Sometimes when we are really busy such as having an overwhelming amount of work in front of us that we put our exercise needs on hold until we feel we have caught up and are on top of the task we give so much priority too. We believe that we need that extra hour of time much more than we need the exercise. This sort of thinking can go on for weeks, months, years or even decades.

Without even realizing it you have made an important career change and have made a conscious choice about putting this very important self care need to the side. This will not add to the quality of your life but take it away. Your exercise needs should not be the first thing to go when things get busy but the absolute last. When you are on your death bed in the last throes of life that is when you put your exercise needs aside.

We used to think that exercise was an optional extra and we would approach it like it was a choice. As long as we weren't sick we thought we were "healthy" and didn't really need to exercise. If something like our workload increased it was okay to put it aside and take care of that task first and foremost. How on earth could we possibly think that catching up with a little bit of work is more important than our long term health?

It is not until you accept and believe that your exercise needs when met will most definitely change your life for the better. How could you think that you could perform better at work without it? How absurd to think that you could function optimally in any area of your life without proper exercise.

For all of the ten million pieces of advice about how to make exercise regular in your life, the very best advice is to realize you will not get the life you want without it. Whenever you are thinking about not going to the gym tell yourself a little story such as that piece of advice. That will get your butt there and powering into your exercise program.

After all it is well proven that exercise is an essential part of a successful career as well as part of a good life. Exercise boosts your IQ and increases resilience in difficult times and is often the difference between success and failure in getting what we want.

Going to the gym will change your life but to be able to get it in regularly requires a careful mental shift. First you clearly prioritize what is important to you and why.

Then you pick specific times and specific places where it will take place. Then you convince yourself that doing it is not negotiable.

There is clear evidence to show that people who make one conscious change - such as going to the gym 2 -3 times per week - unconsciously change many other positive things in their life. Making that one decision has a ripple affect throughout your life improving things like making better food choices and getting enough sleep.

A proper exercise program that includes at least 60% strength training exercise is the most important thing you can do for a healthy mind and body. It affects how you feel physically, mentally and emotionally, how you look, how you function and contributes to your quality of life. Never ever let yourself believe that a extra hour at work each day could ever make up for removing this from your life.