One characteristic that a number of highly successful people have is: how to overcome a failure and get back on track sooner than later. We all have this within ourselves, however many will quit rather than find a way to adjust and overcome.
The Marine Corps motto “Adapt, Improvise and Overcome” is one of my favorite mottos to aspire to live on a daily basis. Life can be difficult, as many of us have experienced, and some of us are still struggling with, due to the pandemic. We lost 80% of our business overnight. We had a choice, either to quit, or adapt, improvise and overcome. We choose the latter.
There are a number of different adversities ranging from physical, mental and emotional. Physical adversity is being born with a physical disability (born blind or deaf) and/or obtaining one (obesity, career ending injury). A mental problem or mental illness are examples of mental adversity. Emotional adversity includes us having a low sense of self worth and/or poor body image.
With adversity often comes stress. According to the American Psychological Association (APA) there are 3 types of stress.
- Acute Stress. This is usually brief. Oftentimes it is reactive and is associated with a negative thought about a situation or event that recently occurred or an upcoming one. Covid-19 is a current example of this stress.
- Episodic Acute Stress. This stress usually occurs with those that live a life of uncertainty, poor planning, chaos and crisis. Several people I know did not have plans in place when the pandemic first started. To be honest, how could you? That being said, many still don’t have a plan and are waiting for things to be back to the way they were. The reality is life as we know it will most likely not be the same.
- Chronic Stress. Examples include long term abuse, poverty, a poor work and/or home environment. This type of stress is the most harmful.
The negative effects of each type of stress are countless and can lead to irreversible damage to our brain and/or body.
Now that we have an understanding of the different types of adversity and stress, let’s discuss how exercise can help us overcome them. Keep in mind, there is no way to eliminate all stress from our lives, rather we need to learn how to face the adversity in our life and have the tools to overcome it to live our best life.
A study in 2003 by Renee D. Goodwin PhD showed that a consistent workout positively correlated with a decrease in anxiety disorders.
Another study showed that “after a period of 10-20 weeks, participants who had anxiety disorders showed an increase in energy and a reduction in the overall manifestations of their anxiety”. (O’Connor & Puetz 2005).
Exercise not only releases chemicals in our brain that make us feel better “endorphins”, knowing you said you were going to exercise and you doing so creates a sense of self worth and accomplishment. Exercising also allows us to push our body and mind to its limit and then some, by running just a little faster or further, getting an extra repetition, performing one more set, etc…
The following strategies can be implemented into your daily life to help you overcome the different types of adversity and stress that comes your way. Please note these are not cures for mental illness and/or certain health conditions and you should consult with your physician before starting any type of exercise/nutrition plan.
- Create a commitment plan and evaluate it weekly. Long term goals are great, but oftentimes we do not feel a sense of accomplishment until they are achieved, which can create more stress. Creating a plan for the week allows you to evaluate it, adapt and improvise if need be. If you want to lose weight, what can you do this week to create a lifestyle that is conducive to this goal? If you are not happy with your current work environment, what options can you create to have the environment that will allow you to thrive? Having a plan will help you to not stress daily on what you may need to do and will give you a sense of achievement as you accomplish your tasks. Start small and then create more challenging tasks as you master each one. Depending on where you live and your comfort level with today’s situation you may not wish to join a gym, and thus may need to do more workouts at home. No problem. You just need to commit, possibly purchase exercise equipment/tools for home and get started and stay on track.
- Practice breathing. Try to fill the lower area of your lungs then imagine your breath moving up into your chest allowing your rib cage to rise. Fill the upper area of your lungs and hold your breath for a few seconds then exhale and repeat. Once you have mastered this, try the reverse order. Focusing on your breath will help keep your mind off the stress/adversity you are facing and help you control your heart rate so when you are under pressure your heart, lungs and mind are better prepared.
- Move daily. As previously noted, exercise will reduce endorphins which make us feel better. Start off with 5 minutes a day. This small amount of time will make it easy enough for you to do, thus creating a sense of self worth and achievement, as well as creating the habit of moving. From here you can add more time as you are able, working up to a minimum of 30 minutes a day. If you are more advanced and currently exercising regularly, choose a fitness goal that is conducive to your life. You may want to do a weight loss challenge, determine your one rep max and work on getting stronger, compete in an aesthetic competition, powerlifting and/or photoshoot.
- Eat more veggies, drink more water and eat more protein. For a number of us, we do not get enough veggies in a day (men should eat 6-8 servings and women 4-6). A serving size = size of your fist. Water, we should drink at least 64 ounces of water a day, ideally an ounce per lb you weigh. Protein should be consumed with each meal and a serving = size of your palm. For women 4-6 savings, men 6-8.
Whether you are looking to start working out again, you want to take your routine to the next level or you feel you need to work on your nutrition, just start. Start with at least 5 minutes of exercise a day and go from there. Start with eating at least 1 more serving of protein and veggies if you are not eating enough. Start with finding time to focus on your breath. Start with the end in mind but take the first step towards it. Adversity can be overcome, stress can be relieved, but YOU must make the conscious decision to live your life!