We are always trying to pack more into our day and most times proper exercise gets left out because it takes up too much time. As a result our strength levels decline along with our fitness level, our waistlines increase and we set ourselves up for a variety of health problems down the road somewhere.

Our modern day lives are indeed busy as demands and expectations have increased as technology has speeded up our world. With these extra loads we need to be aware that our own self care is vital to our survival in such a fast paced environment.

Just like any piece of equipment that needs to be reliable and not break down we need some down time too. We need to recalibrate our brain and give it time to do the filing otherwise it ends up like a desk piled up with unattended paperwork.

Our body and soul needs nature’s chemicals that are only released during vigorous movement or activity. They wash through us like medicine, calming, soothing and cleansing us both in body and mind of all the “junk” that comes our way in the course of living a busy life.

If this “junk” is not cleared away stress levels climb and affect every part of our being. Not only our physical being but our mental and emotional wellness as well.  We all know stress is responsible for a large percentage of disease everywhere around us and if you think you can get away with managing it without exercise you are in for a rocky road.

Stress is cumulative and even small amounts of unresolved stress, applied constantly over a period of time, can tax your resources to the breaking point. This kind of stress is more insidious and will often go unnoticed until we are ready to explode.

Using the “not enough time” excuse is pretty flimsy; there is no excuse unless you happen to be paralyzed from the neck down. So the next time you think about getting started on your proper exercise program do not ask “Who has time”, instead ask yourself the questions “Who does not want to look and feel better?” Or “If I don’t take care of myself who else is going to?” After all plenty of people way busier than you make the time to exercise a couple of times each week.

There’s no need to build your own obstacles. You have enough challenges to meet without handicapping yourself by ignoring personal fitness. Besides the obvious health risks and damage to your life expectancy, poor fitness keeps you from reaching your potential.

Even feeling a little off-kilter can affect your performance in a big way. Fitness makes the business of goal achievement so much easier. It helps you stay focused with a strong clear mind that can function quickly and push through tough times.

It is important that we are strong enough to face the ups and downs of life and drastic changes if they take place. Even if life knocks us down we need to be capable of getting back up quickly so we can get going again.

More brain power is a Smart Strategy

Fuzzy-brained people usually don’t make the annual list of movers and shakers. Most goals require concentration and ongoing peak mental performance. A sluggish mind can hold you back. On the flip side, improved mental skills help you learn faster and create new ideas for future plans.

If you want to see the full potential of your goal achievement journey, keep in mind that strong, fit, positive people:

•    Are less irritable
•    Have an increased ability to interact with others
•    See opportunities rather than problems
•    See roadblocks as challenges, not a reason to give up

A strong fit mind that goes hand in hand with a strong fit body sees connections you didn’t know were there before, remembers mistakes, and has clearer insights into your life, your strengths and your priorities. It also helps you form the ability to create and sustain goal-related visions, a skill held by most successful people.

Think of it this way: like your body, your brain needs to be fed and exercised to perform well. With the right amount of oxygen supplied through physical fitness, your brain power can dramatically increase in the following ways:

•    Thinking with more vision
•    Increased attention and concentration
•    More mental clarity and quicker thinking
•    Improved memory
•    Boosted creativity

People who are physically fit are hands down healthier, are able to maintain their most optimum weight, and are also not prone to health problems.

Provides more positive thinking

Fitness has one more, vitally important role – it helps determine your attitude. Your attitude can spell success or failure. Like Henry Ford said “If you think you can do or can’t do something, you’re right.” Optimists generally reach more goals faster than pessimists. And positive thinkers attract positive people, great candidates for your support team.

Okay, so attitude is important. What does that have to do with fitness? Studies show that optimists tend to be more mentally and physically fit than pessimists. In an extreme example, major depression can increase the death rate of nursing home patients by over 50 percent.

Attitude and health feed off each other. You can live longer by reducing worry. In the same way, you can stay positive by reacting well to stress, getting better sleep, and being more creative. Stretching the mind and body can turn a broken-down wet blanket into a vibrant dreamer and achiever. Which approach do you think works better?

There is little difference in people all over the world, but that little difference does make a really big difference when it comes to self help care. Because that little difference is all about attitude and the really big difference is whether it is negative or positive.

But if your attitude towards exercise is bad, are you willing to change it?

If your attitude is positive you will enjoy your time out for your exercise program and its priority gets pushed up to very near the top of the totem pole of priorities – right up there alongside family, work and friends. After all what use can you be to these other priorities if you do not have your health?

We each have the same amount of time in each day. If you have packed yours full of stuff and have left no time for something as important as exercise you will need to let go of projects or people that do not serve you well.

Every minute we have to devote to exercise time should be strength training exercise of some kind as it will give you the most “bang for your buck”. It is a multipurpose solution because it has benefits to all areas of your health muscle, bone and joint strength, body weight control, flexibility, heart health and just 2-3 sessions each week will guard against the number one bio-marker of the aging process – loss of muscle tissue.

Energy is the source of all life and proper strengthening exercise will supply you with the energy and vitality to make the most out of your life. We each have the opportunity to create this life energy to keep ourselves healthy and well. All it takes to grab our share is a positive attitude and a simple action plan.

If you have worked hard to get in shape, then you know about all the other advantages and positive changes it brings in your life. This is just one of the steps you have to take to reach success and the beauty of this journey is that once you are on the road, you can’t go back. You just keep moving on, leveling up, achieving goals, aiming higher and dreaming bigger.

You can train yourself for success or you can train yourself for failure, so, be your own coach and get yourself going.

For more tools and resources from Carolyn Hansen to assist you in attaining your goals and achieving the success you desire in life, please visit:

CarolynHansenFitness.com