A New Perspective

     Day in and day out I see the same things, angry people letting stress and emotions over run them. Their health suffers, their minds suffer, their families and jobs suffer. How can you lessen this stress in your life, and better these areas? With the gym. I know I have talked about this before, but, these are different reasons. 


1.      EXERCISE FOR MOOD. If you are one of the hundreds of thousands in our country that suffers from depression, or even anxiety, you can improve your mood and aide it by exercising every day in some form or another. Whether you go to the gym and lift weights, workout at home with your kids, or go to the park and do yoga with a friend, these are all forms of exercise. The issue is we think that exercise consists only of going to the gym and is a chore. Taking care of your meat suit and mind is never a chore and should be done daily with excitement. You are bettering not only your own body but your entire life. You have a better mood due to physical activity releasing dopamine and serotonin, and lowering cortisol and norepinephrine to boost you into a state of euphoria. 

​2.     WHY THE GYM. Now if you are someone who is wary of the gym, or just isn't a fan of going then maybe I can change your mind just a bit. Gyms are a place to work on yourself. While they may be filled with "meat-heads", trainers that sometimes look as if they could use a trainer, or other members who don't know what the etiquette is the gym is one of the most useful life tools you could ever have. If you have a physically taxing job, and I argued with my own father on this for over a year, that DOES NOT EXCLUDE YOU FROM WORKING OUT. There is a difference. The gym allows you the access to equipment you may not be able to purchase or get anywhere else. It gives you the social connection, motivation and the opportunity for growth in a physical and mental sense. You can learn from the trainers, or simply observe others. Classes are always a great starting point for those who are new and have no clue where to start. 

1. MONEY. The biggest reason I get told someone doesn't want to go to/sign up for the gym is due to the money. Look I totally understand that 1000%, but find a gym that suits your needs and goals. I pay $10 a month for my gym, I have a sauna, two levels of cardio equipment (including lateral elliptical, stair steppers of two varieties, seated bikes, normal bikes, spin bikes, an array of treadmills and so much more) ETC. Now, if I pay $10 a month, and I go even two times a week, that is more than worth is just for those three things alone. It would only be a waste if you never went. 
2. STRESS. Going to the gym is an escape from the normal places of our everyday lives. It is therapy for some and fun for others. No matter what it is to you and for you, it relieves stress! This is one of the best reasons to have a gym membership, having a place outside of your work or home to escape to. Being active releases stress hormones and rids the body of them, we know this. But the gym not only gives you the social aspect to see people you generally wouldn't throughout the day, but allows you to unwind. Making for an even more uplifted mood. 
3. THE BLEED-OVER. Now I never expect anyone to live the lifestyle I live, it takes a lot of work and practice. I do however know that if you are utilizing the gym properly and your routine you will find your days running smoother. Being in a consistent routine allows us to have better time management. Lifting helps us pay attention to form or get hurt. From this we can see mindfulness and awareness develop. Since a gym is a common place for all to gather, we have to learn to communicate with one another. It can teach us how to love ourselves, about ourselves, what we lack, what we are great at.Exercising often times forces us to multitask by paying attention to multiple things at once such as, form, timing, amount of weight, concentration to make sure that they are all aligned properly when lifting any amount of weight.  These things can help in our daily lives, work, family, running errands even. 

CONCLUSION
      So while I have talked bout reasons for going to the gym before, this is a completely new set. A completely new way to see it. Do it for your entire life, don't just do it to look good naked. Everything we do is interconnected to each other, if we figure out how to make that work then all the puzzle pieces will fall into place eventually. Take care of yourself first and get a gym membership. They have more to offer than you may be thinking they do. 

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