Mental resiliency is the most important factor in accomplishing any goal. Below, Lisa Peranzo tells us how she overcame an injury that threatened to change everything.
Guest post by Lisa Peranzo
I approach my workouts differently than most individuals. When I step into my workout space, I become a scientist in a lab.
My workouts become the experiments to reinforce to me that I am stronger and more capable than I give myself credit. I need that reinforcement as an active demonstration of my resilience.
When I graduated high school, I went to college and joined ROTC. During a training exercise in ROTC, I shattered, fractured, and dislocated my right foot.
In the crisis period of my injury, no one, myself included, knew what my life would look like.
From seemingly little aspects of not knowing whether I would be able to walk independently or drive a car, to bigger aspects of life like not knowing if my body could maintain the weight of a future pregnancy.
After multiple surgeries, and almost a full year of rehab, I felt like I had lost all of my strength. I felt like a shell of the person I once was and I missed being able to feel like I could do hard things in my workout that I used to do.
Being that scientist in a white lab coat, testing my strength, comes from this constant need to show myself that I am still just as much of a warrior as I was pre-injury.
The process of reaffirming and feeling empowered by your strength can be arduous as well as fairly frustrating at times. But that determination will solidify that mental resiliency you need to succeed.
Remember that the journey and its victories along the way are equally as important with just as many lessons to be gained as the end destination.
Here are my Top 3 Tips for Finding Mental Resiliency in Fitness:
- Be consistent.
- The best results come from the individuals who incorporate working out as a regular part of their routine. That doesn’t mean you have to work out daily, nor does it mean you have to workout for hours on end. It does mean that you need to be showing up for yourself and giving to your body on a consistent basis. That consistency breeds healthy habits and from those habits you’ll discover your strength.
- Be patient.
- If you’re new to working out, if you’re coming off of an injury, or if working out is totally your thing, don’t forget to be patient with yourself. Not every workout is going to leave you feeling like an Olympian or like you have mental resiliency. When you have those workouts, show yourself some compassion, and find one positive thing about what did happen in your workout. Focus on that reason and let it give you motivation to show up tomorrow.
- Don’t be afraid to push yourself.
- We all have some fear of failure. Working out is the perfect opportunity to explore those edges, to push those limits, and to FAIL. It shows you where you’re starting and it gives you a launching pad for growth
I know I need to show myself that I can still do hard things even though my body is significantly different now than it was in the past.
While the transformation in my body due to the injury was not a welcome one, it is an accepted part of my life now.
Part of my mental resiliency was discovering the art of being flexible.
Post-injury, I came to a whole new level of understanding with my body and what it can do. It is a part of my fitness journey that I am proud to say has not stopped me, but has made me a better instructor as well as an athlete.
Learning these things can be frustrating. It was a long process of trial and error to find what works for me in the space of a workout, what would give me results, while still being safe for my body.
In complete transparency, I hated this process. I would curse, I would cry, I would wish for my old body back, I would barter with God and the devil to bring me back to an old physical being that was dead.
I wanted nothing more than to feel like my “normal” self again. This process lasted for years. I pushed myself to the point of further as well as additional injuries for years as a way to show myself I could still be strong.
During those years of sheer frustration, I let my ego run the show.
I shoved that little voice in my head encouraging me to accept my body and try something that worked for me into a corner. I told it to be quiet because that was not how I wanted things to be.
Slowly that little voice got louder. Slowly that little voice became a roar and slowly, I gained the confidence to tell my ego that I needed to respect and honor what my body could still give me more than I needed to do what everyone else was doing.
I journaled, I prayed, I sought professional help, and I slowly came to a place where I loved my body. Where I was not ashamed of what happened to me.
Where I knew that the gifts my injury gave me were greater than the things it took away, and I could use those gifts to help the people around me find their inner warrior.
Finally, I saw my body as strong because I saw my body as a beautiful, adaptable, flexible and being truly capable of overcoming an arduous journey that brought me to my knees.
I stopped hiding what happened to me and started sharing my story so the people around me could know that regardless of what their bodies experienced, they could find fitness and wellness in loving and supportive ways that still left them feeling strong.
Still dawning my proverbial white lab coat every time I step into a workout as a way to test my strength and I encourage those around me to do the same.
I still prove to myself daily that I am resilient, and that my strength is nothing to take for granted but something to love and appreciate.
After all, I woke up today and my body can move for me today, so it is automatically a good day to have a good day.
About Lisa
Lisa has over 10 years of experience in the fitness industry. She has worked with a diverse population, including first responders, athletes and adolescents. Her experience in the fitness industry has also included working with clients to rehab from a variety of injuries, from spinal chord injuries and brain injuries, recovery from childbirth, to sports related injuries as well as joint replacements. Her focus is always to help her clients find their own strength and power from their fitness routine.
She is a PMA accredited Pilates Instructor, Senior Trainer, Certified CrossFit Instructor, Certified Kettlebell Instructor, and Certified Barre Above Instructor, Lisa also has a certification in Paleo Nutrition, a Bachelors Degree in Psychology, and a Masters Degree in Human Behavior. She is a contributing writer for HealthWeb Magazine as well as Smartrepreneur Magazine.
In addition to being the founder and CEO of A Healthful Life, Lisa has been featured in various magazines and on podcasts including San Diego Voyager magazine, Combat Divas, The Pourly Written Podcast, and Radical Resilience.