Author: cbarney.45

Working out (whether it’s lifting, running, playing sports, hiking, etc.) is a way of life for me, and I feel that it should be for everyone. Not only does it keep your body healthy, but it keeps your mind healthy as well.

People say that getting old sucks, that you ache and your body doesn’t work like it used to. And while that can be true, most of the time it’s true because of your actions (or inactions) over the last 5, 10, or 20+ years.

When you work out regularly, it helps to prevent many chronic diseases. Instead of waiting to get sick and then going to the doctor for a pharmaceutical drug, why not stay in shape and avoid the drugs altogether?

Working out, and pushing yourself to do hard things, also increases your mental capacity. When your training is hard, but you push through it, you prove to yourself that you can do it. When you improve your conditioning, you’ll improve your mindset and won’t be as tempted to give up or take shortcuts. There’s a saying that “pain makes cowards of us all.” With that in mind, if you build your tolerance to pain, you will be more likely to be brave when circumstances call for it.

Lastly, when you work out, you feel more confident about yourself. Whether it is because you are getting stronger, getting faster, becoming more flexible, more agile, or just because you look better (losing weight, gaining more muscle), it can help your mental state.

This is why I feel it is so important to move everyday. You don’t have to always do a workout, but you should move everyday. (And, as a bonus, try to get outside and be in nature while you’re doing it.)

“Nobody ever drowned in his own sweat.” – Ann Landers

Don’t be afraid of hard work. It won’t kill you. But hard work will get you to where you want to be.

In 2017, the average U.S. citizen watched tv for 3 hours, 58 minutes per day. Nearly four hours per day?? And yet the number one excuse for not achieving their goals is not having enough time To work on them. 

“I don’t have time to go to the gym.” I used to hear it all the time as a personal trainer and it was one of my biggest pet peeves. In college, I was a full time student at Ohio State, worked 20 hours for a nursing home as a dietary aide, worked 15 hours as a personal trainer, volunteered 3 days per week to work with the football team, worked out 10x per week for at least 45 minutes per session, and graduated Cum Laude. Why did I work so hard? It’s simple…I didn’t like debt/student loans, so I paid for school as I went. I thought I wanted to be a dietitian with a specialization in sports, so I got experience in the field. I love working out and wanted to share my expertise with others, so I trained others and led by example. Getting good grades was important to me (after all, why go to school if you don’t want to learn?), so I studied and did well in class. 

Life is about what you prioritize. If you want something badly enough, you’ll find a way to make time for it. 

Ask yourself what “enough” is for you. More is not always better. What is enough to give you contentment? Enough money. Enough things. Enough house. Enough car.

How do you balance healthy ambition and contentment?

Why do you want “X, y, or z?” Or…why do you THINK that that’s what you want? Are you seeking accolades or external rewards? Be introspective. Discover what drives you and learn more about what makes you tick. Once you gain that awareness you can help shape your next actions.

“There is more pleasure in loving than there is in being beloved.” – Thomas Fuller

Trying to be beloved, searching for others’ approval, is a never ending battle that you cannot win. Be true to yourself and love others. Do what is right and it will bring you the peace of mind that you desire, whether you know it or not. Loving others makes you a more complete person. There are different kinds of love that everyone should experience – passionate love (for your husband/wife), love of your child/children, love of kinship (mother, father, sister, and brother), fraternal love (friends), love of mankind (society at large, having compassion on strangers), love of Mother Earth (not contributing to pollution, taking time to enjoy nature’s beauty), love of music, love of competition (sports), etc. There are so many types of love that should be experienced by everyone. There is not a finite amount of love to be given or received. It is infinite. Having/giving love is not like taking a piece of the pie, where if you take a piece, there is less available for everyone else. If you give more love, you will never run out. Have an abundance mindset of love, where more is always available. A scarcity mindset, where you can only divvy up so much before it is gone, will trap you into thinking small and living an unfulfilled life, lacking in love. 

Have you ever looked out into a starry night sky and wondered what else might be out there? Have you sat on a beach, watching the waves continuously ebb and flow, cascading across the beach. Have you stood in a forest, looking up to the tallest trees or out to the jagged rocks, knowing that this same sight has been viewed by people many generations before you?

Being in nature can be eye-opening if you allow it to be – if you really make an effort to truly be present, not just to snap the next photo to put on your Instagram feed.

Being in nature can put life into perspective. If you build your ego up too much, go out in nature to realize how small you really are. You are a tiny part of this present world, and in the grand history of the world (let alone the universe), you don’t even register on the radar. You are a spec of sand among many. Don’t build yourself up to be bigger, better, or more important than you actually are.

Being in nature can help you use your imagination. Next time you’re in the woods, imagine what it was like to live here 300 years ago. No cities existed (at least not like they do now). No farms were around. It was basically you, your tribesmen, animals, trees, and vegetation. Would you have been able to survive the harsh winters?

We live in a world today where everything the news reported is “catastrophized.” Bad events are happening all around us. But what doesn’t get emphasized enough is that this is the best time to be alive in all of mankind’s history. We live in a world today where, for most people living in the U.S., basic needs like having food, water, and shelter are met by nearly the entire population. We live in climate controlled conditions. We have more access to any information we want than at any point in history. Life is good! But just because we have access to this technology doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t go back to our roots every once in a while. Go out in nature and explore again. Remember what it’s like to be a kid! Put your life into perspective and use your imagination again.