Mind Over Muscle

“The hardest days are the days it’s most important to get to the gym. “

Jen Bendersky

For those of you who don’t know me, I am a long-time member of Fitness Incentive. I worked out here for the first time at 15 years old, and I am now 29. Just like many of you, I have gone through ups and downs when it comes to being in shape. In different seasons of life, I either found an effective balance in my workout routines that helped me trim down, or I fell off track and became inconsistent and either gained weight or lost tone.

The Turning Point

Last April was a turning point for me. I started making small changes, like working on my abs more often, lifting light weights to tone my arms, and adding five more minutes of cardio if I had the time. Looking back, this was the Butterfly Effect in action. What seemed like insignificant changes at the time had a large ripple effect on my health and fitness.

Over the period of a couple of months, I became much more consistent with my workouts and increased the intensity. It wasn’t long before I started seeing changes in the mirror and feeling changes in my mindset. I started feeling more confident about my body and more comfortable in my own skin. My newfound commitment and discipline to improving my body resulted in motivational self-talk and a general optimism toward life.

The more I worked out and saw results, the stronger I was getting, not only physically but mentally. I was showing up and prioritizing my health, which is a sincere form of self-love. Every set I did started with the belief that my body could do it. I was proving to myself what my body and mind were capable of.

Don’t get me wrong; there are plenty of days I get in the car after work and think about how great a nap would be instead of going to the gym. As adults, we all carry the weight of daily stress, anxiety, sadness, or anger. It is important for us to have an outlet to conquer these emotions.

The Hardest Part?

Sometimes, showing up is the hardest part of the workout, but when I am not feeling strong mentally, it makes me feel better to at least be strong physically (and vice versa). I have never felt worse after a workout, but I very often feel better, stronger, or more powerful after.

Unpopular opinion:

The hardest days are the days it’s most important to get to the gym. I have had some of the best workouts of my life when I was upset or angry about something. This is how I rewired my brain to believe that exercise has the power to make any day better.

There is something euphoric about the feeling of letting everything else go so that I can focus on the next step or set it in front of me. There is no space to think about anything else when you are in the middle of a 1-minute plank. Working out allows you to clear your head for enough time to think with more clarity afterward. It helps us to be more present, mindful, and intentional.

Fresh Perspective!

This fresh perspective about getting to the gym has been a game-changer for my mental well-being. It helps me feel more grounded, less stressed, and overall more positive in my daily life. It has and continues to help my mental clarity and emotional balance. Because of this, I rarely lack the motivation to fit in a workout. The natural high after you get a good sweat in is always worth it!