3 steps to install physical exercise in your life

I meet people who want to start exercising because they feel rusty inside; other people want more energy and joy in their life and they know that sport helps them. There are people who want to look better, slimmer, more muscular; others want to learn how to play sports.

Sometimes past sports experiences have been able to "mark" us and this gives rise to beliefs that limit us to discover and practice a positive and healthy sport, now in the present and into the future. For example, there are people who do not want to know anything about running because of the memory they have of their Physical Education classes.

We all hear, know and are aware of the benefits of regular sports practice. However, it is difficult to be constant and stay motivated. It costs to create a strong and lasting habit that provides high doses of well-being and that guides the person towards their full growth.

Summer can be a good time to rethink your relationship with sports and lay the foundations of a positive and healthy sports habit for the whole year..

I encourage you to follow the following steps:

1.- Discover your true motivation to do sports.

What drives you or can drive you to practice. The "why" of your sports practice.

• What does sport bring you?
• What do you do or want to do sports for? And why else?

2.- Define where you focus your sport

The benefits that the regular practice of physical exercise has on the body, both on a biological and psychological level, are numerous and contrasted in numerous studies..

At the biological level:

• improves our physical condition,
• regulates blood pressure figures,
• increases or maintains bone density,
• improves insulin resistance,
• helps maintain body weight,
• increases muscle tone and strength,
• improves joint flexibility and mobility.

On a psychological level:

• Reduce stress- Exercise increases the production of norepyrephrine (norepinephrine), a chemical that can moderate the brain's response to stress

• Improve your social relationships: As your perception of yourself and your emotional health improve, your social relationships may also improve. Due to your increased self-confidence you will have a better chance of reaching out to others, and if you participate in directed classes or do group sports, it is expected that you will meet new people

• Improve self-esteem: Looking better physically will make you feel good. Continuous exercise will improve your image of yourself and improve your self-esteem. Regardless of weight, age, or gender, physical exercise can raise the positive perception of self-attractiveness, and consequently make you value yourself more..

• • Relieves anxiety: Neurotransmitters released during and after exercise can help people with anxiety calm down. A bike ride or some medium or high intensity aerobic exercise can reduce the symptoms of anxiety IF we also add the component of mindfulness and awareness of what is happening in our body when we do sports, the results are spectacular.

• Increase your brain capacity: When exercising, our brain produces more neurons and more connections between them, a phenomenon known as neurogenesis. Thus the brain also improves its "fitness!" And it increases your ability to learn. In an investigation by Vaynman, Ying and Gómez-Pinilla, it was shown that intense training increases the levels of a protein called BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor) that is found in the brain and positively influences decision-making and thinking and learning.

• Helps to be more productive: An investigation by Schawarz and Hasson (2011) concluded that workers who play sports regularly are more productive and have more energy than their sedentary colleagues. Exercising before going to work or during the noon break will help us stay more active throughout the day, minimizing moments of downturn or inattention at work.

Select one or two biological and psychological aspects with which you identify the most, where you think sport brings you the most benefit, with your personal characteristics and your way of life. It's about focusing.

• What do you want to improve with your sport on a biological level?
• What do you want to improve with your sport on a psychological level?

3.- Start with your sport

Once you have found your true motivation for sport and you know where to focus it both on a biological and psychological level, it's time to get down to work.

What do you need to get started? What difficulties do you have to do sports? Maybe you need to reorganize your list of priorities and fit the sport into a prominent place of the day. Maybe you don't know where to start or where to turn. Maybe you need an extra motivation to clear this path.

I write down these tips:

• Choose the sport that goes with you, that you like and it brings you closer to what you want to achieve

• Book a schedule for your sport. A daily routine of 20-40 minutes or 3 times a week of 30-60 minutes may be sufficient.

• Define a commitment with your sport and fulfill it. Have a strategy prepared for the unforeseen or difficult moments that take you away from your commitment. Maybe laziness comes, or thoughts that take us in another direction.

• Go to a professional if you want to develop this aspect of your life fully, if you think it is a key aspect for your well-being, for your happiness.

To finish, I share with you something that I discovered in my experience of sports life marked by the high demand and dedication that high-level sport requires. It was 16 years as a professional and marathon triathlete where I achieved dreams that I would never have imagined, where I grew up as an athlete and above all as a person.

What I discover is that sport goes far beyond pure physical effort, it is a connection with oneself, a moment to develop creativity, generate new ideas, feel free, share the effort with others, know one's own limits. And it is a powerful generator of self-confidence and motivation that drives you towards everything you want to achieve.