The Role of Exercise in Mental Toughness
Exercise and mental toughness go hand-in-hand. Here’s how sticking to your fitness goals can help you build mental toughness, and vice versa.
PHYSICAL ENDURANCE AND MENTAL STRENGTH
Pushing yourself past your physical limits is uncomfortable, difficult, and stressful on the body. Seriously, exercise is a form of physical stress. By repeatedly putting yourself in a position to challenge your physical endurance, you’re building your mental strength brick by brick. Every rep, every dumbbell you pick up, helps you prove to yourself that you can do hard things and overcome previously insurmountable hurdles.
The benefits of regular fitness can change your brain chemistry too. Regular exercise helps the brain build resilience against cognitive impairment, setting you up for a long, healthy life and plenty of mental toughness.
THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION
On the other hand, having a strong mind can help you tackle physical challenges well, if not with ease, then with optimism and determination. If you believe you can, you’ll get a lot further than if you think a certain task, like sprinting for a full minute or carrying your groceries up four flights of stairs, is totally impossible.
Plus, if you’re mentally tough, you’re more likely to stick to your workout routine and chase your fitness goals with enthusiasm and motivation. You might find that you’re drawn to endurance sports, like running or cycling, since you’ve got the fortitude to train for long periods of time and break through mental fatigue.
Finally, you might find that once your mental toughness is locked down, you notice a stronger mind-body connection between your muscles and your performance, especially if you’ve been sticking to your mindfulness routine! With a heightened awareness that recognizes if one hamstring is a bit tight or whether your form is a little bit off, you have a better chance of crushing your workout goals.
