HolisticImprovement

After a solid workout, I feel like I’m on top of the world. I have more mental clarity, and I feel invigorated. After years of working out, I’ve become addicted to the euphoric rush of great feelings that come from intense exercise. I love how after I exercise I get an overwhelming sense of calm and clarity that I can carry with me throughout the day. When I don’t exercise for more than a couple of days, I start to crave the rush, the sense of accomplishment. Exercise has transformed my life, it’s incomprehensible why some people don’t do it. Laziness is never a valid excuse.

Lose Weight

Most Americans want to lose weight. If you’re one of those people, and you’re not exercising daily, you probably realize you need to change your lifestyle. The tough part is committing one hundred percent to the lifestyle change of exercising daily. If you do, though, you will reach your weight goals that much faster, as exercise is essential for permanent weight loss.

 
Feels Great

After years of having both a balanced diet and a regular workout schedule, your body will reach its ideal shape. It feels amazing looking in the mirror and seeing the body you have worked so hard for. If you’re a guy, it looks and feels great to have solid, defined muscles, and if you’re a girl, it feels equally great to be toned and fit.

It’s Healthy

Not only is exercise very beneficial for your body itself, it’s awesome for your health! Exercise reduces stress levels, diabetes, depression, anxiety, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, and some types of cancer. Regular exercise also helps you fall asleep faster and get better quality sleep, just make sure you don’t work out right before bed, as that can keep you awake.

Builds Confidence

My confidence levels have personally skyrocketed ever since I’ve gotten into working out. Growing up, I constantly used to get comments about how skinny I was, and now I’m getting positive comments about my new physique that I’ve worked so hard for. Looking in the mirror and actually seeing the changes week by week gives me the confidence to keep going and inspires me to push my physical limits even more the next time.

Mood and Energy Boost

Exercise has been scientifically proven to increase levels of endorphins in the brain, which basically make you feel amazing. After an intense workout, I feel like I’m on top of the world. The entire rest of the day, I’m overflowing with energy and am fully alert and awake. After I run for a while, I sometimes experience what’s called a “runner’s high,” and it’s such a good feeling. Try it out for yourself!

Many Mental Benefits

Working out gives you much more than just physical benefits. Exercise, especially weight training, builds self-discipline because you push yourself past your self-imposed mental limits and keep on going. Working out also helps you learn to delay gratification (obviously, you won’t see results immediately), which is a great mental quality to have in life. Having a dedicated workout routine or schedule that you will stick to no matter what also helps build mental commitment, which is an essential mental habit.

 
To get a good workout in, you don’t need a gym membership or even equipment! Exercises that just use your body (push-ups, sit-ups, etc) are great, and you can do those types of exercises anywhere. Anything you want to learn about exercise routines are available online for free.

If you do have access to a gym, going with workout buddies always helps because I’ve noticed that you can push each other to do so much more than what you would normally do alone. You can also see different workout styles and exercises to add more variety to your normal workout routines.

 
I would recommend exercise to literally everyone, and weight training for everyone over age 16 or so. If you’re a girl and you’re worried that weight training will make you look bulky and manly, it won’t, unless you really, really try for that. Females don’t have the same hormones as men to be able to bulk up, and besides, getting huge muscles doesn’t just happen by accident, it takes a huge amount of effort. Don’t worry, weight training makes women look toned and sculpted.

I love working out and I am committed to staying in top physical shape for the rest of my life. If you still aren’t convinced, here are 100 more reasons to work out today. Constantly getting a mood boost while looking better and becoming stronger every time, what’s not to love! If you’re ever debating whether to go to the gym, remember this quotation: “I really regret going to the gym today,” —said no one, ever.

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