How physical activity and a healthy routine made me a more disciplined and productive person

It is very common to look at sports enthusiasts or people who engage in physical activities, or those who follow a healthy diet, and think that they do these things because they are disciplined and productive individuals.

However, from my own experience, I discovered that the truth is quite the opposite:?people are disciplined and productive?because?they have incorporated these practices into their lifestyle.

It may seem paradoxical, but that’s what happened to me, and it’s what I have observed in people and athletes I admire. So I would like to tell you a little bit about what happened to me.?

After high school, my lifestyle changed drastically.

I was never someone who followed a strict diet, but since childhood, I was accustomed to eating healthy – what we call “real food” in Brazil – and I participated in various sports activities at school. During elementary and high school, I competed in volleyball and handball, and occasionally did weightlifting.

However, when I finished school, I started working immediately, and a year later, I entered university. Everything became different then; I no longer engaged in sports or weightlifting regularly, and my eating habits changed completely. I started consuming processed foods, fast food, and many other things, including dairy products, which, in my case, greatly affected my quality of life.

2020 – the year of the pandemic

In 2020, we all went through lockdowns and experienced significant changes in study and work models. In other words, I was working and studying from home. The social isolation, everything happening in the world, and the discouraging news drained my energy immensely.

After a few months into the lockdown, I was feeling completely demotivated, lacking energy for anything, and becoming increasingly unproductive and unhappy.

Of course, the situation only worsened, but there was a day when I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and came across a video by Dr. Marcela Brasil. That was when I decided to give myself a chance and build a new lifestyle.

After my first consultation with Marcela, I discovered various health conditions caused by my sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy and unbalanced diet, and lack of physical activity. So, I returned to weightlifting, but this time, I was determined to be different and fully committed to making it work.

And it did.

2021: New habits, new Luiza

After a few months with a completely different routine: waking up early (4:30 AM), Bible study and devotion, training, and a balanced diet, I felt like a rocket every day.

The most interesting part is that the better I felt, the more I wanted to continue dedicating myself to everything I set out to do.

I started training Crossfit, which further motivated me to be disciplined because, unlike weightlifting, it’s a competitive sport. But the opponent is yourself. In other words, I wanted to improve in the sport and surpass myself every day.

With all of this, I became a much more responsible person and better at assessing risks, especially when it came to procrastination. If I knew I had to do something, I did it. Just like with meals or workouts, you can’t skip them.

And through all of this, I discovered: To be disciplined, you need to act with discipline.

Of course, I also became a very organized person, and my work environment, especially when I started working in a startup, taught me and continues to teach me to prioritize what needs to be done first.

More reflections on how acting with discipline made me disciplined.

As I mentioned before, to achieve discipline, you need to enforce certain behaviors and actions. It’s incredibly uncomfortable, I know. But the truth is, even though I spent the day in discomfort, ticking off all my tasks always gave me an incredible sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.

I managed to accomplish incredible projects and became a much happier person after embracing the discomfort of maintaining a disciplined routine.

Once, I came across a quote on the internet that said discipline is the only way to be free. Can you believe that it makes sense? It’s exactly that!?When you can live without being a slave to your desires – especially the desire for laziness, discouragement, and procrastination – you are free.?And this freedom has opened many doors and allowed me to achieve great things.

I had a “workation” period outside my country. It was extremely challenging, but I had the opportunity to manage and train two amazing professionals and initiate marketing strategies from scratch.

All of this while working in a completely different time zone, training Crossfit every day, and experiencing incredible places. In fact, I chose my favorite place to call home.

Results and lessons learned.

The result of these almost three years in which I transformed my routine – and my life – is that it has become intrinsic.

Training, eating well, getting enough sleep, prioritizing my health, organizing my work demands, and maintaining an active lifestyle have become second nature to me. Occasionally, of course, I take some “free time,” but even during my free time, I like to engage in activities.

It’s not easy, I can’t say that it is because it’s not. In the beginning, I had a strong urge to give up. Transforming a behavior into a habit is very difficult; it requires persistence. And often, I couldn’t give 100%.

And I think this is where many people give up or get frustrated.?It’s okay not to give 100%. The problem is accepting it as an excuse to give 0%. Many times, for many phases, it’s only possible to give 1%, 10%, 11%, and that’s exactly what separates the disciplined from the undisciplined.

That was the turning point for me, and every time I talk to a friend about discipline or the importance of a healthy lifestyle, I mention this: the main goal of maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle is to learn patience and feel comfortable with discomfort.

Patience, because we will never achieve immediate results – in anything. And learning to feel comfortable in discomfort because it truly is uncomfortable. We are beings filled with emotions, and sometimes we simply don’t want to do it. And that’s okay.

But the point, once again, is to do what needs to be done. Demands exist and need to be fulfilled, whether in life, health, or work.

It is impossible to be productive and disciplined at work without being so in personal life. What we are and do for ourselves will reflect in all areas.

And the truth is, there is no need to change radically overnight, as that is unsustainable.?One day at a time, one step at a time. A good idea is to start with a goal of 30 minutes of weightlifting every day (you can do it at home with push-ups and free squats, for example).

Or the goal of drinking an extra liter of water per day, setting a fixed time for prayer and meditation, eating healthy in at least 80% of meals, among several other measures that will gradually familiarize you with discomfort and exercise your ability to be resilient and persevering.

Therefore, if you are reading this text today and have never given yourself the opportunity to challenge yourself with a healthy and active lifestyle, I invite you to try it and see how it will transform you into a more active and disciplined professional.

If you enjoyed this content and would like to learn more about a healthy and disciplined lifestyle and how it will positively impact your professional life, please leave your comment! :)