Six Ways to Enhance Your Resilience
Joshua Allen • April 13, 2020
Resilience is how well you can deal with and bounce back from difficulties in life.
Stay Calm
Finding ways to remain calm in a time of crisis is probably the most important thing you can do to cultivate your resilience. Being calm means being relaxed which means engaging your nervous system that is opposite of ‘fight or flight’. This takes discipline to do especially when much of our day is spent in stressful (fight or flight mode) situations. Stretching is a great way to do this (join Nova each week for a guided stretch class on Instagram Live). Other ways to be calm are focused breathing, magnesium supplementation, meditation and limiting media exposure.
Connect with Nature
Being outdoors provides infinite ways to make yourself healthier and more resilient to getting sick. Head to the lake to experience a ‘Blue Mind’
that comes by being near water. Go for a walk in the forest and listen to the wind blow between the trees. Sit in your backyard and watch the birds. Setting up bird feeders is something my family has done during quarantine which has helped not only engage my children but to calm my mind. Consider starting a flower or vegetable garden. Did you know that working the soil, being in nature and breathing the air while outside exposes us to beneficial bacteria that helps us become more resilient to viruses?
Intentional Movement
Exercise and move your body. While fitness centres are closed, there are plenty of options you can explore that will keep you healthy and fit during quarantine. A strong and fit person is less likely to become sick compared to someone who does not exercise. Walking is the most basic form of movement we can all do. Perhaps kick around a soccer ball with your child in the backyard. Working out on your own or with your online training coach can take you a step further. Remember that exercise is a form of stress that our body adapts to. If you feel 'under the weather' make sure your exercise is not too intense as to tax the immune system more than necessary. During Covid-19 it is important to stay fit but not overdo it by draining your immune system if it is already down.
Sleep and Rest
Being at home more allows us to utilize our bed more. For those who never had the option to take a nap during the day due to travel or office setups, now have a chance. Taking a 10-15min mid-day snooze is one of the best things you can do for your body and brain. Not only will you be cultivating better resilience, you will find enhanced mental clarity allowing you to accomplish better work. With nowhere to be after 8pm but home, there is no reason why we should be staying up later than necessary. Yes a late movie once a week is good but the other days, try to turn off the light before 10pm. Now is the time to catch up.
Mindset
Together, we are all facing adversity. Each person deals with adversity differently. Some may have never experienced much adversity in their lives, making Covid-19 their first life shattering challenge. Others may have dealt with struggles in their past, giving them a better mindset on how to get through the current situation. When we face a problem there are three types of mindsets.
1) Problem oriented. This is when we can not stop thinking about the problem to the point of victimizing ourselves and holding ourselves back from seeing the solution.
2) Solution oriented. We recognize the problem and see a way to fix it and focus just on that - making the situation better by problem solving.
3) Infinite Possibilities - We see opportunity all around us and anything is possible.
What mindset do you find yourself in? It is okay to feel down and focus on the problem as we are all human. But humans are problem solvers and the sooner we can think positively about problem solving the sooner we will make the most of this situation and come out better.
Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation
While nothing beats a well balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and occasional meat, the reality is that the quality of our food is not the same as it once was. The more we eat food that is not local, pasture raised and organic, the less minerals and vitamins we get, even when we are eating a ‘healthy balanced diet’. Supporting our bodies and beating a virus can be improved with supplementation. Some of the best supplements to add into a diet for added resilience include multivitamins, Vitamin C and Vitamin D3. These are the basics that if you are not eating a predominately locally grown, organic, pasture raised well balanced diet should consider. Personally, I also like to supplement with magnesium, fish oil and glutathione (body's most powerful antioxidant) for added support.
-Joshua Allen
Andrew has been a Nova member for 9 years. One of his long standing goals was to do his first triathlon. He has been working towards this for years and just at the end of August he did it!
If you're doing all the “right things” — working out, eating clean, trying to stay consistent — but still struggling with stubborn belly fat, low energy and slow results, you’re not alone.
Tanya’s dedication to rebuilding her health after surgery offers valuable lessons and perspective for anyone facing setbacks.
Do Hard Things Now, So Life Becomes Easier Later Modern humans default to the easy way but it's not our fault... Throughout human history, we were wired to survive constant hardship - scarcity of food, threats from predators, harsh environments and manual labor for everything. Our DNA evolved for survival in these conditions, not for modern living. Imagine an early human stumbling across a fruit tree. It made sense to gorge - there was no telling when the next meal would come. The human who gorged had a higher chance of survival than the human who only ate a few pieces of fruit. Practicing self-control in an environment of scarcity would have been a death sentence. Likewise, if given a chance to rest instead of walking miles or hunting, rest was the obvious choice. The problem? Our genes haven’t caught up with modern life. Today, food is everywhere. We don’t have to fight to meet our basic needs. Technology does the heavy lifting, cars replace walking, entertainment is on-demand and calorie-dense foods are always within reach. Left unchecked, our instincts will always lean toward easy options like overeating unhealthy foods (that are so easily accessible) or driving to the store instead of walking. In other words, we’re still hardwired to take the path of least resistance. But here’s the catch: Choosing easy now often means a harder life later and choosing hard now often means an easier life later. Most modern humans are overweight, stressed, tired and dealing with chronic health problems because we’re following outdated survival programming that no longer serves us. It’s time to become aware of these defaults. To override them. To consciously choose the hard thing - because doing hard things is what actually makes life easier in the long run. Hard things like: Going to bed on time instead of watching another episode Preparing a healthy meal instead of grabbing fast food Moving your body instead of sitting all day Walking or biking to the store instead of driving Managing stress with deep breaths and fresh air instead of pouring a drink Looking at your habits instead of masking symptoms with medication It might feel uncomfortable because it goes against everything your biological programming is urging you to do. But that’s exactly why it matters. Don’t think of it as punishment or sacrifice. Think of it as an investment. Every time you take the stairs instead of the elevator, cook instead of order out, or put your phone down to truly rest, you’re building a life that’s easier, richer, and more fulfilling down the road. And remember: Do easy things, and you’ll have a hard life. Do hard things, and you’ll have an easy life. Most of the above information is probably not new to you. That’s because we live in the information age with the internet and now AI - we already know what it is we need to do. The problem however is implementation. This is where having a customized plan and accountability comes in. If you know the hard things you need to do more of but struggle with breaking past your ‘default mode’ then contact us for a complimentary consultation HERE .
Congratulations to Sonya Jeyaseelan, Our July 2025 SuperNova!
Congratulations to Liz Belford, Our June SuperNova!
We are back with our second series of 'Pod Calls' available exclusively to our Nova Health Club members. Don't miss these unique sessions to help you level up your health and wellness game! What is a Pod Call? A Pod Call is a live online (webinar like)_ session with a Nova coach, offering support and insights on key health topics like fitness, nutrition, recovery and overall wellness. Why did we create Pod Calls? Our goal is your success and your health goals can not be built on fitness alone. After delivering thousands of personal training sessions, we noticed a disconnect between fitness sessions we were delivering and the other pillars of health (and lifestyle habits that happen outside of the gym). To get the most out of your health and your fitness sessions at Nova we need to link other pillars such as mindset, nutrition, stress and recovery. Training coaches who care about your results will agree that a couple hours of personal training each week is not enough time to workout AND learn everything you need to know about maximizing those workouts... Things like how to eat before or after workouts, what recovery habits should be practiced or the link between stress and working out are all subjects that you need to know on your health and fitness journey. Pod Calls are dedicated sessions where we teach you essential health and fitness insights that we can't often cover during your gym workouts. We hope you take advantage of these expert-led sessions that will enhance your workouts, teach you new concepts about health and bridge the gap between fitness and overall wellness. Upcoming Pod Calls (all times in EST) Mon Jun 2, 2025 (6:00pm) Topic: How To Eat Carbs For Better Energy, Muscle & Fat Loss Coach: Josh Allen Wed Jun 4, 2025 (2:00pm) Topic: Hip Mobility Using the 'CARS' (active session) Coach: Kim Vo Sat Jun 7, 2025 (12:00pm) Topic: Benefits of Single Leg & Arm Training for Overall Strength Coach: Matthew Nadler Tues Jun 10, 2025 (6pm) Topic: Releasing Neck Tension Coach: Zack Fernandez Wed Jun 18, 2025 (1:00pm) Topic: Training The Backside of The Core Coach: Colin Soltesz Thu June 19, 2025 (7:00pm): Topic: Ayurveda for Healthy Ageing Coach: Kayla Hutchinson These calls are free for Nova members and Zoom links for each call can be found in the Nova Mighty Networks platform. If you are not a Nova member and would like to attend any of these please email Info@NovaHealthClub.com for a seat. We look forward to seeing you then!
Check out the interview with Beth to see the habits, mindset and lifestyle shifts that helped her reach her goals
Simon’s 6-Week Transformation: From Stressed & Stuck to Strong & Energized
Simon joined Nova through the LeanDads 12-week program in February. Like many busy professionals...
