Rewire Your Brain Series: Create Resistance

Push Yourself Harder, but for the Right Things

I was at the gym near the dumbbell section, doing my routine one day. It’s on the far-right side of the gym, with a wall of windows facing the parking lot. Around me was the usual scene: people lifting weights, scrolling on phones, small talk, ambient music, and the sound of weights lightly clanging against each other. To be clear, this isn’t a place where gym rats hang out. It’s mostly regular people trying to stay fit.

Out of nowhere, a young man from the opposite end of the gym let out a long, loud, “Ahhhhhhhhhhh!” that stopped everything. I mean everything.

When he screamed, small talk stopped. Anyone sitting stood up. Every person stopped lifting immediately. Anyone walking or staring at their phone froze. Everybody looked toward the direction of the scream. We collectively held our breath, wondering if the weights just crushed a young man. It was just a five-second pause, but it felt like a lifetime. Eventually, someone near him shouted to the rest of us, “He’s ok. He was just pushing himself.”

Pushing himself? I turned to a young man 30 years younger than me and said, “If I ever scream like that, call 911.”

He snapped back, “If I ever scream like that, call 911 for me!”

It was apparent that everyone in the gym thought the young man’s scream was a bit much. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn’t. Clearly, none of us at the gym—who were there to push ourselves—ever pushed ourselves that far.

Some people push themselves too hard in the wrong things, like a stressful job that’s not right for them, or trying to make a toxic relationship work that can never end well. That’s not the kind of pushing through I’m talking about.

Make Your Brain Remember

I’ve written many times how my neurologists stress the importance of lifting heavy weights. Heavy is relative. If it feels heavy to you, but you can lift it six times, that’s considered heavy weight.

When you lift weights, you get actual muscle memory. No one who has done bicep curls for decades shows up at the gym and needs to ask a friend how to do one. The movement is automatic, and you don’t need to think about it—just like tying shoes. When it comes to movement disorders, it’s training my muscles to do what my brain wants it to do. You know by now this isn’t medical advice, right? I’m possibly explaining it poorly, but resistance training is supposed to help me get through a doorway without repeatedly running into it. Muscles, do what the brain is asking you to do. Stop running into the door jamb and get through the door.

Take the Path of Most Resistance

I’ve been to several gyms. No matter what kind of gym you go to, or when, there’s a familiar scene. There are always a few people strolling in with their late morning coffee. They casually walk on a treadmill and chat with friends. Some sit on a machine for 15 minutes, sipping coffee and staring at their phone. This crosses all age groups, from teenagers to retirees. It’s obvious they are not just resting between lifting sets. They are just resting… on a weight machine.

There seems to be very little resistance going on, but I’m not the effort police. That’s the point of working out, whether in a gym, a park, or at home. Struggle, create resistance, and give it all you’ve got, or at least 80% of what you’ve got.

Want a blanket statement? Most young people I see in any gym do resistance training and cardio exercise. Most older people only do cardio, as in, walk slowly on a treadmill. I warned it was a blanket statement. Cardio is just easier. After years of struggle, people get tired of it. Resistance and struggle sound like things we want to avoid. Each is different from the other, but they share some similarities. They’re painful. We need them.

There’s a reason the phrase take the path of least resistance exists. No one likes resistance.

It’s Like a Magic Pill, but Not a Pill

It works for everybody. Resistance training increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a key protein that supports neuroplasticity and long-term brain health. It reduces neuromuscular decline and improves cognitive performance. It helps reduce depression, too. Since I survived a brain injury that caused movement disorders, it’s obvious why resistance training is critical for me.

Having more BDNF does even more. It gives you better neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt, improves memory, gives you better emotional stability and stress resilience.

You don’t need to join an expensive gym membership to do resistance training. Most Resistance bands are cheap and easy. They are good for both beginners and bodybuilders. Want an even cheaper option? When one of my four-year-old grandsons has anger they don’t know how to control appropriately, they are told to go push a wall. It’s funny, but it’s resistance training. Everybody has a wall. Go push one.

I Told Myself I Love It

I don’t exercise six days a week because I’m motivated or inspired. Neither is usually the case. I don’t give myself a choice. It’s in my calendar. Viewing it as something I have to do the rest of my life is daunting, so I made it easier on myself. I told myself I love it. I get to do it. That’s true. Some people are bedridden and cannot do what I do. Some can only walk slowly on a treadmill. Health conditions prevent some people from lifting a weight. I get to do it.

Did I tell you I love it? I wrote it again for my sake, to reinforce that idea in my mind. You got to be part of it. Is there something you need to tell yourself you love?

Investing in Yourself

Think of intentional resistance as depositing money in the bank. Instead of dollars, you are depositing bits of brain health, mental health, and physical strength. Whatever you deposit in your resistance account, you can withdraw down the road.

In other words, purposeful resistance doesn’t make you weaker. It pays you back down the road. Resist a little, get back a little. Resist a lot, get back a lot.

Cold Showers Aren’t Cold. They Are Freezing.

Ok, cold showers aren’t this cold, but they sure feel like it.

You’ve probably heard of cold therapy. Cold showers can improve circulation, combat depression, increase metabolism, boost your immunity and more.

After cardiac arrest, anxiety and depression became a battle I didn’t expect.

Cold showers are one of the ways I do. I’m not extreme like some people, but I take cool showers, which get progressively colder. The last minute or two is the coldest. How cold? Cold enough that I feel some pain and want to jump out. Aside from the benefits above, you know what else it does? It gets my nervous system out of fight or flight mode. It’s a reset. Plus, it sends my brain a message. When the cold water hits, I tell myself that this is the worst thing that can happen to me today. Everything after that seems less threatening.

It’s empowering to put yourself in a place where you intentionally endure suffering. It strengthens you to face unpleasant, fearful, and unknown circumstances that are part of life. When the junk of this world flows my way, I’ve already had a win for the day.

It’s not just cold water. It’s a way to rewire my brain. Knowing I’ve chosen suffering and conquered it signals my brain that I’m an overcomer. When a negative thing stares me in the face, I’m reminded that I’m used to enduring and coming through just fine. I can do it. So can you.

Make a Small Deposit

Many people only face struggle after problems hit. When you aren’t consistently and actively creating resistance, your struggle is more painful than it needs to be.

Rather than let life hit us and hope it doesn’t hurt, consider some intentional resistance. Physical resistance isn’t just for your body. It’s neurological. It tells your brain you can overcome hard things. You can face life, not as a victim of the world, but as a conqueror.

Deposit something in your brain’s account today so you can withdraw down the road. Take a cold shower. Lift a weight, or even push a wall.