Part 1 of this post provided my favorite exercise to get in touch with your deeper goals and how exercise can help you along the way. In part 2, I want to dig a bit deeper into the most common goals I hear from new clients. I explore why these goals are valuable, what they may mean on a deeper level, and some unexpected benefits you get from focusing on each.
“I want to feel healthy.”
Health is at the heart of many people’s motivation for exercise, but each person has their own idea of what it means to be healthy. For some, exercise is a way to manage or prevent certain medical conditions. If your family has a history of heart disease, exercise combined with proper nutrition can help reduce your risk of a heart attack. Certain bone and joint problems are better managed with regular movement. There are numerous other examples. If a particular medical condition is an important part of your goal, be sure to communicate with your doctor about potential limitations and what kinds of exercise will best assist you and your unique situation.
For many people, feeling healthy means having more energy and focus throughout the day. It seems counterintuitive, but the more active you become, the more energy you will have. When I was very overweight, I noticed I actually had much more energy on the days I made it to the gym for a short elliptical session. If I stopped going regularly, my motivation to exercise and my general energy levels plummeted. Getting into a regular exercise routine, no matter how light at first, is crucial to help you escape this vicious cycle.
Improved mental health is another powerful benefit of exercise. The gym (or your house, the park, or anywhere you exercise) can become a place of peace where you work through aggression or negative energy from your day. Finding activities you enjoy and a supportive, engaging fitness community can also help transform exercise from a chore into something you cherish. Our brains evolved to be connected to our bodies in primal and powerful ways, and regular movement can help regulate your mood.
“I want to get stronger.”
I’m always thrilled when a new client expresses interest in getting stronger. Becoming physically strong carries over into all areas of your life. You’ll have a much easier time performing basic tasks like climbing stairs, carrying grocery bags, and hoisting a suitcase into an overhead compartment. Strength is the most basic physical adaptation, which means getting stronger can help you run faster, jump higher, and perform other athletic tasks with greater ease.
As a woman, getting strong has allowed me to become very independent. I know I will never have to rely on another person to help me perform basic physical tasks. It’s incredibly empowering to push my body to perform feats I never imagined possible. For those of you who struggle with body image issues, pursuing strength goals is a great way to challenge your body and build confidence without obsessing over your weight or the way you look.
Physical strength also helps you build mental and emotional strength. Learning to push through challenging loads, maintaining composure under stress, and continually striving to improve your performance are all valuable tools to help you deal with personal and professional trials.
“I want to lose weight or look like XYZ.”
These days, aesthetic goals are frequently poo-pooed in the fitness industry as a vain and harmful distraction. However, I find chasing aesthetic goals can be incredibly fun, rewarding, and empowering. Be advised that an aesthetic goal should always start from a place of self-love and self-improvement rather than self-loathing or guilt. If you don’t like yourself now and think that will change when you lose weight or build muscle, you are in for a big letdown.
Changing your body can bring about a powerful confidence boost. You may feel more comfortable in your own skin, less awkward in social situations, and more likely to speak up at work or with your friends.
For me, losing weight allowed me to feel comfortable on a dance floor. I always dreaded school dances because I hated shopping for dresses and felt super uncomfortable dancing in my bigger body. This was my own issue to work through, but losing weight helped me feel much more confident in my own skin and taught me to care less about others’ opinions of me regardless of how I looked. These days, dancing has become my favorite hobby and my reduced fear has allowed me to build many meaningful relationships.
For many people, this is the true power of chasing aesthetic goals. The way you ultimately look is less important than the increased confidence and reduced anxiety and fear of social situations. Like building strength, the long and challenging process of building the body you want also teaches you the power of patience and helps you build habits that can create success in other areas of your life.
The real payoff of regular exercise
The biggest benefit of regular exercise is an improved quality of life. Few of my clients explicitly communicate this goal initially. In time, however, it becomes the most powerful reward.
All of my clients experience unexpected improvements from exercise. Regular exercise helps you perform daily tasks with less pain and greater ease. It gives you more stamina to play with your kids or participate in your favorite hobbies and activities. You will have more energy and greater focus so you can enjoy your days more. And you will be more likely to able to do these things well into your old age, while others in your life are forced to slow down. As I mentioned earlier, exercise helps you build confidence and connect with your body in ways that encourage you to live a more active, vibrant, and fulfilling life.
There are so many reasons to start exercising today or recommit to a routine if you’ve fallen off the wagon. No matter where you are at in life, it’s never too late to move forward with fitness. Please reach out to me if you are unsure of where to begin or need some accountability to help you along the way.