I think most of us misunderstand exercise.
Exercise is not just a routine workout that helps you drop a couple of pounds. It’s also not just a magical stress reliever.
It is a basic function of the human body.
If you think about how far we have come, you realize that our lives have become 100% efficient. We have automated most of our daily needs, and especially with this pandemic, have ultimately embraced a sedentary lifestyle.
During that time, our bodies accumulate and hold on to an alarming amount of energy, almost sort of like how a volcano builds up before an inevitable eruption.
And so the question is whether we take initiative and voluntarily erupt the volcano in controlled doses or become the victims of untimely eruptions: emotional rollercoasters that drain our mental capacity to live according to our values.
And that’s where exercise comes in.
Let me illustrate by sharing an example.
Often times, I will go to sleep with an ambitious list of todo items for the next day.
I have dreams and goals that deserve a level of focus and accountability, and that’s my way of being intentional with my time.
While this is a great initiative and is helpful, when the day actually arrives, I experience a great amount of distraction and antsy-ness.
I jitter around my goals and by the time it’s noon, I have not even come close to knocking out half of the goals I had set for myself.
Why is that?
Why is it that as ambitious as I am, I continue to experience periods of uncontrollable distraction which builds up to anxiety?
Why am I not able to just sit down, look over my list, and do?
I believe the answer lies in how I interpret energy.
I believe that our bodies store energy throughout our muscles, bones, and every fiber of our being.
This energy is intended to allow us to move –– more or less in a less civilized world, where we have to hunt and gather to ensure our survival.
