Train for the Physical Benefits

Train to feel good, not to look good!

One of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to training, working out and loosing weight is the reason in which they are doing it. Most people start a training program or diet because they want to look a certain way.

This reason seems very reasonable, but I think that it is a mistake and why many people fail.

Most people need instant gratification to believe something is working and to stick with it. Unfortunately, when it comes to changing the body visually it takes time and patience, something most people do not have.

When someone is eager to change the way their body looks alone, their success rate in quitting is extremely high. They have a hard time sticking to the program because they are not seeing results quick enough. The “well, its not working so I might as well not do it” attitude kills the progress.

Instead of thinking about starting a training program for what it can visually do for you, think about what it can physically do for you.

What I try to instill in my clients is to forget about the visual benefits of a training program, diet, etc. Instead, think of it as beginning a healthy lifestyle for the physical benefits you want to make to your body. These benefits are not visual, you cannot see them. This is a concept most people have a hard time wrapping their head around. It is hard to envision change is happening when you cannot see it, but it is these unseen benefits that you should be focusing on.

Let’s list some of these benefits:

  • Improve and maintain overall strength and endurance
  • Improve and maintain balance and stability
  • Improve and maintain flexibility
  • Improve posture
  • Improve mood
  • Increase stamina
  • Support bone density and health
  • Prevent injury
  • Strengthen immune system
  • Reduce risk of various common ailments and diseases
  • Build self esteem

These are just a few of the benefits to starting and continuing a training program that include exercise and healthy eating as part of a healthy lifestyle. Not many of these things on the list can you see visually, but all are extremely important.

If you can eliminate the desire to look a certain way and focus on the desire to feel a certain way, I guarantee you will have more success and gain more benefits along the way.

The upside to this approach is that if you stick with it, the visual will eventually shine through without it being your focus or desire.