Many of my high-achieving clients workout in their free time, whether on a Peloton bike, in a Soul Cycle class, or at a hot, powerful flow yoga session. They love to move their bodies and understand the physical benefits these practices can provide.

I sometimes see that they often believe that the benefits occur during the class or shortly after in the form of a calorie burn or extra muscle, but what is sometimes missed is the crossover of benefits in their daily lives.

You see, reading a personal development book, doing the above-mentioned classes, or even getting coached helps us in the gym of life. Almost every day, we are given an opportunity to put into practice what we learned inevitably in one of these classes.

For example:

Someone cuts you off in traffic and has the nerve to flip you off - this is an opportunity to breathe (something you learned in yoga)

A friend snaps at you and says something judgemental - you can tell her how you feel and set a boundary (something you learned in a coaching session)

Your child calls you upset and in a dysregulated state - you can breathe with them. Remind yourself to observe vs. absorb their emotions and toss it back to them while you ask them how you can support them. (something you learned from a podcast)

These are precious opportunities to apply the lessons learned to have a healthier and hopefully happier life. Just like in the traditional gym, you have to keep going and do a number of reps to get stronger; the same goes for the gym of life.

It isn’t easy to say NO, communicate directly, or set a limit, but this is the point of the work. This is where the full benefits occur, which makes it all worth it.