Introduction

It was a cool, early, summer morning. The sun had already peaked over the horizon and its brilliant shine is starting to light up the area surrounding the Oklahoma State University’s cross country track. My friends and I rose early that morning and met up at the track to run a lap around it. You see, we signed up for an obstacle course race and this was our kick off run to train for this race in the coming weeks.

Honestly, at that moment I really wasn’t sure if I was up for the task. I hadn’t run in years. I only signed up because my good friend talked me into it. So, there I was, 10 minutes into it, I was already panting for air. During the lap, I had to stop several times to walk because I felt like I was going to die if I didn’t. So I walked and ran, and walked and ran, and finally I got to the finishing line. I was so so exhausted. I just sat there for like 20 minutes, trying to catch my breath.

At that moment, I realized two things. One, I was out of shape. Two, I hadn’t felt this alive in a long time. I felt like every cell in my body had been awakened. That moment was a turning point in my life, for the better. Since then, I’ve been exercising consistently for several years now, and man, what a change it has been!

Today, I’m excited to share with you about the life-changing benefits of exercise from my personal experience and scientific facts. I hope that you will be inspired and motivated to go out there and stretch yourself physically, and reap the benefits of exercise.

1. Health and fitness
2. Quality of life
3. Character development

To wrap it up, I don’t want to leave you hanging, so I want to offer some practical tips on how to get started with exercise and keep at it for the long term.

Former Life Without Regular Exercise

A few years into my career as a software engineer, and a couple of kids later, I realized how little time I had for myself. Somehow I also bought into the lie that now that I have a good career, a family, fitness is not that important anymore. Plus, who has time for it? I bought into the lie that as long as I am generally healthy, my exercise days are over. I should focus my time now on “adult responsibilities”. So during those several years, I didn’t exercise regularly. And my physical body and healthy suffered, and my quality of life deteriorated.

I would regularly get exhausted after I get off work. When I got home, I felt like I had nothing left for myself or my family. When my kids wanted to play with me, often I would tell them no or just ignore them. I was grumpy and irritable. I felt like I was constantly under stress. I would get headaches often, almost on a weekly basis. When those headaches hit, I was no good for anybody. I also noticed that I started gaining weight. I never experienced any of these issues when I was in college b/c I was very physically active then.

At first I really didn’t know why this was all happening to me. I thought it was just an inevitable result of getting older. This really sucked. I thought to myself: If I feel like this in my late 20s or early 30s, then how would I feel when I turn 50s, 60s? I would rather die than live longer in misery? Thank goodness that wasn’t the end of the story.

I am here today to tell you that my condition has improved dramatically since I started taking exercise seriously.   I now exercise 5 or more times a week. Every time I exercise, I also make sure there’s intensity to it so that I get my heart rate up, and get a good sweat in, for at least 30 minutes a day. Since I started doing that, almost all of the issues I described before went away.

Health and Fitness

The benefit that’s most obvious to people is health and fitness, but what’s not obvious is the vast extent of health and fitness benefits that exercise can bring you.

For starters, remember I used to have headaches often? I now rarely have headaches. If I do, I can usually get rid of it pretty quickly by doing some exercise. I rest and sleep better, which is very important to facilitate your body’s self healing process. Exercise helps to build stronger heart and lung, lower your risk of heart disease, improve your cholesterol levels, and help prevent high blood pressure. It can also help to build stronger muscles, joints, bones, and reduce risk of chronic diseases, including cancer.

Another obvious benefit of exercise is how it helps with your physical appearance. Exercise can help you lose weight, get fit, and even improve your skin appearance. Who doesn’t want to look good at the beach when we take our shirts off, right? 😉

As if that’s not enough reason to exercise, according to neuroscientist, Wendy Suzuki, physical exercise has immediate and long lasting benefits for your brain for the rest of your life. It can protect your brain from conditions such as depression, Alzheimer’s disease, or dementia. Her findings on this topic are fascinating. She gave a TED talk on this. You should check it out.

Quality of Life

After I started to exercise regularly, I feel like I have more confidence to tackle the daily tasks assigned to me, whether at work or at home. I feel like my mind is sharper at work, esp. in the heat of a discussion in meetings, I feel like I can bring my best game to the table and offer my strengths to my team.

I know I am a happier person too, and science explains why. Did you know that when you work out, your body makes endorphins — “feel-good” chemicals in the brain. You can actually start to feel better within a few minutes of moving. Don’t believe me? Try it yourself!!

I also feel like I don’t have nearly as much stress as I did before. Did you know that after a hard work out, the levels of stress hormones — like adrenaline and cortisol — drop. I know this is true b/c when I take a break to work out in the middle of a work day, I feel better in the afternoon. What seemed like a daunting or stressful task no longer seems as bad.

The best of it all is that I feel like I have great energy for interacting with people in my life, esp. my wife and kids. My kids are at the ages where they have limitless energy (or at least it seems that way), and I want to be able to do things with them and make great memories with them. Now, I am not only to keep up with them, I can actually do a lot of fun activities with them and impress them! Yes, I’m their hero again!

Character Development

This next benefit of exercise actually came as a surprise in a subtle way. After a few months of regular exercise, I started to realize how much it has helped me build mental toughness, which helps to further develop my character as a person.

There’s a “40% Rule” made known by Navy Seals. It says that when you think you have given it everything you’ve got physically, you have actually only reached 40% of your physical capacity. When you feel physically exhausted, what’s the voice you are hearing in your head? What’s going to keep you going? It is your mental fortitude. That’s what makes you grow! When you keep doing that, you will see that you are actually a lot more capable than you thought you were. Doing this over and over again translates into other areas of your life, and helps you develop a can-do attitude, and gives you more confidence in the face of tough challenges.

This verse in the Bible (Romans 5:3-4) sums it up well for me, “…suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

Tips On Getting Started And Keeping At It

Ok, by now I hope I’ve given you enough motivation to want to exercise regularly. But I know getting started can be daunting. So let me offer you some practical advice.

First, adjust your attitude about exercise if necessary. It’s not about perfection. It’s not about comparing yourself with someone else. It’s not even about being athletic. It’s about stretching yourself.

Do something. Start with baby steps and keep stretching yourself. Stay consistent.

1. Take stairs instead of elevators.
2. Ride a bike to work or school.
3. Get a standing desk. Get away from your desk or computer every hour, stretch or do some pushups.
4. Find exercises you can do both indoors and outdoors.
5. Play a game and invole physical activites.

Do it with others. Play in a sports team. Sign up for events. Join a group. Get a trainer.

Track your progress. You’ll be more motivated to keep at it if you track your progress. There are many mobile apps that can help you do this.

Wrap Up

Exercise truly offers many life-changing benefits, in the areas of health and fitness, quality of life, and character development. It has changed my life for the better for sure! It can do the same for you. Go and do something today!