“A healthy body is a healthy mind, and a healthy mind takes care of business.” The origins of this quote are unknown, yet its profundity is so profound that it sits at the core of everything I believe, encourage, and preach. Without a healthy body, there is no healthy mind, and without a healthy mind, taking care of life’s opportunities and challenges is next to impossible.
Fitness not only shapes our physical appearance but, more importantly, shapes our minds. It influences everything we think and believe about ourselves and the world around us. Determination, commitment, perseverance, resilience, tenacity, grit, dedication, persistence, fortitude – all words associated with mindset yet learned and habitualized through physical activity. What becomes a habit through fitness becomes a habit in mindset, and what becomes a habit in mindset affects our thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions of the world.
While fitness subconsciously bulletproofs our mindset, it begins to transform the way we think and feel. Dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin – all of the brain’s most powerful feel-good hormones – get released during physical activity, affecting the way we think and therefore behave. The more exercise we do, the greater levels of feel-good hormones are released in our brain, making us happier, more positive, and more enjoyable to be around. This, in turn, leads to stronger emotional connections, better relationships, and higher performance – making us happier, more successful, and more fulfilled.
To truly feel its life-changing, transformative effects, it needs to be prioritized. Health and fitness are a lifestyle. It emphasizes long-term habits and sustainable practices that contribute to a healthier and more fulfilling life. It’s not a switch you can turn on and off at will. It’s not a short-term solution; it’s a way of life, an infinite goal that forms the foundation for living a happier, more meaningful life.
Action point:
If you are struggling mentally at the moment whether it’s waking up uninspired and demotivated, anxious about the day ahead, or stuck in a rut feeling like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, exercise is a solution to these problems. Start exercising and stay consistent. It will be the best decision you ever make. But you just have to start!
There is one book I would recommend you read. It’s helped me on my journey, and I know it can do the same for you – “The 5 AM Club” by Robin Sharma.
