Life gets crazy for all of us. Whether your current struggle is building your business, relationship issues, parenthood, or getting through your last semester in school, everyone is familiar with the heaviness that comes with hardship. I am not here to try to help you reframe your struggle or compare your struggle with someone else’s – I’m here to acknowledge that life does get difficult sometimes. And what I feel I have to offer is a tool that may help you stay sane despite the chaos.

While it may sound a little ‘out there’ to talk about exercise as something that can help you make everything more manageable, we’ve got a lot of clients that would stand by that opinion. You see, if you do it right, structured physical exertion can be about more than just setting aside a little time to focus on yourself. If you choose to do it, it can literally become the one small but significant thing you have control of each day. That’s one win you can count on today, that is good for you no matter what else happens today. Having this ritual to fall back on might be more powerful than you think.

Take a second to think back to a time when exercise was regular in your life. It’s not uncommon for people to notice that with regular exercise, it’s easier to find a groove in life; a rhythm to your week. On top of better sleep, better energy and better mood, regular training can help you feel sharper and more prepared to take on the day. You feel stronger and more resilient, not just physically, but mentally. It’s also easier to stay positive about life when you get that regular stimulus.

During training, you get to clear your mind and just focus on tuning in – to your breath, movement and intensity. When you complete a good session, once you steady your breathing and celebrate the victory, there’s a short window of stillness that comes coupled with a sense of accomplishment, and this grants you quick access to a brief state of clarity, patience and control – a much needed big-picture view of everything else that’s going on in life. It’s almost like that short, intense, calculated struggle helps put your bigger life struggle in perspective, making it more manageable, albeit probably not any easier.

Whether or not you experience this in your own practice or even agree with this, it’s probably still a good idea to get that quick win of a good workout whenever you can. Once you’re done with it, you’re automatically more productive than a lot of people today. And you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’re slowly chipping away at a great side project (your health) each week, despite the chaos.

You’ve got 24 hours to use each day, you can’t change that. Chances are, you’re not going to get to do everything you want to today. Some days you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction at the end of the day. On other days, you’ll feel tired but somehow restless or agitated, too. Each day, try to prioritize a couple of things that seem to help you feel that sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Realize that you’re better with those things in your life, despite the chaos.

Be Brave,

Ian