Working Out and Cardio

Source teaching · Alex Julian, 2024

The original lesson

This lesson is to build on the previous one with the specific intention of getting you working out today. Don’t learn the hard way. The longer you wait to start moving and working out, the harder it will be. The inertia is growing the longer you wait.

I want to share a personal story with you. When I was in college, I worked out for at least two hours a day. I was in great shape, and this continued for years after. Without getting into the details and due to some strange events, I fell into somewhat of a depression in my early 30s. I stopped working out like I used to. I really didn’t work out at all for a few months.

The effect this had on my mood and mindset was horrendous. It was so much harder to be happy and productive. I was more irritable and distracted. I had low energy. I’ll be honest that it was tough to look at myself and admit that what I was doing wasn’t working. I had to make a change and get out of this rut. One of the major things that got me out was working out.

The positive effects didn’t take long to manifest either. I started feeling better almost instantly. I wasn’t working out like I used to. I was lifting much lighter weights and doing less sets. Instead of sprinting, I was walking. Instead of two hours, it was 30 minutes. However, that is all it took. Don’t feel like you need to become a professional bodybuilder or whatever in order to get benefits from working out. Allow yourself to be where you are, and work with what you have. Instead of being mad you can’t bench more or run longer, realize that you are moving the body and freeing the mind.

I recommend about 30 minutes of exercise a few times per week. If you can, try to do a little bit every day — even just a nice walk and some stretching. It will help a lot. Any form of exercise can also be a form of meditation. It brings you into the body, and the body is always in the present moment.

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