Here are 5 Points on How Taking Fitness Seriously, Changed My Life
My 9 Years Journey with Fitness.
Soon after graduating from college in June 2012, I decided to take some time off. A journey that lasted 5 complete years of studying, reading, and exams. The stress anyone can imagine from being an engineering student at Kuwait University.
My father is a retired military officer. You can imagine that to be in his position — especially in the early days — he should be physically fit.
I used to be a skinny person. I did not work out at all during my college days. I was not physically fit. One day my father suggested that my younger brother and I join the gym — for the entertainment part. I wouldn't say I liked the idea. In the beginning, I used to say that losers who have no self-esteem go to the gym to show off. I was wrong.
After some insistence, I went to the gym for a tour around. I liked the atmosphere and that the place felt alive and healthy. I asked around, searched about bodybuilding and fitness. After a couple of days, I decided to give it a try; I joined the gym. The trainers there showed me around the machines and some working techniques. Although most of what they used to say was ok, I heard a lot of crazy stuff as well, from people eating 30 eggs a day to working out on an empty atomic to lose more fat. The fitness industry is one of if not the most misleading industries for newcomers. People can easily injure themselves from bad advice or go to the hospital for taking improper doses of vitamins and supplements. The best part was I did not get involved in this nonsense and decided to do my own research.
From supplementation — that I did not introduce until earlier — to workout routines, I did all my trial and error. Learned from all others’ mistakes and got the decline to go easy while keeping the consistency. To this day, I don’t take long breaks from weight-lifting or running; the longest was when I had to go through an appendix removal surgery that took me 3–4 months to recover from.
Today, I’m happy that I started working out back in 2012. I wish that I started sooner. Here are the 5 things that changed my life for the better:
#1 It Changes the Way You Think
Working out has the effect of changing the way you think, decide, and act. When you are into fitness, then you know by now that it doesn’t come easy. Time is the important element in the equation as you need to become more aware of your workout routines and make sure not to skip a day.
The moment you commit to working out at a specific time a day, you will automatically fall into the managing behavior. You will start showing up on-time more often. You don’t skip meetings or gatherings like you might have used to. Fitness will teach you the importance of time and discipline.
#2 It Makes You Feel Younger
Fitness will not only make you healthier, but you will get the feeling that you are much younger than you are. As you become older, your body starts to go into a changing phase. If you are not into fitness, you will feel that your body starts to show age. You will feel that your body is getting older and less healthy. Not to mention the emotional state, when you workout, your food will automatically be less junk as you don’t want your hard work to go to waste.
Most people will start by buying new clothes, and they get motivated to buy things that they don’t usually wear. You will feel that you are a better version of yourself, and getting to this state can be addicted that you do anything not to go back to the worst you.
#3 It Makes Everything else, Easier
The hardest part about fitness is consistency and discipline. If you can manage these two, then you will be fine in the long run. In fact, fitness is a great meditation for people who are more likely to give up easily. They get into a forced phase of losing weight; after that, they will get compliments from everyone they know. The social pressure is there now, and you can’t make it go away. You will have some emotional accountability between you and the people that encouraged you.
If you can achieve all that, imagine your relationships, work habits, morning routines, health habits, etc. They will all get the effect, and you will probably become a different person in and out.
#4 It Makes You More Patient
Fitness is not easy to get used to. It’s tough. You need to train at least 3 times a week. You need to schedule your workouts on your calendar and make it a non-negotiable part of your day. This attitude will give you patience and allow you to respect the process. Yes, it is not instant; it takes time. The good part? You can see small changes every day. You can track how your body is changing, and this alone can boost your confidence and make you eager for more, pushing yourself to your limits, that is success if you asked me.
Patience can make you a better person at your work, at home with your wife and kids, and when you get into any situation, you will be patient. Although this is not a guaranteed takeaway from being fit, it is something that you will get after being fit for a long time. The urge to eat that donut or that candy bar won’t make you weak because you worked so hard for what you have. The same thing with life situations, you’ll be more patient.
#5 It Fuels Your Day
I love starting my day with any workout. Weight-lifting, running, cardio, or even as simple as a 30 minutes walk. Moving your body first thing in the morning has a huge effect on your mood and your state of mind. You will be more alive, more energized, and more focused. This is why many successful people work out first thing in the morning. You can give it a try. If it is not for you, then do the minimum — walk for 10 minutes, then increase the time every week by 5 minutes till you get to 60 minutes. Make it a habit. Start your day with physical activity and see the change for yourself.
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You can reach me at @alounpro on Twitter.
Have a lovely day!
