Top 5 Life Benefits of Endurance Training

Author: Nanning Jacobs
Reading time: 5 minutes

Power Lifestyle

Welcome to the first blog of The Temple on endurance! An introduction to a powered lifestyle, an energetic eye opener to achieve personal goals and above all, with practical tips to incorporate in your personal work-life balance!

At The Temple we are a big fan of the power lifestyle. We live and breathe to get the most out of every day without having physical or mental constraints in the long run. To achieve this we need to properly balance 1) Nutrition, 2) Body, and 3) Mind on a daily basis. And yes, these are the three pillars on which The Temple is being built.

In every article, starting right now, we aim to incorporate eye openers and personal stories that flow from our community, from professionals that support the Power Lifestyle, our personal expertise and experiences in life and many other sources.

Why Endurance Sports?

Over the last 10 years, Alain and I have been thoroughly investigating, testing theories and putting insights into practice that enabled us to get the most out of the day. So what does this mean? Being productive? Feeling totally “zen” while listening to classical music outside in the sun at your favourite holiday destination? And what expectations do we have with regards to being productive at work and how does this relate to our activities in our private life?

Personally I have been very active in practicing different sports next to my professional career in the last 6 years. The more hours I put into my work, the more hours I had to invest in sports to keep the balance. Even though team sports work for some people as they make you feel part of something bigger, and indirectly motivate you based on social pressure, I have chosen to stay away from team sports and specialize in endurance sports.

Olympic triathlons, a 6,5 km Cross Continental Bosporus Swim (which was cancelled because of a Military Coup, but I fully trained for it) and over 35 (half) marathons are the result.

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony. – Thomas Merton

So why endurance sports? In both my professional and social life there was a lot of pressure on my social agenda. In order to put impulses during the day in perspective, reduce stress hormones and to be able to live “in the moment”  endurance sports is recommended.

Being outside, breathing fresh air, discovering new routes, personally pushing yourself to feel comfortable, endurance sports can only contribute positively to e.g. your self-esteem, condition and personal goals instead of team goals.

Five reasons why endurance sport should be your top priority

Here you can find the list of the five reasons which we find to be the most positive post-endurance effects of endurance sports:

1. Structure your thoughts

After a long day at the office you need to clear your mind and fuel up for the next day. There is no better way to cool down then to go outside for some endurance training. Hit the road while running 10 K, stretch your legs on a bike for 40K or jump in the water for a 1K swim.

Naturally your body will produce endorphins that make you feel happy and can even make the experience addictive.

2. More satisfied with your body

Whether you want to lose weight, increase your condition or want to feel less stressed out; it all comes down to starting to put some hours into endurance sports.  Your body is complex. Your bones, joints, cardiovascular system, muscles; they all need to work together to support your sport endeavours. When building up properly with the right training, food and rest, your metabolism works faster due to gaining muscle mass.

The harder you work to get a fit body, the more you will enjoy, or feel less guilty, once having that Gin Tonic outside in the sun at a cafe; you deserved it!!

3. Personal confidence

Sports make you discover your body and its limitations. As you gain strength and condition, you are, gradually, able to see what you are capable of. Even without any running experience you are able to prepare for a half marathon (21K) in 4-5 months.

Please send me a message for a personalized training schedule. Settings goals is step one. A detailed plan is step two. Being disciplined and building towards your goal is step three. We always say; “Discipline is the fuel of achievement”.

Discipline is the fuel of achievement – Nanning Jacobs

4. A perfect sleep

There is a lot of discussion on the perfect sleep. But let’s say that 8 hours of sleeping without a bathroom break or a noisy neighbour sounds great! Physically your body doesn’t need 8 hours to be able to perform the next day. However, in the long run, a “perfect sleep” helps your physical condition, concentration at work, and your problem solving skills.  You can also remain emotionally balanced and many more things. In short, endurance sports works mentally distressful. After a long swim or a 21K run I sleep like a baby. In the morning I wake up energized and ready for some serious deadlines!

5. Anti-aging recipe

Some great research shows the conclusion that the hormone HGH (Human Growth Hormone) contributes positively towards anti-aging. Even though HGH flows from any kind of sports, especially endurance and anaerobic sports boost the production of HGH. So why not bike around the city every day in order to stay young, fresh, filled with vitality?

Conclusion

I hope you found this blog useful. I would love to hear what your thoughts are towards endurance sports and if you would ever consider it?