Inspiration to find a happy exercise routine can come from many different places. Some desire a workout that can increase their skills in a certain area, like running to practice deeper breathing techniques or hiking to gain a strong lower body. Some desire exercising regularly to simply maintain a healthy body overall.
Exercise provides interdisciplinary positivity – it seals the mind and body connection, brings people confidence and strength and pumps up the feel-good endorphins. But, sometimes the image-based rhetoric revolving around fitness and health centralizes exercising around physical appearance. Working out only to gain a desired look can make exercising less meaningful, and it’s important to find balance when striving to improve physical health.
Working out to improve outward appearance is not a negative thing, but it becomes a risky practice when it is someone’s only reason for exercising. Hitting the bench press at the gym five days a week to bulk up the biceps can be a great confidence booster, but if the individual underneath the iron bar is doing so only to become Vin Diesel’s twin, they will never be satisfied.
No matter how many reps a person puts in, no matter how they diet or how often they workout – striving to gain an appearance identical to another person is quite impossible, because everyone has a different body. All individuals have unique genetic makeup, and fitness results display themselves in various ways.
This is where balance comes into play. While it’s amazing for an individual to see their booty growing after squats, it’s beneficial for them to note the amazing strength they have gained in their legs as well. Workouts provide humans with longevity, better postures, more oxygen and huge amounts of mental resilience. Those qualities are wonderful, and when recognized can provide genuine self-love.
Mindsets around exercising can sink deeper than containing the simple notion of looking good after one is done with their workout. When a person justifies working out to gain accessibility to their body, grant them new mobility skills, strengthen their mindfulness and build a foundational routine as well as see improved psychique, their exercise routine becomes a lot more satisfying. At the end of the day, bettering one’s health is an activity fit to benefit themself and no one else, and should be catered to do so. Viewing exercise only as a beauty contest can be exhausting. Let exercise be a treat, or a moment of paradise in escaping from the outside world.
The common gym routine of alternating through leg, arm, abs and cardio day doesn’t work for everyone, but regular yoga practice doesn’t do the job for everyone either. To find a fun form of exercise, folks can dive into various types of healthy activity in order to discover what works for them. The simple act of walking – as basic as it is – is a wonderful way to move the body! So is deep stretching, swimming, playing sports, hiking and even dancing.
Individuals don’t need to feel limited in their health practices. These should only bring positivity, wellbeing and genuine happiness, or else moving the body will feel like a second job. When losing focus on how one looks, they will begin to recognize how they feel.
After surrendering to dig a little deeper and find what feels good, exercising will elevate from a routine into an abundantly fulfilling experience. Don’t be afraid to look beyond the mirror.