Baz Clark

I returned from vacation a couple of weeks ago and have been reluctant to get back into my workout routine, instead opting to take some time out to focus on work. Really this was just an excuse for me being too lazy to haul my ass over to the gym (which is just 2 blocks from my apartment).

Within 15mins of busting my ass at the gym today I was blown away at how good I felt. Genuinely happy, confident, focussed, positive, motivated. I immediately remembered why hitting the gym is such a HUGELY important part of my week. I’m noting it down my key reasons to work out here so that I don’t make the mistake of getting lazy again!

Confidence
Taking action by getting to the gym builds my base confidence level, this helps me to take action on other areas of my life. When I walk out of the gym my head is high and I feel like I have momentum to take the next thing on and crush it. This feeling is super addictive to me and it feels like the gym is a really easy way to hit that awesome ‘I’m going to dominate everything I do today’ state.

Focus
Another one of the big reasons I work out regularly is to improve my level of focus for better concentration while working. For a 2-3 hour period after working out I feel incredibly focussed and am able to perform at a very high level. I like to schedule working out just before I need that boost in focus, before lunch works really well for me.

Strength
“Strong people are harder to kill that weak people, and more useful in general”, Mark Rippetoe founder of Starting Strength. If you were hanging off of the side of a building would you be able to pull yourself up? Can you run 10km? Or swim strongly enough to save a life? Strength is raw, primal and important for my survival as well as protecting those I care about.

Attitude
Say you’ve got a chubby belly and you’d like to lose it, even if you’re not there yet it feels good to know that you’re progressing in the right direction. You feel good that you’re working towards your goal rather than looking in the mirror and getting let down by the fact that you’re doing nothing about it. This is important as it represents my life attitude, if I’m unhappy with something then I’m going to act on it, I’m not going to let it own me.

A Pick-up
Hitting the gym for me is the perfect pick-up if I’m feeling down, unconfident or unmotivated. The tough part is getting my ass to go when I’m in a negative mindset, if I’m unmotivated then getting motivated to hit the gym isn’t the easiest thing in the world! But I know that if I can get my kit on and get out the door then I’ll be taking positive steps to making myself feel a whole lot better.

Stress Release
When I’m feeling stressed out, angry or frustrated working out gives me a physical outlet to vent from – having a punchbag at the gym is pretty sweet too! Working out helps calm my mind by removing myself from stress and focussing my attention on something completely different. “Healthy body, healthy mind”.

Sleep
Hard physical exercise improves the quality of my sleep greatly. It’s an awesome feeling getting into bed when my body is physically drained and falling straight into a deep sleep to recharge.

Do you feel like you want to start exercising regularly but don’t know where to start or have something holding you back? Drop a comment below!