People who have read my blogs or know me well are aware that I love to exercise. My introduction to the fitness world was like everyone – to lose weight and to feel like myself. It was after I had lived this lifestyle for a while that I understood exercise has much more to it and that ‘losing weight’ is a side benefit. From shifting my blood parameters right to healing my mental self, exercise has taught me a lot which I am covering in this blog:

The Formula of Flexibility and Consistency

Many of us believe that having a flexible habit is essential to our lifestyle and that being strict or rigid is not a recommended approach. However, to enjoy some flexibility in our habits, there must be a certain level of discipline and adherence to routine while building these habits. Take reading books for example, until you see yourself immersed in this habit and feel like yourself when you read books, you have to stay consistent and build that habit. In this phase, you may have to move your other priorities around to fit this habit. But, once you have built the habit and it has a place in your daily routine, then you can afford flexibility knowing that you always have this habit with you.

Routine-based Life = Increased Satisfaction

Imagine you wake up every day at a certain time, exercise, fresh up, have breakfast, and start with your work. The moment you sit down to work, take a pause, maybe journal your thoughts, listen to your mind. You can feel how happy and relaxed your mind will be, the bliss, the serenity, etc. Practising a routine every day sends a wave of calm in your brain making your day more productive and you feel satisfied and happy at the end of the day. I am not telling you to follow this exact routine but I just gave you an example of how I feel based on my routine.

Taking a Step-by-Step Approach to Progress

Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? What does this mean? Nothing can be achieved in a single day, everything takes a strategy-based step-by-step approach to build that achievement. For some, it may take months, for others, years. Are we here to compare? Are we here to criticize and punish ourselves? Nope. We are here to feel the progress without wondering about how the world is progressing. This is our inner world, let’s take it with some sympathy and love. It is impractical to achieve 20 push-ups or pull-ups in a single day, but very possible to achieve in a few months if you take it step-by-step. Similarly, in life, on day one, you practically cannot expect to be perfect in what you desire. You take a step-by-step approach, be it in your career or in your personal life to develop a form of yourself that would one day, achieve what you desire. Only then, your desires will have value.

Discover the Power of your Mind

There were many days when I just didn’t have the motivation to go to the gym or workout. But I pushed and when I started the workout, some days I broke my previous records. That’s when I discovered the real power of my mind. When pushed in the right direction, it can push you to create wonders.

Life’s Opportunity to Re-strategize

When I started working out, there came my plateau point after 6 months where I saw no difference. I was sad and not motivated to take up exercising anymore. That’s when I started focusing on nutrition and when things started to move a bit, I was able to push myself to exercise and become better. Guess what? The plateau ended and I was able to continue. So, I say, a pause or stagnant state in your life does not mean failure, it’s an open opportunity for you to choose your next path.

Conclusion

Exercise not only taught me resilience but also depicted how even things that seem boring in life can actually attract you so much to a disciplined life. While many crave a peaceful happy life, not many understand the true meaning of it. You are at peace when you find joy in doing the same thing, again and again without any unprecedented rollercoasters crossing your life.