most people. Getting yourself up, making your mind and dragging your body to the gym or whatever place it is that you work out is the biggest problem, and that’s where most people give up. I’ve had this problem myself for a long time. So why not just cut out the complexity and start exercising right where you are? You don’t need a gym or a yoga mat or a stadium to exercise. It’s your mind, making excuses and resisting change.
10 minutes is all you need to do a decent workout. It makes you feel mentally satisfied that you’re working on your body, that you’re making an effort to keep yourself fit. 10 minutes. That’s all.
I started with a few push-ups every day before I take my bath (whether it’s in the morning or the evening). A few weeks later that grew into a full-body workout where I’m exercising everything from my arms, my legs, to my core. And it’s not like you have to do a full workout every single day. Nobody is going to punish you if you don’t. Something is always better than nothing. If I’m too busy, I make sure to do at least those 50-odd push-ups some time within the whole day. That leaves me feeling good and satisfied that I did something for my body today. It’s also fine if you skip a day. Having some kind of consistency is what’s important. (My workout routine is all bodyweight exercises and cardio, btw. No equipment, except a few times when I feel like it.)
Another major made-up problem that most people have, that I’ve had myself, is not exercising because you’re not following a diet. “Why should I exercise if I don’t have a good diet? It’s just going to go waste.” This is another excuse we give ourselves. Whatever diet you have is already good enough. You don’t need a perfect and accurate diet that has all the macros measured to the last milligram; all you need is a decent diet. And you already have that. The workout and exercise you do is never wasted. And in any case, it’s always better to be doing some kind of exercise and having a shit diet, rather than doing no exercise at all and having a shit diet anyway.
If you’ve come this far, I want to encourage you to start exercising, in case you aren’t already. It’s really not that hard. Start small. As small as you want. When you exercise you’ll feel great, have a well-maintained and reasonably fit body, and most importantly, you’ll be mentally satisfied and happy. Feeling depressed? Exercise! As ridiculous and antithetical as that sounds, it really works. Try it out. Having all that serotonin inside you every day is a great thing and it can do wonders to your daily mood and enthusiasm.
I intend to continue my exercise routine for a long time. On a side note, I also love that feeling I get while I’m working out. That satisfaction after being able to squeeze in a few extra reps than planned, and that sudden rush of blood and pain after a good set – it’s weirdly pleasurable. The day-long mental satisfaction that comes after is the cherry on top.
