I love being strong!

I just got back from a late-night visit to the gym followed by an overpriced swig of Cuppy's Coffee, and I feel fantastic!

It's remarkable to me that up until a year or so ago, I was vehemently opposed to exercise. I was of the opinion that it could not improve one's quality of life. I once told somebody that the months they were adding on to their life by exercising were all being spent on a treadmill anyway, so it seemed kind of pointless.

I haven't always been a philosopher, as you can tell.

There is scientific evidence to suggest that exercise can improve energy, mood, stress, and disease immunity, to name just a few of the benefits. My personal experience confirms all of this. Although the "I love being strong" meme is a bit a joke, I think there is a lot of truth in it. I always leave the gym with a big smile just dying to say to somebody "I LOVE BEING STRONG!" Or more appropriately, I love my body, I love being me, I love being alive. I love feeling healthy and alive.

I also love the power I have to shape my body. Although this power is almost certain to increase infinitely over the next decades thanks to biotechnology, it is still an incredibly profound thought that humans have always had so much power over their biological forms.

From the dawn of civilization, philosophers and artists have admired the beauty of the human form. Ancient Greek sculptors carved marble into the image of well-toned muscles and alluring symmetry. Gymnasiums in the Classical world were places for exercises of the body and the mind, and were available for use by all of those considered citizens (sadly for philosophy, Aristotle did attempt to justify the de facto existence of slavery). My point is that the love of one's body is ancient. And biologically imperative, I would argue.

I think too many people today sabotage their self-esteem by not taking care of their bodies. They might believe that their appearance is superficial and it shouldn't concern them, which is the lie that I believed for a long time. It might be true that appearance is superficial, but your appearance is the only form that you have in the world. Like it or not, the way you appear is exactly how others see you. Your mind cannot manifest itself in reality except by its works. And no matter how strong your own opinion of yourself, it will invariably be influenced to some degree by what others think of you. Moreso the more you value the person.

People who complain about being unattractive or overweight are asking you to control their self-image anxieties by coddling them with lies. Very few people alive have a legitimate reason to mope about how they look, because they have unimaginable power to sculpt their bodies with exercise. Or to change their dorky hairstyle. Or to buy more aesthetically pleasing clothing.

I've found that by working out for just 15-30 minutes every other day has improved my self-esteem and self-image enormously. That in itself is valuable, even if no one ever notices a difference in my appearance.

I'm sure it is different for men than women (sorry to bore you, Rachel), but there is something really awesome about looking at your own body in a mirror and seeing well-toned muscles in a place where you never had seen them before. I feel like running up to strangers and flexing my biceps in their face while saying "SEE! Look what I did!" :P