If You Only Start One Habit This Year - Start Working Out

I struggled with consistency in the past. My first online marketing /copywriting business venture, my attempt to build an Instagram Brand, or learning to play piano are all endeavors I gave up eventually.

The one thing I stuck with, however, is the gym. And when I was incapable of going because I had my wisdom teeth taken out, It felt like a part of me was missing.

To compensate for the hole in my soul and the extra pound I put on, I decided to explain to you the positive effect working out can have on your productivity, body, brain, and even bank account.

Give me a few minutes of your time, as I might just end up motivating you to get that gym membership.

Sharpen Your Saw

In the book “The 7 habits of highly effective people” the author explains the idea behind sharpening your saw like this:

Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have — you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual.

Well, going along with this metaphor, going to the gym isn’t sharpening your saw but replacing it with a chainsaw. Here’s why:

It Grows Your Grey Matter.

In this article on sciencetimes.com, the author discusses the positive effect working out has on your brain. Here are a few of them:

• It increases heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain.
• It aids the release of hormones, which provide an excellent environment for the growth of brain cells.
• It promotes brain plasticity by stimulating the growth of new connections between cells in many important cortical areas of the brain.
• Research from UCLA even demonstrated that exercise increased growth factors in the brain

Speaking from personal experience: Brain fog and concentration issues are problems I struggle with occasionally, and working out is always the solution.

If you want to sharpen your mind and get rid of brain fog, be more concentrated, and focus with ease, work out.

It Affects Your Energy Levels - In Every Part Of Your Life

Ever spent one day on the couch with a screen time of 4+ hours? (no shame, who hasn’t?)

In that case, you will have noticed that you didn’t have the energy, focus, and motivation to do anything, like at all.

Although you did nothing the entire day... One would argue without using it, you should have lots to spend, shouldn’t you?

You see, energy isn’t a resource spent or drained by taking action, but originates from the action.

Working out is the ultimate energy shot because it isn’t just about working out. Matt D’Avella extensively explains the following point in this video.

As you start working out, you’ll soon learn that it’s about so much more than moving weights from a to b.

You have to sleep and eat properly, as you would otherwise waste a huge chunk of your potential progress. If we have one thing in common, it’s that we hate wasting potential.

This is what makes working out so powerful, the fact that it affects other parts of your life, which will then improve your energy levels even more.

Someone with a good workout routine might get into meal prep, a healthy diet, and a stable sleeping rhythm. These habits will make you more energetic, save time, and increase your productivity. You simply get more done, even the stuff you don’t feel like doing.

Becoming A Disciplined Person

The last point I want to mention is the discipline you build by sticking to a training program.

I confess that I hate training legs, I’m sorry, I can’t help it, it sucks. Nonetheless, they have to be trained, and even if I don’t feel like it, I will eventually get into the gym and onto that leg press.

This proves the last point I want to make here:

Working out builds discipline, consistency, and the habit to stick to a plan and show up day after day.

It’s Not About Muscles, Looks, Or Ego.

As a parting note, these were the reasons why I started weightlifting 4 years ago, and if these are the factors that initially get you into the gym, that’s fine. At least you’re there and start putting in the work.

(You might have to reconsider your motivation down the road, but you won’t even want to stop once you experience the benefits for yourself).

Takeaway

Working out is a habit with a multilateral impact on your well-being, your identity, and most importantly, your energy and level of focus on a day-to-day basis. If you aren’t working out already, please get started, it’s an investment worth making.

Are you already working out consistently, or did I motivate you to get started? Let me know in the comments and feel free to leave some feedback, I’m always looking to improve my writing!

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