My focus around resilience is how we stay resilient whilst still maintaining a certain level of physical exercise.
If you are a client of mine, you have probably heard me bang on about how our bodies perceive exercise.
If you aren’t a client of mine, that's ok, I’m going to explain a little more here.
Yes, that's right you read correctly, our bodies perceive exercise as stress.
So what does that mean exactly? It means if we are already pumped full of stress in any kind of way on a day to day basis whether it be deadlines, work commitments, overworked, lifestyle imbalance, relationship or financial stress – the list goes on… and we add in what the body sees as stress, being high intensity exercise you can see how the balance can become, well, off.
Yes, I’m a personal trainer and yes I love to exercise but that doesn’t mean I slam myself daily doing high intensity training.
As a naturopath I know the importance of balance.
Have you ever booked in for a class at your gym and when it comes to the day you just are not feeling it? Are you listening to what your body needs or wants? Or what YOU need and want?
I can tell you now, your body doesn't want to be slammed into submission every single time you decide you need to be fit, and you will not see long lasting changes to your physique in doing so.
Why? Because hunny you are running on cortisol and pumping your adrenals, that's why – and what happens when you do this? Your body perceives this as being under threat – and will start switching off other areas of body functions to cope
As a Naturopath we see clients come in with that ever so common feeling of continual bloating, an inability to shift excess weight even though you “train hard and eat well”, (especially around the middle). Sleep goes out the window or you start waking unrefreshed, oh wait then the immune system takes a dive too, sound familiar?
Not listening and tuning in to yourself will reap havoc.
So how do you stay active and exercise and get the results you want without running yourself to the ground and loosing all resilience?
Here are my top tips
As with any regime, nothing should be a quick fix eg 2 weeks going at it at the gym “HARD” won’t give you long lasting results (same goes for trying to diet that way).
Create daily, mindful habits. Daily movement that works for your lifestyle and your situation
Remember movement = exercise – in any form
Take simple steps to simply become more active – walk to work, walk further to the next station, park your car further away, ride a bike, play tennis after work instead of sitting at the pub, incorporate daily movement, that doesn’t mean daily high intensity strenuous exercise!
Create movement in everyday – somewhere, somehow
You do YOU – do what you want not what social media or someone else is telling you to do, do what nourishes you and your needs!
Try something new –get outdoors for a change.
Its all about balance – if you feel slogged from work, don’t go slog yourself.
Get outside for some grounding and earthing, go for a walk without shoes on, I promise you you’ll sleep better than sitting in front of Netflix all night!
Still be OK with doing nothing