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Day 557. Some days, you do not feel going to exercise. You may be tired, do not have time, or are just lazy (sometimes it’s good to be lazy, but that’s another story). Therefore, starting is a matter of sheer will. You need to rationalize and tell yourself it’s good for you. Not only for your body of course, but also for your mind. This is what happened to me on Friday morning. I had all good reasons to not exercise: went to bed late the day before, had a plane to catch, and told myself I could skip a day. And I just did the opposite: went to the gym for 30 minutes.

It was hard to start. I did not want to go and my body was reluctant to produce any effort at the beginning. Then the biological of the body kicks in. Our body is a wonderful machine that requires exercise. Tons of medical studies has proven this point, backed up by hundred thousands of years of evolution. So our body generates hormones to help our mind feeling good. Dopamine among others neurotransmitters will make you feel good: it’s also called the reward hormone. You know that feeling when you tick a done thing on your to-do list? It’s dopamine. So when dopamine starts to flow in your body, you feel you did the right thing. And this is what happens. A few minutes after starting sweating, you are feeling good.

But the beauty of these 30 minutes does not stop at the end of those 30 minutes. The effect continues all day. You feel better, you are better, and others feel it too. So even when it’s hard to start, remember it’s gorgeous to finish, so go exercise, even if it’s 20 or 30 minutes. Just do it!