Exercise Makes Your Day
Physically and psychologically, there's a multitude of benefits that come with getting your workouts in...especially when you don't want to!
Physically you'll increase your blood flow, heart rate, and muscle stimulation. When you hear weightlifters refer to "the pump", they're talking about the temporary increase in muscle mass caused by higher blood fow to that muscle. It acts as a natural high, leaving you with that feeling of enjoyable exhaustion.
Along with that, various chemicals are released (endorphins, serotonin, dopamine) that are linked to improved mood and feeling of self-worth. Other chemicals supress feelings of anxiety and depression. This feeling can give a huge temporary boost to your mental state, but with a consistent routine of exercise will improve your overall mental health, outside of that temporary boost.
Mentally, there are a couple factors at play. First, exercise is relatively difficult and it takes time. So, when you complete a workout, you should take some time to appreciate the effort you made. You took the time to do something good for yourself, even though you coul've been/probably wanted to do something else. The satisfaction gained from doing activities that benefit your health cannot be overlooked.
Most of us have a list of tasks we need to complete in any given day. Sometimes we hit all of them, sometimes we don't. When you complete that workout, it's one thing you can check off the list and not worry about the rest of the day. This is a big reason why many people choose to exercise in the morning. By getting up, getting your day started, and checking that first item off the list, it sets the tone for the rest of the day to be productive and finish that list. On the flip side, if you have a lazy day ahead it will give you the assurance that you didn't do absolutely nothing, and you can fully relax!
