Its Not All About the Losses...

In the world of fitness, health, and wellness what I have noticed is that most of our attention or focus is on losing something, whether is pounds on the scale, fat from our belly, inches from our thighs and/or butt. Whatever body part you can think of, someone wants to lose something. With all the focus placed on "losing" something, I think its easy to forget how much you actually gain that is really what this being fit, healthy, well, and looking your best is all about. In my opinion it should be more about what you gain than lose.

Many people are driven to gyms and weight rooms all around the country for various reasons, but mostly it seems to be an attempt to lose something. What I would like for you to do is to change your focus and think more about starting a fitness program or continuing your existing program with the goal of gaining something. Now many people need to lose weight and some need to gain but this isn't what I am referring to. What I am referring to is all the wonderful things benefits you receive by exercising daily and living healthy lifestyle. Most people know the benefits of exercise but there are some subtle and less recognized benefits that go unnoticed.

Here is a list of some things you gain:

1. Control of your life - with so many things in our lives that we cannot control, I feel fitness and daily exercise is one way we can truly impact our lives in a good way. This to me is the #1 benefit. When you are exercising I like to call it"me" time. Exercising regularly is a guaranteed time you have allotted to love thy self. This is very important.
   


2. Empowerment - think of how you used the word "can't" and "I can't" before you found what you "can" do in a fitness program. Now there is no stopping you. You can do anything and everything. You are in the drivers seat.
   


3. Self Medication - I am not talking about the 150% proof version of self medication, I am talking about the fact that exercise is medicine. Exercise helps in the prevention of many preventable diseases. Exercise can reduce and/or eliminate your dependency or need for prescription drugs.
   


4. Ability to Manage Stress -Life is full of ups and downs but how you manage the "downs" is the key. Exercise is excellent way to blow off some steam and manage some stress. Exercise causes the release of various brain chemicals that will make you feel happier and relaxed after your workout.
   


5. Aging Slowly - Exercise slows down the aging process significantly. The day we are born the aging process begins. Through exercise and proper nutrition you can keep your body healthy and build up a great defense against the many forces that speed up the aging process. So in a way you could potentially gain more time.
   


6. Sleep better - Without proper rest the body will not perform at its best. Through exercise you can force yourself to have a better night sleep. By burning all the energy you will exhaust the body in a good way that will help you fall into a deeper sleep which allow you to get the necessary rest you need. Remember Work + Rest = Success.
   


7. Self Esteem - This is another very important gain through exercise. Through exercise and healthy eating you can improve how you feel about yourself. Through the process of change you learn to have more confidence and assurance in your abilities and appearance. One thing I know if you feel great about yourself it impacts how you feel about many other areas of your life.

So hopefully this put your quest for health and wellness into a different perspective for you. Yeah I know weight loss and six-packs may be many peoples goals but I suggest making some of the things I talked about goals. By realizing these benefits and pursuing these as goals you focus more on gaining something that losing something. If you actually think about it you gain more than you will ever lose. Focus on the gains not just the losses.

Remember that EDUCATION and SAFETY always leads to RESULTS.

Be Well.