Our physical fitness is one of those things that is seemingly impossible to perfect (at least in our own minds) yet is incredibly easy to break down and lose in no time at all. It’s one of those cruel realities of the world, just how trust is built up over time but can be gone in an instant.

I guess some people are given a pretty healthy body over others thanks to genetics, though the vast majority must work for their form and great health.

The thing that’s never mentioned, though, is how working towards a better body and greater health actually improves just about every other aspect of your life. With time and willpower and effort, you’re bound to not only increase your physical fitness but also your mental fortitude. You hone your sense of adversity and how you handle it. You refine your diet to better it for your body. You end up having a more heightened mental acuity thanks to a better focus, better sleep at night, and an all around better body and brain.

I think if fitness was advertised as a life changer for your brain and lifespan, more people would buy into gym memberships. Instead, we’ve somehow created this divide between people based on looks and sex appeal. Gyms are often marketed as building up your looks and getting romantic relationships a lot easier, and while that’s a quick and easy way to get someone on board, it’s not a sustainable way of doing so.

Just the other day I ordered a few things online to get myself back into running. Starting, as they say, is always the hardest part. I tend to motivate myself into something by spending some money on gear. I mean, if you go online and buy some new shoes online and receive the shipping boxes a few days later, wouldn’t you also be inclined to use those things you just spent money on to get your ass in shape?

It’s how I tend to look at the beginning steps of the process, I suppose. Those shipping boxes on my doorstep signify a new beginning to my fitness and my life, I’d even venture to say. There’s no better way to starting off your journey on something new than diving right in and just going at it.

The key thing to remember isn’t how you start or when you’ll reach the end goal, though. It’s how you keep trudging forward day in and day out no matter what comes up.