Practical Tips to Build Resilience

Here are some practical tips to build resilience at an individual level and at an organizational level.  At an individual level, resilience basically comes from taking good care of oneself.  It is about getting back to the basics of what keeps the human organism, your body and brain, functioning at its best.  It is the very simple and pivotal things you need for your body to work at its optimum level.

Nutrition

Healthy nutrition is a key element to ensuring your body is functioning well.  It is essential that you eat well and get the vitamins, minerals, fiber, hydration, etc., all the basic components of nutrition that you need.  Sometimes this is not an easy thing to do today.  People are best served when they eat food that is truly nutritious, not  empty calories, to get the best out of their bodies.  A proper balance of approximately 20% lean protein, 30% fruits and vegetables, and 30% whole grains is a good rule of thumb for most healthy adults.  Basic guidelines for meals and snacks are to select natural and minimally processed foods which are low in saturated fats, and low in sodium and free of preservatives and artificial ingredients as much as possible.  Go for organic when available and steer clear of all GMO (genetically modified organisms) products.

Physical Movement

Secondly, physical movement, exercise, taking care of the cardiovascular system of your body is necessary because the circulation of your blood and oxygen feeds everything else.  Make time to move throughout your day.  For a typical office worker one of the easiest things that you can do to increase your physical movement throughout the day is taking the stairs.  It is so tempting to take the escalator or the elevator but by taking the stairs you can increase your total movement during the day.

Just the few steps that you take when climbing up one, two or three flights of stairs is going to elevate your heart rate.  The elevated heart rate pumps more oxygen to your tissues, particularly your brain, and if you do that just a few times during the day it has a significant impact on your physiology, your alertness, your ability to think clearly and it can even help you manage your weight.  Over the course of a day, a week or a month just a small amount of movement adds up to a big improvement in your physical wellbeing.

Another tip is to park a little further out in the parking lot.  Take a free place further away instead of waiting and circling the parking lot three times to get the spot that is close to the entrance.  If you take the spot that is a little further out and walk in you can benefit from the exercise.  It is part of working movement into your day in any way that you can.

If you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk, try standing when you’re on conference calls or swap out your office chair and sit on an inflated exercise ball instead to strengthen your core muscles while working on your computer.

For exercise to be successful, you should find an activity that you enjoy.  I would love to tell everybody to start a practice of circuit training three times a week or other vigorous activity which gets your heart rate going at 80% capacity and elevates it for at least 30 minutes or more.  Those are great personal fitness guidelines, but if that sounds a little daunting then you just need to start simple.

Find something you like to do.  Maybe take a dance class or something fun where you just get up on your feet and move.  Take a yoga class that is not too strenuous or choose an activity that is just going to get you moving.  You do not even need to take a formal class, it can be something as simple as walking the dog, playing with your children or doing the gardening  You can also save a little on your budget by doing some of the gardening yourself.  You will be amazed at what it will do for your physical well-being as well as your mental outlook.  Just doing little things like these that will work movement into your day will improve your physical wellbeing.

These days many employers offer employee health or wellness programs, so find out if your employer offers one.  If so, they may offer educational or coaching resources on nutrition and fitness with additional info geared toward your specific needs.