Exercise

Exercise is hard.  Well, actually exercising is usually the easy part.  Getting motivated to exercise, that can be the challenge, especially if you don't have any external motivation (beyond confronting your waistline in the mirror).  This week I had planned to keep my resolution going by exercising 3-5 times.  I did get a couple of good workouts in, but only because friends called and asked me to join them.  Most days I work out solo, but it was a good reminder that having someone to exercise with always pushes me a bit harder than I would on my own.  I bench pressed more than I had in a year and put more miles on my bike than I have in months.  

The science long ago concluded so, but the benefits of exercise are innumerable, especially for mental health.  Mood, energy, sleep, and cognitive function are all shown to improve.  So if exercise makes us feel so good, why do so many of us avoid it or make it a low priority?

I have found that the periods of my life when I was inspired by vanity to exercise, my motivation usually didn't last long.  Visions of being totally ripped usually quickly dissolve in a puddle of sweat.  What has worked for me is when I have another purpose.  A goal around work or education or family that requires me to be stronger physically and emotionally is more likely to inspire me.  Rather than to just look good in the mirror, I am motivated to embrace better habits in order to feel good and be able to achieve my goals.

The motivation is in there, you just have to know where to look!