Working Out Puts You In Control

If you're a frequent reader of this blog, you know I talk a lot about how working out has benefits that are more than just physical.

Working out can make you more perceptive, make you a gentler person, make you sleep better, make you think more clearly, etc. etc. And these are all on top of the wonderful physical benefits. Continuing with theme of non-physical benefits, I want to discuss one new one, which is the feeling of control.

At various points in my life, i've felt like I wasn’t in control of a situation which I should be able to control. And thats the worst feeling, right? Because the weather may ruin your garden party, but the weather isn’t in your control. But if something is in your control, and you still aren’t able to handle it, thats incredibly frustrating.

An example would be work, or perhaps your relationship with a significant other, or maybe your relationship with your parents. These are all situations that we (myself included) like think that are in our control, and we get frustrated when they don’t perform as expected.

You know what I’ve learned though? These situations are in fact not in our control. And thats because they involve someone else. Any time another person is involved, you are not in control.

This is a long prelude to get to my point: your body is the only thing which is totally in your control.

If you eat a lot, you'll put on weight. If you work out a lot, youll be more fit. There's just no arguing that. Its a fact. And how much you eat, and how much you workout, are completely in your control.

You are in control of your body. Your body is the only thing which is totally in your control.

So, if we can agree on that, what conclusions should we draw from this?

 

1. Be on the side of your body

Treat your body like a friend, rather than an enemy. You may catch yourself saying "I hate my body", but you would never say that about a friend. Your body is a reflection of your decisions. So treat your body with care, with love, and your body will love you back.

2. Use your power

Every now and then, after a steady few weeks of hitting the gym and not eating junk food, I catch my reflection in a store window and say "daaaaamn!" And thats the best feeling in the world. Seriously, checking yourself out is an amazing feeling. And then a few minutes later you realize, wait a minute, I DID THIS. I made the decisions and took the actions which resulted in me being impressed by myself. WHY DONT DO I DO THIS EVERY DAY?? So, I started doing it every day. And now I check myself out all the time!!

3. Don't sweat what you can't control

That’s right, be happy about more things, and worry about less! You may have thought your promotion was in your control, but its not. You can perform like a rockstar, but ultimately your promotion will be based on how your compoany is doing and whether they need someone to fill that role above you. You may have thought you were in control of how much fun everyone has at the bachelorette party, but ultimately when you get six drunk bridesmades together, theres no telling whats going to happen! So, stop sweating what you cant control. And start focusing on what you can control.

Your body is the only thing which is totally in your control.