Exercise can bring you so much more than fitness

This content is sponsored by AIA Vitality.

Having a healthy body is great, but aside from the physical payoff how else do we benefit from being fit? Well, I think that everything in life compounds. Look at kids, if they eat well and they’re outdoors exercising, then they sleep better, they’re politer. You can learn a lot from how children behave – I don’t think that we change all that much as we get older. If we’re prioritising our health, we’re prioritising our overall wellbeing – and that’s going to show in every aspect of our lives.

It’s funny, it’s so easy to recognise the inverse. If you have a massive night and you only get a few hours of sleep, you know that you’ll eat crap food the next day and you won’t care – and it’s unlikely that you’re going to exercise. These things just snowball. On the flipside, if you get up early in the morning and exercise you’re setting your intention for the day – and it’s likely that you’ll keep making good choices from there.

Part of it comes down to self-respect. You need to set the tone when it comes to how people treat you. The ability to keep promises that you’ve made to yourself is one of the best skills you can develop. How can you be expected to keep promises for other people if you can’t keep them for yourself?

There are a few things you can do to foster that ability. Try to visualise a picture of the person that you want to be, then come up with a series of steps that you can action in order to get there. The steps are the important part. You can say, ‘I’m going to become that person,’ but there’s going to be a hell of a lot of time before that happens.

You need realistic stepping stones along that journey. Nobody is perfect, and that progression isn’t going to be linear. But if you’ve got that overarching view of where you want to end up, and a plan to get there, then you can keep striving for the result.

It’s also important to ensure that your goal has a tangible benefit that’s long-term. We’re looking for a vision that’s more ambitious and holistic than something one-dimensional like weight loss – it’s better to look for the net benefits as a whole. For example, weight loss will probably be a part of a much bigger shift. If you’re getting healthier it’s going to improve your mood, it’s going to improve your sleep – there are a whole variety of ways it’s going to benefit you. That net-gain should be your aim.

The advantage of looking at things holistically is that you’ll set a goal that’s going to be fulfilling in the long run – it’s going to evolve alongside you. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has a nice way of looking at this. Because technology is evolving so rapidly, people are constantly asking him what’s going to change in five or 10 years. His reply is that he’d rather look at what’s going to remain the same and base his answer on that. That’s a helpful way to consider things. You’re going to want to be as healthy as you can for your whole life.

There is no perfect mould. Health is going to look different for every person. Especially if you’re striving for your best version of health – because each individual’s vision will be different as well. Having a framework doesn’t mean that you have to completely ignore short-term goals or ambitions either – it’s okay to want to look great in a bikini or run a marathon – it’s just about recognising that they’re steps on a journey. Remember, once you run that race – there’s still plenty of life left to live.

Staff writers come from a range of backgrounds including health, wellbeing, music, tech, culture and the arts. They spend their time researching the latest data and trends in the health market to deliver up-to-date information, helping everyday Australians live healthier lives. This is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances 

Disclaimer:
The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional, tax or other advice. It does not take into account any individual’s personal situation or needs. You should consider obtaining professional advice from a financial adviser and/or tax specialist, or medical or health practitioner, in relation to your own circumstances and before acting on this information.