Using Cardio to Build Resilience

The American Psychological Association defines resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats and other sources of stress. They recommend physical activity as a tool to build resilience.

I’ll be honest when I say that most of the work I do with clients is to improve their fitness, nutrition and body composition. The psychological benefits that come alongside, such as increased confidence and resilience are great, but they aren’t the primary outcomes we are working towards (and I’m no expert in psychology).

This began to change in 2019 when I started working with teams and organisations to improve their health and wellbeing. My role was primarily to help individuals design and integrate fitness and nutrition strategies that suited their goals, experience and lifestyle. But what interested me was the organisation’s emphasis on resilience as a desired outcome for their people.

Since then, I’ve worked alongside psychology and mental health professionals who have educated me more about the use of fitness for enhancing resilience. My mindset has changed from the use of exercise as something that puts people in a good state of mind or wellbeing, to something that can also build capability such as resilience.