Are you willing to do what 95% of people don't do?

Today, I want to let you in on a little secret of living an extraordinary life…you have to be willing to do the things that ordinary people don’t do.

So, are you willing to do one thing that 95% of Americans are not doing? Depends…what is it, you ask? Any guesses? It is (drumroll, please)…exercise regularly!

Were you hoping I’d say something else, like drink a glass of wine a day. I saw this study that was out on the Department of Health and Human Services website that said that “less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day.” So that means that 95% of Americans aren't getting 30 minutes of physical activity each day.

Well, guess what? Exercise is it's a part of the greatness formula! I've been a regular exerciser for about 20 years; it's a core of who I am. It is what helps me approach each day with the energy and vitality that I need to show up as my best self.

I could list the health benefits of exercise, but I'm going to guess that you probably already know them. You probably already know that exercise produces endorphins. Endorphins make you happy, and we know what happy people don't do right? (Any Legally Blonde fans out there?) It also helps you with your mobility, your longevity, reducing stress, anxiety and depression. It can help lower your blood pressure and strengthen your heart. It can even help strengthen your immune system (so important in the COVID-19 world).

In addition to all those wonderful health benefits of exercise, this is the reason why I think exercise helps you on your journey to greatness: Exercise is your opportunity to challenge not only your physical limits, but your mental limits!

You know that voice that goes off inside of your head any time things get hard…exercise is a really great practice of overcoming that voice of fear. That voice that says, “no, no, you better stay in your comfort zone. It's safe here”. There’s certainty in this bubble.

But, when you exercise - when you push yourself, you prove to that voice over and over again that you can do hard things! That you can challenge yourself, that you can push, that you can do a little bit more than you did the day before. This is how you flex your greatness muscle!

I do this one exercise that’s HIIT-based and at the end of a lot of classes there's a two-minute challenge. Sometimes, that two-minute challenge is just burpees! There are those moments of exercising, which I'm sure we can all relate to, where that voice in your head says, “it's okay to stop. It's okay to grab some water. You worked really hard. It's okay to take a break. It's okay to just do one more and then quit.” But, exercise gives you the ability to constantly battle and challenge that voice in your mind.

It's the ability to keep going. Keep pushing. Do one more burpee, then do another burpee, then do another burpee…for 2 minutes, do all the burpees!

And when you can do two minutes of burpees, guess what else you can do? Basically anything! You can start to prove to yourself that you can do hard things. That you can overcome that voice in your head that says, “no you're good right here. No, it's comfortable right here. Stay right here.”

Exercise gives you the ability to flex your physical muscles, but also your mental muscles. If you're new to exercise connect with your physician find out what's the best journey for you, but find a way to challenge what you think you are capable of achieving.

The voice of greatness says, “I’m going to do more than I did yesterday. I'm going to be better than I was on that last set.” That's the voice of greatness and exercise is such a great space to help you develop your greatness.

So, if you want to live a great and extraordinary life, are you willing to make exercise a part of that formula? I hope the answer is yes so put on those sneakers and let's head outside, right?

I also want to encourage you that if you're  starting to explore what your “Greatness Journey” looks like, then I've got a really fun quiz on my website to help you discover your greatness score. Find your GREATNESS score at carisafindley.com/score.

No matter where you are on the journey, we always have an opportunity to improve and this quiz is a fun reflection to see where you're at.

I hope you enjoyed your “Here to be Great” guide and I will see you next time!