Seek Discomfort-Daily- to Build Resilience
Seek to be uncomfortable each day to build resilience, grow as a human, and embrace that we humans are built to move!
Our daily life is too comfortable- we pick the closest parking space, use remote controls, have voice activated lights, an automatic garage door, etc . Sure, we seek comfort each day, but we also need to seek discomfort each day.
To grow.
We are much stronger and powerful than we think. But we don’t get there by “thinking” we get there by doing-taking action- so we can move into knowing and believing we are capable both physically and mentally to meet any challenge.
We can use our sport or gym workout to get there. Yet I see people settle into mediocre by doing the same thing each time and at the same intensity and duration. Boring. Safe. Comfortable. It’s familiar, and seems secure.
That doesn’t help with physical fitness nor personal growth. If this is you, it is time to stir things up.
Here is why.
Your body will adapt to what you are doing which is the point of a workout. If you keep doing the same thing over and over the body adapts. Adaptation is a good thing raising us up to having a new “normal”.
Then it’s time to step up again.
The thing to do is add in some intensity, increase the number of repetitions you are doing, increase the duration, or change the speed. You can do one or all at some point to create a new challenge.
But if we don’t do that, if we don’t seek challenges, if we don’t practice getting uncomfortable- our physical as well as personal growth as a human slows or backslides. We don’t develop resilience.
But by using a sport or some type of exercise we can build our resilience which, I believe, we need for daily living. A hard workout is stressful both mentally and physically. It’s a good stress. And a good stress release.
What’s interesting is that the brain doesn’t register this is a good stress or this is a bad stress, to the brain and body stress is stress. The hormonal reaction is the same. What we learn in the weight room to manage this stress can transfer into cognitive resilience in the boardroom or some work situation.
A high intensity session has been shown to increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor which is a key molecule for cognitive function. This BDNF supports learning, memory, mood and neuroplasticity. It’s like fertilizer for the brain, BDNF means greater adaptability, resilience, and improved cognitive function.
Need more reasons to go harder? You’ll have a stronger cardiovascular stimulus, protect lean mass and metabolism, insulin sensitivity improves, and you will have an noticeable shift in mood and mental clarity.
Or we can have a boring, safe life where we may never realize our own power, our potential at any age, or possibly melt down when something unexpected comes our way.
No one changes when life is humming along in comfort land. Consider moments of growth in your own life.
You were likely forced into some new pattern, it may have been hard and likely you came out the other side with a new level of awareness, a shift in behavior, or direction onto a new path. A new habit formed. You were able to “be” with the uncomfortable moment because of all the previous practice you had in a workout where you pushed yourself.
If you are currently lifting 8 pound dumbbells, go to 12 lb. Walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes-add in 10-30 seconds jog or shoot that incline up 10% higher for 1 minute. Do things differently, break a sweat. Breathe harder.
You got this!
Physical activities can help us manage our stress both mentally and physically both in the gym and in daily life. Beef up that next workout and see what happens.