Untold Benefits of Fitness and Nutrition
Most people understand the health and wellness benefits that you receive from exercise and eating right. However, most people do not understand the ripple effect that occurs when you commit to the lifestyle. I will not even get into the health benefits since most of that knowledge is commonplace and publicized on a daily basis through advertising, social media and word of mouth. The real purpose of this post is to explain the habits you will create that you did not expect. So let’s begin with the most important:
Time Management: Exercise programs and nutrition plans require you to become very time conscious and aware of everything you do. Scheduling out a weekly workout split with rest days along with setting times for meals and snacks is essential for maximizing your results. In doing so you create time blocks to eat, train and as you will soon realize for your daily activities. Most people do not plan day to day and especially hour to hour. By writing down your training time and meal times you will inadvertently fill in the gaps with your daily schedule. Also, you give yourself the ability to maneuver around unexpected events when you know your schedule to this extent. I understand that most people get overwhelmed with planning to this degree, but your productivity will sky-rocket by incorporating this tactic. Leading me to the second untold benefit.
Productivity: Being productive is something everyone desires as it gives an intense feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. Exercise programs and nutrition plans force you into a systematic approach to your day. You have a daily checklist that involves your training, meals and all other activity. The key to this habit as well as time management is physically writing down your checklist that you reference throughout the day. It is extremely powerful when you have a written list. This visual stimulus of seeing what your day looks like holds you accountable and is much more likely to make you feel a need to accomplish each task. Instead of thinking “I should do this” you see “I need to do this”. I cannot stress enough the importance of this concept. Write it down and you will see and feel the difference. Now productivity has a secondary component as well.
Productivity #2: Your habits will develop and you become much more efficient, but you also get an additional tool at your disposal. With a fitness regimen and proper nutrition as a part of your lifestyle you will see a drastic increase in your energy levels. Now this is not a 5 hour energy boost or on some quick fix basis. It manifests itself as you implement exercise and eat healthy over time. You then have a new capacity, a new vibrancy, and a new energy. Not only do you avoid midday crashes and difficulty starting your day, you have a higher quality and evenly flowing energy level. When you feel good and are highly energized your productivity spikes, motivation rises, and a euphoric experience occurs. This is a tremendous feeling to have everyday. It cannot be understated. Imagine not wanting to check out of work at 2:00pm and powering through the last 3 hours at your highest ability. Everyone knows the feeling of being tired, unmotivated, and lethargic. Eliminate that feeling. When someone asks me to quantify how exercise and nutrition improve productivity, I say “it will add a minimum of 3 hours of productive activity everyday”. In reality it adds even more since you are now steadily energized and motivated throughout the day. You are now aware of your time, your tasks, and of course your health.
Long-Term Investment Return: People are always willing to put money into insurance, savings accounts and stock investments. For some reason this action doesn’t seem to translate to investing your own personal health. If I ask you, “How much are you worth?”. Most people respond with a monetary value…their net worth. Now first of all this is just wrong. You are not worth your balanced equity and expenses. The correct answer, which some people give, is “I am worth everything”. With this mindset, these people invest in themselves and not their status or financial value. Your health is the ultimate investment. Value yourself at the highest level and you invest in your health not your wealth. Health over wealth. Simply put if your health is inadequate your wealth is irrelevant. Lets get into the expenses you will accumulate if you neglect your health. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that in 2012 the highest health expenditure per capita per year was the United States at an astounding $8362. Medical bills involving prescriptions, surgical procedures, examinations and high insurance rates all contribute to this staggering annual expense. So if you do not see the monetary value that a fitness and nutrition program offers then you are ignoring the facts. Investing in your health is a minuscule amount compared to the health expenses you pay in the short and long-term. Avoid that heart attack that costs thousands of dollars and may end your life. Live life without pills being taken daily to keep your blood pressure down. Stop being dependent on your pharmacy and doctor to live. Take control and invest in you. We have the wrong mentality on life in this country. We focus on longevity. We live longer than ever before. So what! If you are bed-ridden, constantly sick, on medication, and best friends with the hospital staff you are not living life. Quality of life needs to be the focus. 75 years of healthy, high functioning life is much more satisfying then 80 years where you spend it recovering from medical procedures and on medication to keep you at the minimum function to stay alive. Everyone has a friend or relative who had a stroke or heart attack or contracts Type II diabetes and is extremely hindered in their life. These are all preventable, but it starts from investing in your health. Money well spent, which has the ultimate return on investment (ROI).
In conclusion, the mentality that we have ingrained into society leaves too many opportunities for people to opt out of fitness programs and nutrition plans. The concept that “we should exercise and eat right” is weak and has zero impact on someone taking an initiative. The day the perspective becomes “we need to exercise and eat right” is when real change will occur. That is my mission. Suggestions fail. Necessities produce action. We advance technologically and regress physically every year. That trend is deadly. Literally. Time is placed on false realities and the external world. Internalize your life and think inside out. Choosing to neglect the information above may not impact you today or tomorrow, but it will eventually. Don’t wait until that day to make a change. Take action now. I am.
