Resiliency: being able to adapt to life’s misfortunes and setbacks

When something goes wrong, do you tend to bounce back or fall apart? People with resilience harness inner strengths and rebound more quickly from a setback or challenge, whether it's a job loss, an illness or the death of a loved one. Resilience won't necessarily make your problems go away but it can give you the ability to see past them, find enjoyment in life and handle future stressors better. If you aren't as resilient as you'd like, you can work on skills to become more resilient:

• Get connected. Build strong, positive relationships with family and friends who can listen to your concerns and offer support. Volunteer or get involved in your community.
• Use humor and laughter. Remaining positive or finding humor in distressing or stressful situations doesn't mean you're in denial. Humor is a helpful coping mechanism. If you simply can't find humor in your situation, turn to other sources for a laugh, such as a funny book or movie.
• Learn from your experiences. Recall how you've coped with hardships in the past, either in healthy or unhealthy ways. Build on what helped you through those rough times and don't repeat actions that didn't help.
• Remain hopeful and optimistic. While you can't change events, look toward the future, even if it's just a glimmer of how things might improve. Find something in each day that signals a change for the better. Expect good results.
• Take care of yourself. Tend to your own needs and feelings, both physically and emotionally. This includes participating in activities and hobbies you enjoy, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep and eating well.
• Accept and anticipate change. Be flexible. Try not to be so rigid that even minor changes upset you or that you become anxious in the face of uncertainty. Expecting changes to occur makes it easier to adapt to them, tolerate them and even welcome them.
• Work toward goals. Do something every day that gives you a sense of accomplishment. Even small, everyday goals are important. Having goals helps direct you toward the future.
• Take action. Don't just wish your problems would go away or try to ignore them. Instead, figure out what needs to be done, make a plan to do it and then take action.
• Learn new things about yourself. Review past experiences and think about how you've changed as a result. You may have gained a new appreciation for life. If you feel worse as a result of your experiences, think about what changes could help. Explore new interests, such as taking a cooking class or visiting a museum.
• Think better of yourself. Trust yourself to solve problems and make sound decisions. Nurture your self-confidence so that you feel strong, capable and self-reliant. This will give you a sense of control over events and situations in your life.
• Maintain perspective. Don't compare your situation to that of somebody you think may be worse off. You'll probably feel guilty for being down about your own problems. Rather, look at your situation in the larger context of your own life, and of the world. Keep a long-term perspective and know that your situation can improve if you actively work at it.

Becoming resilient is an individual experience. Adapt these tips for your own situation, keeping in mind what has and has not worked for you in the past.
Courtesy: mayoclinic.com

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Group Exercise - Enjoy the Camaraderie and Fun

Put that “back to school” energy that always seems to bubble up in September to good use and participate in one of the many group exercies opportunities available at your YMCA. If you regularly exercise on your own or are just starting to get more active, you'll find that YMCAs have programs and groups for a wide variety of activities and every fitness level. There are beginner, experienced, older adult, parent-child and other options for most classes.

Enjoy the camaraderie, support, fun and extra incentive a group environment can offer to get moving this fall. Ask about classes at your YMCA. Don’t see a specific class listed? Ask the staff about the possibility of getting one started.

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Ask the Expert

Question:

Marie asks: I am trying to exercise and lose weight, especially in my waist/abdomen. I want to avoid exercises/machines that will thicken my waist instead of slimming it. Would the Abductor machine for outer thighs thicken or bulk up my waist? Some Abductor machines show pictures that affect the waist, some don't.

Expert Answer:

That’s a great question. I’d like to address it two fold: first regarding the Adductor Machines, second regarding slimming one’s waist using machines. The adductor and abductor machines target the inner and outer hip muscles of the body. The abdominals act as a stabilizer for one’s posture (provided one contracts them and doesn’t just slouch) as one sits in the machine and performs the exercise, but are not directly targeted.

Unfortunately, there are no machines or specific exercises that will slim the waist area, or directly remove the fat there, even if one does thousands of crunches a day! Spot reduction is a myth. A combination of cardiovascular exercise, burning off more calories than are taken in through proper eating habits and strength training will reduce overall body fat percentage. You may want to take advantage of the complimentary workouts that we provide here at the YMCA through our personal training program. We can evaluate your workout, give you expert advice and results driven exercises to help you obtain your fitness goals.

Our Expert is Ericka

Ericka Dawydko is the Wellness Director at the Livonia Family YMCA.

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