Did you know fitness builds resilience and in turn confidence!

Fitness builds resilience and the term ‘Psychological resilience’ refers to the differences between people in how they respond and cope with difficult or stressful situations.

People who are highly resilient are empowered to act confidently in a stressful situation, are less affected from stress, recover quicker and more open to personal growth from such occurrences.

Now think about this…. It is communicated widely in this modern world that mental disorders such as stress and depression have increased in recent times. Technology also has increased and people are relying on such technologies to move less and off course eat quicker and easier options!

Could our lack of movement and poor food choices (consisting of ‘fake food’. Those which are less natural and contain hormone effecting preservatives) lead to reducing our physical resilience to exercise? And by becoming more physically active could we increase our resilience?

The role of resilience in mental and emotional health

A key factor in resilience is to be able to recognize and balance your emotions. By expressing yourself appropriately you minimize and are likely to avoid depression, anxiety and negatives mood states.

The science behind this has allowed health professionals to recognize that there is a vicious cycle in depression. It goes:

Stress increases – the body responds by increasing CRF (corticotrophin releasing factor- this is toxic to the nerve cells in the hippocampus. The hippocampus contains most of the feel good hormones being norepinephriine and serotonin. It is the mood control centre) Brain- derived neurotrophic factor is made by nerve cells and stimulates them to grow and make more connections to other nerve cells.

High CRF has been shown (within MRI scans) to shrink the hippocampus (much like a muscle that doesn’t get used, you lose it), stress decreases BDNF and thus nerve cells lose the ability to produce the ‘feel good hormones’ and depression follow’s.

No, we do not want this to happen, here’s how;

Have stress strategies. I.e a daily walk, 10 minute music tune out, keep your voice tone low.

Exercise your mind daily. I.e interact with others, learn something new- a musical instrument, volunteer, read!

Limit drugs, alcohol and stop smoking. Smoking doubles your chances of alzeiumers!

Choose the right attitude! Clarity, health, Optimistic, Others- ensure you value your relationships. Strengths- Focus on these, Enjoy life daily!

So how does exercise help?

Firstly, exercise not only strengthens our physiological make up but also releases endorphines which are powerful chemicals which enhance our mood and self-esteem. I read an article recently which discussed 4 key principles for being mentally resilient. This is my interpretation to consider;

1. Responsibility- ‘we may blame everyone and everything for our issues rather than take active steps to change whatever we are capable of. We choose what we think, how we feel and what we do’. Exercise- is a strategy to ensure you are responsible. Having it out with yourself daily will teach you responsibility of being healthy and taking on the challenge yourself as you are ultimately in control. If its’ going to be (I.e fit into a new work skirt) It’s up to me! In life this quote carries through and your resilience develops.

2. Adaptability- We may seem mentally healthy when we are suited to our normal conditions, i.e our jobs, relationships and home etc, however if these conditions change and we are unable to adapt, we may be at risk of poor mental health. Exercise- teaches your body to adapt daily by placing a variety of stressors on the body. From different classes to fun activities with your trainer you are put in a place daily where you learn and adapt, learn and adapt!

3. Commitment- A key aspect of commitment is that it provides us with meaning in our lives. If we ask ourselves, ‘what is the meaning of life?’ then our commitments (note- should be in various areas, not just one or two. I.e relationships, career, health, home, wealth, leisure) should provide the answer. Exercise- teaches you to commit to yourself when perhaps you would rather do something else or rationalize in your mind some excuse. Which, I might add, we all do but the difference is in those who can see the light at the end of the tunnel and apply that motivation at that moment. I.e ‘I exercise because… For example when I am faced with a negative thought I say, ‘ I exercise because I love the life I live and that’s the person I want to be. Now go lead by example and in turn support those around you better’

4. Confidence- ‘is the belief and ability to get things done’. We may prefer to stay in our comfort zones but eventually everything changes (i.e your commitments) and eventually unless we change our comfort zones, these become comfort traps and can sabotage our happiness! Exercise- well what can I say? How do you feel once you have accomplished everything we have discussed in this article by exercising? I am sure if you have achieved the responsibility to adapt and commit to the person you want to be in life (I.e truly healthy not just a doctor said so healthy) then feeling confident is surely an outcome?

Come and try a group session which will give you the tools to help you build your personal resilience to obstacles and handle the stress that shows up in your life. By committing to a trainer weekly in a group session you will achieve these four key principles and will have the support to face any adversities that may arise. You will have the guidance needed through personal coaching and motivation from experiencing continual adaptations.

More importantly, by practicing these steps to building resilience, you will learn things about yourself which will give you the strength to harness that little voice inside. This voice can be your best friend or worst nightmare.

You may need to read this article a couple of times for it to really speak to you. If you do, I promise you that you will learn to deal with life daily and become more resilient to anything that stands in your way.

The world is yours, go and take some of it and better yet, give some back!

Your Personal Success is Our Ultimate Mission

PUSH_ Training Systems Founder

Dion Mychalyn