How to Build Resilience Through Fitness
Why do you need resilience?
This is a personal question only you yourself can answer. May it be a life trauma you need help in overcoming, maybe you’re working on your mental health, or you’re looking for transformation. Whatever your why is, it’s important that you hold on to it and remember it during the hard parts of your training.
Many of us look up to elite athletes, often superficially admiring their performance and passing it off as them having won the DNA lottery for physical performance. This may be true, but if you dive deeper, their performance isn’t purely due to god-given genes; they have determination and a different mindset than the average person. And most importantly, they have a deep connection to their why that keeps them in drive. This lesson, of drive, determination, and never allowing yourself to quit, is something we can all apply to our personal goals and life.
Once you understand your why, which is your drive, let it become the reason for your resilience; to get back up one more time from all the times you’ve failed. How fast can you recover from the fall… How well can you adapt when plans don’t work out the way you envisioned… To get up and adapt from a fall takes a lot of mental strength, and it takes time to build up the capacity to do it over and over again. So, let your why help you be the deciding factor to always get up even if you’ve never been able to before. Your “why” should be that strong.
We’ve all given up on a thing before, big or small. Think about how far you were able to get through in that process? How easily did you give up? The last time you tried, did you stay consistent longer? The most common issue is quickly loosing motivation: you’re not able to stick through your plan in moments when you’re not seeing change — your goals feels so far, or maybe you’ve made a mistake and it feels easier to give up. But those are the moments if you choose differently just one time to continue, it’ll help you to breakthrough. Once you get through one hard decision to continue, what’s stopping you from choosing a second and a third time. Before you know it, not quitting becomes a habit. Let yourself choose to not quit, and training can teach you how.
3 ways training builds resilience
Discipline in Routine:
Consistent exercise teaches discipline when motivation fades. Motivation is temporary, but discipline brings lasting change. Through routine, you learn that tough times, like seasons, are temporary. Discipline is when you start showing up for yourself consistently during streaks of no motivation. When you’re disciplined enough to consistently work on your goals, you can get to the other side — rediscover your motivation, get to the next season, and regain your joy.
Neuroplasticity:
Consistent exercise promotes neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to form new connections. The brain can learn to heal itself both physically (i.e. strokes) and mentally (i.e. overcoming trauma), so that new healthy parts of the brain start to overtake damaged areas. This is what helps us learn a new skill and overcome depression. Though exercise automatically boosts this system, it’s still important for you to retrain your mind to think the way you want it to. It still takes mental consciousness and effort for lasting changes in your thoughts.
Adapting to Change:
As your body adapts to every training session, so does your mind when you train it. Let’s train your mind to adapt to a new way of thinking in the areas you want growth. It takes effort both physically and mentally. When you see physical change as you stay committed to your training program, it proves that change is possible for the mind as well. Just reapply the same discipline, awareness, and effort.
Conclusion
Resilience is a skill that can be developed through training. With discipline, neuroplasticity, and adaptability, you not only build the physical changes you seek, but also supports the mental changes and growth you’re seeking as well. This can be applied both literally changing your self narration during your fitness training, and reapplied in your everyday life as you become more conscious of your mental attitudes and self-talk. Let your physical changes in fitness inspire you to make the mental changes you need to face life’s challenges.
About the Author:
COACH DEE | CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER ACE—CPT, PPSC, TIWL
Deborah Park, known as Coach Dee, is the owner of Drip Training LLC and an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Health Coach. With a background in architecture and kinesiology from the University of Virginia, she has extensive experience in personal training and athletic coaching in a clinical (physical therapy) setting. Coach Dee combines her scientific knowledge with years of hands-on experience to create programs that empower clients to regain control over their bodies and minds.
Her journey into personal training was deeply influenced by her personal struggles, including recovering from a life-changing car accident that led to PTSD and pain from scoliosis. This experience gave her a unique understanding of the connection between mental health and physical well-being. Coach Dee is committed to helping clients develop resilience, build strength, and rediscover their confidence—no matter the challenges they face.
