BiggerPockets

I agree that having a good cardio workout along with weightlifting improves your mental outlook. 4x a week I run 3 miles and weightlift. I find it to be an excellent stress reliever, Not as good as having a hot girlfriend but still a good stress reliever.

I have always enjoyed working out and especially running. If I am ever stressed, there is nothing better than a 3 mile run :)

It also helps me get through the day.

I think far to many people focus on weights and workout routines, etc. That is great for working on certain muscle groups and all that good stuff. I think the best workout and one that people generally neglect in lieu of going to the gym and lifting or running is sport.

Go walk a few holes of golf everyday, play some tennis, take a walk with your spouse, play some sports with your kids, etc. There are a thousand ways to exercise that don't include walking into a gym. For some reason we've developed this idea of "working out" because instead of staying in shape through subsistence farming like we have done historically, we live in a day in age where we now sit at our office jobs all day, drive the fast food lane to get food without taking a step outside our car, and then get home and decide we must go "work out" and lift weights to exercise the calories off.

Sorry for my rant, and yes I think exercise is great for your mental state in a variety of ways.

But, my point is that throughout the history of mankind we have never, until now, picked up weights to throw them around and work our muscles, instead you picked up bales of hay to feed your livestock and did hard labor all day. I think you should exercise by doing something you enjoy and not have the thought of "I need to exercise", but instead to just have an active lifestyle.

I am usually a very active person. Used to play basketball 2 to 3 times a week, baseball on the weekends and golf when ever I could. The only problem with sports is that they take up a lot of time. I like going to the gym because I can get a good workout in 30 to 60 minutes and then get back to RE stuff.

I do enjoy sports much more then the gym, but I enjoy the extra time I get from going to the gym.. No what I mean?

In any event, I agree with the original poster about fitness making a huge difference in your mood and efficiency

Originally posted by Ryan Wilkinson

I agree with you Jimmie. My point wasn't advocating weight lifting (that's just what I like) but physical activity.

Ryan, you are exactly right, and I was not critiquing - I just went off on my own little tangent.

Physical acitvity must be made a part of your life and having an active lifestyle. Whether it is sport or not, find something you enjoy doing for your activity.

I think being active is great for you all around, and can absolutely promote the energy, confidence, and mental tenacity needed to succeed in REI

Its making a huge difference in my life. Wake up at 6, do p90x, and I'm ready to take on anything for the day. Granted, its not THAT easy, I have a long way to go before I'm at the weight I want to be at, and its tiring starting out. But I cant imagine my life right now without it.

Originally posted by Anson Young

Its making a huge difference in my life. Wake up at 6, do p90x, and I'm ready to take on anything for the day.

P90X Baby! Now you're talking Anson! Not only do you want to have some physical activity you're doing it extreme style. That's great to hear. I love P90. In fact I turned my 2 1/2 car garage into a gym complete with rubber flooring, two chin up towers, dumb bell weight rack 5-85lbs, bench & a flat screen tv to do P90 in. My brother & a friend come work out with me as well.
If you want to feel amazing, do P90x. Its tough & it takes a strong commitment but It's impossible not to improve yourself so you look & feel better if you do it.

ALL the P90 hype is true! Thanks for sharing Anson.

Hey Ryan,

This is a great topic you posted. I would consider myself a newbie to REI, although currently involved in a few deals. I have not been doing REI yet for a year.

One issue that came up once the heat was on and I jumped into my first (what I thought was going to be profitable) deal is that my exercise program just got scrapped. I had been back on the wagon and getting into great shape thru mostly weights & some cardio. Then got intense into the REI stuff and found it hard to maintain my early morning routine. In my situation, it's first thing early in the morning, or will never get done. By early, I mean waking up @ 5:30am.

I've been trying ever since to get back into doing something, even if only a 30 min. walk in the morning. I've actually considered getting a bike to use for doing 'riding for dollars', that way I could say I'm working out and prospecting at the same time :lol:

A full-time day job, wife & 2 small children, in addition to my goal of being successful at REI has it's challenges. If you include networking events and education, I probably spend close to 25 hrs/wk working on my business. That's in addition to my full-time job and husband/parenting duties. Nevertheless, I can't help but feel that I'm not as good at my game as I should be due to lack of physical activity. Your post has reminded me of that I need to do something about it, so THANK YOU.

I would like to put a plug in for weightlifting, or resistance training in general. For me, I've found I get the fastest and most pleasing results from this activity. The more I do it, the more I want to do more of it. If you read all the latest health and fitness info, intense resistance training is always mentioned as an optimal way to get into and stay in shape. Perhaps it also helps that I LOVE it! I plug my iPod in, get cranking, sweat, get pumped, and feel great!

OK, guess I'm getting up early tomorrow.....

Glad to hear it Matthew. You're more dedicated than I waking up at 5:30 to work out. Now you just need to get the real estate cash flowing for you so you can leave the job and work out whenever you choose. Keep on grinding! Thanks for the post.

YES, good point! That's why I got into this game in the first place, to get rich and get outta the rat race! That way I can enjoy this place's beauty even more...thanks for reminding me how lucky I am to live here. OK, gotta get back to grinding....