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# The Importance of Exercise
- URL: https://makoism.com/the-importance-of-exercise-7e6dc8de026/
- Published: 2021-01-24T23:29:50.000Z
- Updated: 2021-01-24T23:29:50.000Z
- Description: “Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” — Muhammad Ali
- Author: Steve Makofsky
- Tags: makoism, #newsletter-makoism, #substack

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/61/8f/618f2076-e6a0-40dc-8037-06080661dee7/content/images/public/images/bee12b06-711f-4f26-8b45-7dc73063a145_1024x682.jpeg)

In an earlier post, I mentioned that it’s been really [important for me to keep low stress in stressful times](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/8133-stress-10-ways-to-ease-stress); and that I’ve tried to carve our **30 minutes to read**, **30 minutes to write** and **30 minutes to play**.

**Every. Single. Day.**

Another thing I have been striving towards is some form of daily exercise. Doesn’t matter: run, bike, walk, strength, hike, etc. And while I haven’t raced a marathon or competed in 70.3 triathlon in almost 2 years now, the volume of “moving my body” has steadily increased through 2020 and into 2021.

![fitness graph](https://storage.ghost.io/c/61/8f/618f2076-e6a0-40dc-8037-06080661dee7/content/images/public/images/087d3fcc-176b-44e0-95cd-151a20109659_278x600.png "fitness graph")

run forest run!

The simple action of **keeping consistent** has been a big part of not allowing the craziness of 2020 get to me. It’s proven [that exercise directly effects the brain](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-works-and-why/201803/how-your-mental-health-reaps-the-benefits-exercise), not just your body.

And, the best part is that **it doesn’t have to be** a hard run or bike — today I just did a 30 minute fitness walk on the treadmill to keep moving. Some weekends I’m on [Zwift](https://www.zwift.com) for 90 minutes or longer — others it’s taking a walk outside when it’s sunny (rare in Oregon, but it’s amazing when it is nice out).