Story & photo by Joyce Coronel
Dominic Balistriere, owner of Body Renew Fitness in Tempe, sees it every day.
“Coming in to the gym and just getting going does so much for somebody’s confidence and their self-esteem,” Balistriere said. “Their demeanor and their posture and the way their carry themselves changes as they progress and get healthier. They usually don’t notice—I notice. They’re walking a little taller, their shoulders are back a little farther.”
For years, researchers have documented the positive effects of exercise on mental health. Working out doesn’t just get you in shape for the dreaded swimsuit season; it can help battle depression, anxiety and stress as well as improve overall mood.
“There’s mountains of science behind it, that working out is good for mental health, and that it releases endorphins,” Balistriere said. Endorphins are the chemical released by the body during exercise that reduce the perception of pain.
“Anyone—you walk into the gym, you walk out, you’re always glad. You always feel better when you’re leaving,” Balistriere said. “Getting in here does wonders for self-confidence.”
As psychologists, life coaches, personal trainers and others strive to help people live happier, more productive lives, one of the new watchwords being touted in 2017 is mental strength. It has nothing to do with intelligence. Rather, it’s about grit. Tenacity. Passion. The willingness to persevere in the face of pain and adversity in pursuit of long-term goals, something Balistriere says comes into play at the gym.
“As far as having that wherewithal to knock out those last couple reps or that last exercise—everybody has that one exercise they hate doing and it’s usually the one you really need to do. They’re hard because that’s where you’re weak.”
Those last two or three repetitions, that panting through the last quarter mile on the treadmill—there’s a payoff. “Those are the things that are going to get you to the next level,” Balistriere said. “If somebody came up with a trick for helping people do that, they’d be a millionaire.”
The lessons learned sweating it out at the gym extend to the workplace and home life as well. The dogged determination to achieve goals, resolve issues and rise to meet the next challenge in spite of thorny obstacles—that’s the stuff of mental strength and, ultimately, personal fulfillment.
