Ever wonder why the most successful people seem to have it all together while the rest of us struggle?
It’s not because they found a secret formula that the rest of us haven’t.
The truth is, the people at the top of their game already know this…
Fitness and self improvement are not two separate paths to take.
They are one in the same.
The successful people in life get this, and this is why they get results where other people seem to fail.
Here’s what I find interesting though…
According to research done by Mensjournal, 99.3% of people experienced a happiness boost after working out, yet most of the world still treats going to the gym as a burden. Similarly, 75% of people claimed that they wanted to prioritise their health in 2025. Yet, they’re still only taking one half of the equation seriously.
Fitness and self improvement need to go hand in hand if you ever want to build a strong foundation for success.
When you consistently work on your physical self while at the same time, improving your mental state of mind, that is when you start stacking the deck in your favour.
In this post, you will learn exactly how and why you should never consider improving your fitness and self improvement as two separate undertakings. Let’s jump in…
What you’ll learn:
- Why Fitness and Personal Growth Go Hand in Hand
- How Fitness and Self Improvement Combine to Stack the Deck for You
- Fitness and Self Improvement Best Practice Principles
- How to Combine the Building Blocks of Fitness and Self Improvement
Why Fitness and Personal Growth Go Hand in Hand
Your body and mind are not two separate independent systems.
They are closely linked components that need one another to function at their best. When you focus on improving one, you will also see improvements in the other area of your life.
Here’s the kicker…
Fitness not only makes you more physically fit, it literally changes your brain to function better in the process. When you force yourself to finish that last set or push through another mile, you’re not just building physical strength. You are conditioning your mind to be more resilient.
In the same way, personal development courses rewire your brain to be more successful. They condition your mind to be stronger, to be persistent, to be more disciplined, and to believe in yourself.
You can’t have one without the other. There’s a strong and direct correlation between the two.
The science and statistics support this notion
- The fitness market is expected to reach $103.43 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 4.3%.
- The personal development market size is expected to hit $67.21 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 5.7%.
People are starting to get the connection between fitness and success.
As one of the world’s most elite sales coaches put it;
“The one advantage that the rich have over the poor is physical fitness. It sounds crazy, but it is true.” – Brendon Burchard
How Fitness and Self Improvement Combine to Stack the Deck for You
Want to learn something new?
When you exercise, your brain actually releases a hormone called BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor). It’s like fertilizer for your brain cells, making you sharper and more capable of learning.
Now, here’s the next layer of the stack…
Regular exercise also improves neuroplasticity, which is your brain’s ability to form new neural connections. The result is that you get better at picking up new skills, breaking bad habits, and changing your mindset.
Here’s a secret though…
Every time you bench press or do squats, you’re not just working your muscles. You are actually training your brain for success.
There has been a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 30% since 2021 in the increase in digital fitness adoption. There are several reasons for this. Chief among them is that people are waking up to the notion that working out is self-improvement in action.
Self-improvement and fitness are not in competition with each other.
They are instead competitive, and when combined, they will provide you with exponential gains over your peers that are trying to improve either one in isolation.
Fitness and Self Improvement Best Practice Principles
To achieve that level of success, here’s what you need to do;
Start with the basics
This can’t be overstated. Forget about trying to transform your whole life at once. You won’t succeed.
Pick one simple habit that connects fitness and self improvement, and layer on from there.
Pick something you can do consistently
Maybe it’s a 10-minute walk every day. Maybe it’s doing push-ups while you watch TV.
The most important part is that you can stick to it. Start small, and gradually increase the complexity of your routine.
Pair up physical activity with mental learning
Listen to a self-development podcast or audiobook while you walk or run. Visualize your goals during your cool-down.
The key is to connect the physical and mental aspects of your improvement efforts.
Measure everything
Track your fitness progress, and your self-improvement milestones. Without data, you have nothing to work with. With data, you can optimize and supercharge your efforts.
How to Combine the Building Blocks of Fitness and Self Improvement
In my personal opinion, this has been one of the best ways to combine the two pillars of fitness and self improvement;
- Set your daily intentions for the day while doing mobility work (5 min)
- While you’re running on the treadmill or outside, listen to an educational podcast or an audiobook. (10 min)
- Do a set of strength training exercises such as pull-ups, squats, or push-ups. Pair them with positive self-talk. (5 min)
Make sure to keep things as simple as possible so that you can stay consistent.
The more often you combine the building blocks of fitness and self improvement, the stronger the foundation you will build.
One very cool thing about this approach is that it takes advantage of a psychological phenomenon called state-dependent learning.
The gist of the theory is that when you learn something while in a particular mental and physical state, you are more likely to remember it when you return to that state.
Think of it like priming your brain to succeed with every workout you do.
Take Action for Success
Did you know that…
According to Zipdo, 94% of millennials make personal improvement commitments and are actually willing to spend almost $300 a month to grow and improve themselves? Yet, these individuals do not have a fitness system in place that compliments their personal growth efforts.
When it comes to stacking the deck for success in your life, fitness and self improvement are two sides of the same coin. You can’t have one without the other, and those who succeed at both, have a higher chance of building a very strong foundation for their success.
Fitness and self improvement are the yin and yang of life.
When you condition your body to be more fit and healthy, you also make your mind more resilient, more disciplined, and more confident.
When you get better at personal development, you also create a strong mental framework that makes consistent physical training easier.
The most successful people get it.
They are constantly building their foundation by improving both their fitness and self improvement.
They are not just fit, they are successful. They are not just successful, they are fit.
They have both.
You can have both too, all you have to do is start today.
Move. Learn. Stack the deck in your favour.