Training.
Exertion.
Dieting.
Sweat.
Sacrifices.
Would I be right to think that most people shiver when they hear these words, overcome by laziness and already feeling tired?
But this list contains all the necessary steps for attaining various goals: the physical fitness you have always longed for, your PB 100 m freestyle, your record on the bench press – beating all your friends at the gym – washboard abs to be shown off at the beach or gluteus muscles that look like they are sculpted out of marble.
“If you want to look good, you have got to suffer!?
That’s true: it certainly isn’t easy to be a high-performance athlete or reach the peak of your physical fitness, on the contrary it is very hard!
But what if I told you that these “obligations” can also be ENJOYABLE?
Fanatics already know all this and experience it for themselves on a daily basis: it can be really exciting and enjoyable to work hard, sweat and push yourself through extremely intense training, knowing that all this consistent effort, hard work and sweat will take you closer and closer to your ultimate goal.
But I now want to address those people who have never experienced feelings like this, either due to laziness or a variety of different excuses. I’m probably referring to that majority of people I mentioned at the beginning of this article, people who would do anything to avoid training, exertion, dieting, sweat and sacrifices, but who, at the same time, would like to improve their physical fitness.
The secret is to: GIVE IT A GO! Overcome your laziness for once and do a good workout and opt for an active lifestyle. Then everything gets easier, because exercise will make you feel good and live better.
I am not making this up, it is what science tells us: it is a physiological consequence.
Exercise generates serotonin, better known as the “good mood hormone”. Researchers claim and have also shown that serotonin levels and activity in its cellular receptors increase with physical exercise, actually getting our body to treat it like some sort of antidepressant.
Serotonin is only generated in the brain and has a positive effect on your mood, sleep patterns and appetite: three extremely important factors for our psycho-physical well-being .1
So, exercise makes us happier as well as more toned and fitter. And I’m not referring to the kind of happiness associated with achieving a goal, but an immediate happiness experienced during all your training sessions.
Summarising: the more I train, the happier and more contented I will feel on the inside and mentally. At the same time, I will become more athletic, faster, stronger and better toned, my health will improve and I will not get ill as often; my base metabolism will speed up, I will be able to train in a more relaxed way and I will be encouraged to adopt a healthier and more balanced lifestyle that will improve my general wellbeing.
What else do I need to say to persuade you to get off the sofa, throw that junk food away once and for all and convert to a healthy lifestyle?
Life is wonderful in a healthy body! Give it a go and you will see!