Physical training = mental training

Regardless of why you start your fitness journey, be it health, sports, losing weight, etc., there will come a point where the mental benefits become apparent.

You may realise you have more willpower for your everyday life. You may notice you have more confidence since you look better. You’ll probably be less afraid to approach strangers and ask them questions.

Weight training, and taking care of your diet, sleep, and appearance will have massive carry-over to many other aspects of life.

This was certainly the case for me. By merely going to the gym and getting stronger, my mind just transformed.

And not only is this a theory, or a philosophical nuance. Exercising actually does the the following:

1. Enhance memory and cognitive function: it stimulates the release of growth factors in the brain, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes the growth and survival of neurons. This can lead to improved memory, attention, and overall cognitive performance.

2. Increased Mental Clarity and Focus: physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, delivering oxygen and nutrients essential for optimal brain function. This enhanced blood flow can improve mental clarity, focus, and concentration, allowing for better cognitive performance and productivity.

3. Enhanced Learning Abilities: exercise can facilitate neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize and form new neural connections, which is essential for acquiring new knowledge and skills. Exercise also promotes the production of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin, which play a crucial role in learning, motivation, and overall well-being.

4. Enhanced Mood and Mental Well-being: as stated just above, exercise has a positive impact on mood and well-being. It stimulates the release of endorphins, which are natural mood-boosting chemicals in the brain. Regular exercise can reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, and promote a sense of general joy and improved mental resilience.

In other words, improving your physicality will necessarily improve your mentality.

All of the above basically translates into your social and emotional skills improving massively without even having to try!

Besides the learning and purely coginitive aspects, the others, namely, being in a better mood, more motivated, and having more clarity is precisely what characterises socially able people.

Isn’t it amazing how your entire life can improve by taking care of only a few key areas?

The point is that, both physiological changes (mental clarity, mood, enhanced learning, etc.) and behavioural patterns (more discipline, consistency, etc.) will combine into an overall improvement of your mind.

Also, it is almost certain that if you get leaner, bigger, and stronger, your physical atractiveness will increase, leading to even more confidence and making you even more likely to respect yourself and engage in productive and social tasks.

Having said this, I now state the opposite: being truly intelligent is impossible if you don’t take care of your physicality. Namely: are you really that smart if you neglect your physical performance?

Not only are you missing out on mental power if you do not work out, or exercise in any form (due to the above-mentioned benefits), but you are also neglecting your health, which will eventually prove counterproductive to your thinking.

You will never live up to your full potential if both aspects are not properly taken care of and maximized.

From a slightly different perspective, improving your mindset and becoming more intellectually competent will require you improve your body as well.

After all, could you be called ‘tough‘, or ‘disciplined‘, if you do not have the strength or willpower to endure just 45 minutes (or less) of exercise per day?

I’d say you couldn’t.

Now, as mentioned briefly in the introduction, sleep and diet are just as important as the actual exercise.

Get better sleep, and you’ll have more energy, be in a better mood, learn more easily, and have an overall greater enjoyment for life. (And don’t you dare think that anything less than 8 hours is sufficient!).

Eat well, namely, whole foods, with a balanced amount of fats, carbs, and protein, and regulate your caloric intake if you need to lose fat, and you will, again, have more energy, be in a better mood, not feel guilty for eating, have a clearer and sharper mind, and, very importantly, get leaner, which increases physical attractiveness (since it marks facial features more, and of course, makes the body more propertionate).

To keep on going with the back-and-forth, it would be impossible to consider yourself “smart“ if your diet is trash, and your sleep is non-existent. In fact, most people grossly underestimate the negative consequences of having even a slightly bad diet and sleep schedule:

1. Impaired Metabolism: A bad diet, characterized by excessive consumption of processed foods, sugary beverages, and unhealthy fats, can lead to weight gain, insulin resistance, and metabolic dysfunction. This can disrupt the body's ability to regulate blood sugar levels, increase the risk of developing chronic conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes, and negatively impact overall metabolic health.

2. Increased Inflammation: Poor dietary choices, combined with inadequate sleep, can contribute to chronic low-grade inflammation in the body. Inflammation is associated with various health issues, including cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and increased susceptibility to infections.

3. Hormonal Imbalances: Inadequate sleep and a bad diet can disrupt the body's hormonal balance. Lack of sleep affects the production and regulation of hormones like cortisol, which can lead to increased stress levels and potential long-term effects on the immune system, metabolism, and cognitive function. A poor diet lacking in essential nutrients can also affect the production and regulation of various hormones, like testosteron, and those involved in appetite control.

4. Decreased Cognitive Function: Both insufficient sleep and a bad diet can negatively impact cognitive function. Sleep deprivation impairs attention, memory, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities. A diet lacking in essential nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, can deprive the brain of necessary building blocks for optimal functioning, leading to decreased cognitive performance, poor concentration, and impaired mental clarity.

You don’t have to be sleeping 2 hours a night and be obese to get all of those. Just getting consistently less than 8 hours in bed, and having one bad meal a day (in terms of quantity, and (mostly) quality) will be sufficient.

Given all of this, it should be clear at this point that a complete, healthy life, both mentally and physically is not possible if there are key areas being neglected.

Now, you don’t have to be obsessing over every little detail; simply try to keep each of these factors under control, on average.

Your mind and body, yourself, will thank you.

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