Day 88 - Grow Younger Every Day Step 5: Exercise with Purpose

Step 5 in leading a happier, healthier life is all about the time you spend exercising.

I see it all the time, people literally pissing their time away at the gym. On on hand, you have the guys lifting stupid amounts of weight (either because they can or because they are trying to impress others), they do a set, grunt and groan, drop the weights down and then pace around while sipping water.

Then, you have the folks who are using the cardio machines, staring blankly at either a magazine, tv, or my personal favorite - texting while exercising.

Why are you wasting your time?

In previous posts, I have discussed the importance of intense exercise, not to mention finding something you enjoy doing. I would say the majority of the people hitting the gym are not following either piece of advice.

If you wish to be a bodybuilder, then go right ahead and take your time between sets. Use ridiculous amounts of weight. Sip lots of water, etc. However, I am almost certain that most people do not want to be bodybuilders. Sure, ask most of the guys out there, and they will probably say that they wish to be "ripped", so they think that their huge muscles are going to "pop out" of their fat...simply not true.

Or what about the women who feel as though just because they are "in the gym", that is good enough, as if the air you breath while "working out" is going to magically make you thinner...

Most people have busy lives. I have a 7-month old son at home, so even though I thought I had a busy life before, I now know how much free time I used to have. I hate the feeling of wasting time throughout the day, especially when I may only have a small window of opportunity to get my workout done, I need to get shit done, and pronto! (excuse the language)

When I say "Exercise with Purpose", I mean that in two different ways.

First of all, as I mentioned above, when you train with purpose, you spend less time sitting around, and more time working. I highly recommend either hiring a personal trainer, using a home workout video, or structuring a workout for yourself complete with break times, etc. This way, you allot a very specific amount of time for yourself to workout, and you finish on time.

Secondly, Exercise with Purpose refers to having a training goal in mind. For those of you who follow my blog all the time will think I sound like a broken record here, but ALL health and fitness journeys should start with a goal or goals. This should be something very specific. "I wish to lose 10 pounds by August 20th!" "I want to run a 5km race in 25 minutes!" etc.

Once you start with a goal, the more specific, the better, you can then structure you workouts to aim directly at that target. I find, for myself, I get much more mental focus when I am training because I have a very specific light at the end of the tunnel that I am striving for. I get into my home gym and work as hard as I can every day because I know that I have, for example, 60 days to hit my goal, and I need every single minute of my training time to reach that point!

Trust me when I tell you that, setting a goal for yourself, working towards said goal, and then conquering it, is one of the most satisfying experiences you can make for yourself!

Quote of the day:

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
~ C.S. Lewis