My favourite quote that I have up on the white board at my home gym is simple –‘TRAINING MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER’. From the pride, from endorphins, from dopamine, from the escape, and from just the simple fact that you did something for yourself that is good for you, as opposed to being indulgent, lazy or being distracted.
We all suffer from two great problems every day – fear and lethargy. Fear of the day and the future actions, decision and challenges we will face. Lethargy is the normal human reaction to indulge, rest, stay in bed or do something easy or comfortable. Lethargy was a reward for demanding work after a hunt or day in the sun gathering berries, but now everything is too easy and too available, many go straight for the reward without earning it.
When you train, you conquer both challenges. Doing it first thing in the morning is the best time but after work/school is also great because you finish the day a little prouder than you would, if you did not train. Twice a day is even better, something you do as soon as you get out of bed like a run or walk and then after the day working, do something to elevate your energy, burn off your stress and finish the day on a positive note. Training is small steps every day to a better life and every session will make you feel better.
Regardless of how you feel when you wake up or after work, training will make you feel better. Getting changed, the warmup and getting moving may be the hardest thing you do all day, but it is all worth it. The routine process of getting ready to train can be hard but your subconscious will soon learn to reward you for just getting ready to train and your discipline will get you through this stage. There is no stopping you when you are out of bed and dressed ready to go. The process of putting runners on, going to the gym, the pool or getting your bike out makes it impossible to stop.
Invalid reasons to not train: I slept in; I am too busy; it costs too much; I do not have time; I am not fit enough; there are more important things in life; no one will go with me; I have an injury (have you seen the disabled Olympics?!); my hair is out of place;
I broke a nail; I will look dumb; I hate running, or I have a date.
My second favourite quote is ‘Discipline is the key. Motivation is unreliable’. This is what you need to get up and get going, to battle the demons telling you to stay in bed or to watch TV, or stop at the pub on the way home. Discipline is certain, a choice made previously that sticks in your subconscious and demands the best of you. Motivation is a fickle and weak friend who is often found wanting when you need them the most. Motivation is unreliable.
When you train your body rewards you with endorphins to cope with the pain and stress and can make you feel more enlightened, satisfied, and happy. Your motivation will also improve once you are into it, and you will wonder why it was so hard to get started. Your brain will then release dopamine which is a chemical your body will reward you with to improve your mood, make you feel happy and improve your motivation for next time. You must remember that the endorphins and dopamine are there waiting for you to train but you must start training to earn them. They are natural highs that will make you happy and able to enjoy your workout more. They are wonderful things to be addicted too and when you exercise routinely you will want them and must exercise to get them. A great cycle that proves training makes you feel better, and that your body wants you to train.
When you do not exercise you do not know what you are missing. When you exercise routinely you must exercise to feel better because you may feel worse when you do not. You will be irritable, unsatisfied and annoy the people around you if you have not had your workout. Hang out with people who train and want you to train. Being accountable to a team is great for your discipline, so play a sport that makes you turn up for others.
After work and a busy day is when you need to burn off your stress and worries. You need training that takes your mind off your day, clears your head, and gives your subconscious a break from the demands of other people and your life. Your subconscious will understand you need to train to get the chemical mood enhancements of dopamine and will reward you for getting ready and turning up to the gym. They will also punish you with guilt and irritation if you do not train.
When are you super busy with the challenges of life, in the middle of exams or facing a particular hard aspect of a relationship or work problem – train! Many people use being busy as an excuse to not train or they are too worried, too stressed, or just have too many things demanding their time. This is when training is the most important. Fit it in for yourself, make time because it is a precious thing you will never get back.
When you have loads of free time, when on holidays, when your social calendar is clear, you need to exercise as well. This is when you must have a routine and be disciplined, or lethargy can easily take over. More free time can often mean more time to socialize, chat, go shopping or eat more. These enjoyable indulgent activities are the enemy of health. Training makes you feel better and is better for you, so ensure you keep a schedule, even when you have more free time. Holidays allow more time to train, more time to take on some challenges, and should not be a time to let lethargy control you.
Training not only makes you feel better, but it also makes you mentally stronger. When you conquer lethargy, when you improve your self-control and resist easy options and avoid your lazy work colleagues at the pub, you will develop small steppingstones to better mental health. Your pride is how you can be more resilient to challenges and that starts with routine training and the self-esteem from knowing you can conquer lethargy, distractions, and the multitude of abundance available in the modern world. Too much food, too much TV, too much social media and too many options to be lazy. Everything that is designed to entertain you for the easy dopamine fix can all be overcome by battling the temptations to be lazy and training in a disciplined way to earn the pride that comes from the self-control, to look after yourself.
Face up to the fact that AI and algorithms are bad for you because they are false. They are not you and are only imitations of you. An algorithm can learn all about you, but it is only a construct to con you and weaken you for someone else to benefit. An AI is an easy out for thinking for yourself. So what if you make dumb decisions sometimes, at least they are your decisions. No amount of dopamine from a message or a great suggestion to buy something or connect with someone will replace actual physical training away from social media. You are weak and will only get weaker if you get your satisfaction from false input constructed to sell you things and control your mind for someone else’s profit. Training makes you feel better, and importantly, disengages you from devices designed to manipulate you through false rewards.
Anyone that thinks you are selfish for not spending time with them instead of training is a friend you do not need, as they are the selfish ones that are too weak to train themselves. If they were your friend, they would congratulate you and join you at the gym. Many people that are nice to you are not your friends. A faithful friend chastises you if you miss training and never berates you for not meeting them for drinks every Friday. If you have someone in your life that makes you feel guilty for training and not hanging out with them, you do not need them in your life. If you are in a relationship and your partner does not want you to train – ditch them quick!
Training makes your mood better. Training makes your sleep better and training makes everything in life after training much better. You have done something good for you, despite the battle it can be to fit into some days, or how hard the training can actually be. You will be a stronger and healthier person for it.
Training hard makes you feel even better than training easy. Achieving a barely achievable challenge and finishing a demanding workout feels better than walking the dog, but you must have both in your life. Some days require a sub maximal effort, some an intense mind-altering, gut-wrenching commitment. Regardless of the training, it must be done, every day.
Anger Management and Depression. I link these two together because for me they are inseparable and flow from one to the other. Training hard is the best outlet for the anger and making yourself train when you do not want to is a simple step to move away from depression. Training will make you feel better whenever you are angry or sad. Train so hard you forget your day, you enjoy some dopamine, and have one small thing to be proud of. Do it every day and you have a management strategy that will work for your entire life. Face it, we all get angry, we all have demons, and we often feel pointlessness and lethargy facing life’s challenges. I often wake up badly and I am not the only one. People can make you furious, in person, online, on hold and whenever you have people that have wronged you or let you down. Those demons do not just leave, they sit there and pop up when you do not want them to, a great temporary fix, is to train hard. This shakes the demons off and puts them back in their box. The demons cling despite your best efforts but if you train routinely, you will always feel better.
Training makes you feel better – every single time. Even when the training is substandard, sub maximal or just feels like junk, it is always worth it. The natural high from training lasts longer than the workout and is contagious, but it needs to be refilled and reenergized every day. Persist until your training is a habit and you will agree – training always makes you feel better.
