Sometimes we are so fixated on changing the appearance of our bodies, we lose focus on the most important factor of all. Mental toughness.
Life is hard, very hard. And the harder we are on ourselves the easier life will be on us. Exercise teaches us how to endure pain in a safe way. Each exercise and repetition we do forges mental toughness and develops a stronger mind. The stronger our minds are the easier tough situations seem to be.
Look at Chinese martial artists, their training regimen is sitting in the “horse stance” for up to an hour at a time. Stop reading now, stand up and do a squat till the top of your thighs are parallel to the ground. Now hold it for 3 minutes. If you did it you will know exactly what I mean by developing mental toughness. Your legs are on fire and you want to stand up. Imagine holding it for an hour.
So the next time you are working out and you are want to quit, remember you are developing your mind. Hold out for a little bit longer and in return the hard things in life will be much easier to do.
In Strength,
Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT
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Charles has dedicated more than 13 years in the field of exercise science and performance enhancement. His extensive background in human performance and sports medicine enable him to develop scientifically sound fitness programs for individuals looking to get healthy, and up to high performance athletes. Charles has also done extensive work with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (former state director) and American College of Sports Medicine in providing continuing education units to personal trainers, strength coaches, physical therapist, athletic trainers and Medical Doctors. With his extensive training and experience, Charles has helped countless individuals reach their health and performance goals.
FunctionWorks Fitness 
I know what you mean. One of the toughest things in my life has been standing up to bullies. Even though I am in my late thirties now, I still run into people who think they can push me around…but ever since getting into fitness on a regular basis (since late 2010), I have been able to handle it more effectively. Before I got into working out on a regular basis, I was into wing chun (since 1995), but for some reason practicing the art on its own didn’t build the kind of confidence I needed. Exercise and wing chun COMBINED did the trick.
Thank you for sharing that. We come from very similar backgrounds. I think traditional martial arts and good ole fashion exercise has a very synergistic effect. It really trains us for life. Thanks again.