Training the body and exercising vigor is inherently valuable to the human soul.

With every passing day, I think about the ways my body and mind have changed with age. There is no going backwards. We’re here at this point, so all that we can really do is to accept it and to act accordingly.

Time is the most valuable human asset of all.

I often struggle to motivate myself to do the things that are necessary to live an honorable and dignified life. Even though I have felt degraded from excessive video games, substance abuse, and instant pleasure seeking activities, I believe in the real opportunity for personal redemption.

Our human lifetimes are short, even though most of us are given more than enough time to achieve a virtuous legacy. We are born, we live, and then we die. I believe that every human has a mission to serve in some way and that you already have everything you need if you just listen to the inherent wisdom in your body.

People who are on the brink of death often have regrets about the way they lived their life and they regret the actions that they should have taken. I’m not here to tell you what actions you should be taking, but I do believe that exercise will support you in every capacity.

Physical exercise allows you to buy time.

Money cannot buy time, but it is known that exercise slows down the aging process. Exercise also allows for the maintenance and support of the brain’s executive function — which is crucial for optimizing the limited time that you do have.

So not only does working out give you more time, it makes the time that you do have even more valuable.

Four hours of working out per week will buy you more far more than four hours of life to replace that initial investment. Exercise, nutrition, and rest are the only ways to buy time. All you need is a one hour workout per day, four days per week.

Fitness is an investment, perhaps the most worthy of all investments.

There are not enough excuses in the world that you can’t make time for just four hours per week of exercise. I guarantee that if you are honest about the ways you invest your time, you will notice activities that are not truly bringing you long-lasting fulfillment in life.

This very moment is the only thing that we have. We do not control much in the universe. Our bodies can be damaged through accident by no fault of our own. Our money can be taken away from us. All you have is this moment and what you choose to do with it.

Aside from reading this fitness blog, what do you choose to do now? Keep reading for more strategies to stay motivated.

You should understand the root causes of your vices.

A vice is an opportunity cost because it takes time and energy away from the pursuit of excellence. A person cannot be virtuous when they are enslaved by their vices. Life is truly an internal game and you can find the keys to your freedom within your own heart.

I have been thinking about my own vices a lot because I want to be a good man. Actually — I want to be a great man. I want to die with dignity and knowing that I left a profound legacy in human health in 2020 and for hundreds of years to come. I don’t care if people know my name, as long as I made a difference.

But when I smoke a joint, I become selfish, forgetful, and docile. When I seek the validation of attractive women, I become egotistical, inflated, and useless to humanity. And when my home is a dirty mess, the intensity of my mission is lost to disarray.

I now understand the root causes that allow for weakness and sadness. It happens when I ignore or do not act upon the inherent wisdom already inside of us. The inherent wisdom inside of all us makes us whole.

You already have everything you need to succeed.

Dear fellow Earthling, there is no separating us from the air that we breathe or the water that composes us. We are truly creatures of the planet — an expression of the very organism that came before us.

There are trillions of life forms inside of us including human cells, bacterial cells, viral cells (good and bad), yeasts and more. We are inseparable from these biological necessities and we all have a purpose in life.

I believe that the antidote to depression and despair is service and altruism. Expanding on that, I believe that for true fulfillment, service must be aligned with your own personal purpose. There is glory to be shared in the path unknown and by offering your gifts to others, you allow people to rise up alongside of you.

You are the role model for people closest to you.

The world needs more positive role models, especially in fitness. There are too many people out there feeding the ego instead of serving the greater good.

Your workouts and physical fitness will improve your life and the lives of those around you, even if they don’t realize it yet. We must strive to understand the nature of people through compassion and positive regard. Shaming others is a vice that degrades moral virtue.

You are already good enough and you are complete in this moment.

I challenge you to release attachment to outcome. Stop attaching yourself to the idea of looking a certain way. Instead, visualize yourself feeling strong and empowered.

Ask yourself, what simple thing can you do now that will take you one step forward in the pursuit of excellence?

I believe in you.