Movement and Nutrition: Building Biological Resilience in a Demanding World.

How exercise, nutrition and fasting expand your capacity to handle pressure, restoring resilience across body, mind, relationships and spirit.

When Your body Says, “No More.”

She woke already tired, mind spinning before the day began. The emails waiting, the children needing her, the quiet grief that had become part of her mornings.

By 10am the coffee wasn’t helping, the meetings felt heavier and the small frustrations of the day were becoming harder to manage.

At 3 p.m a comment from a colleague stung more than it should and by evening, she felt herself snapping at those she loved most.

It wasn’t a lack of willpower, or mindset, or motivation.

Her system was simply at capacity.

Why We Start Here.

Resilience is often framed as a mindset, but no mindset can override a biology in depletion.

Your body is not a machine that can be driven endlessly, it is a living system requiring nourishment, rest and movement to sustain clarity and steadiness.

Movement and nourishment are not wellness trends or lifestyle extras. They are the quiet biological foundations of adaptation, recovery and renewal under pressure.

They help you build the capacity to meet your life and work with presence, even when demands are high.

This is Not about Perfection.

Many live with chronic pain, fatigue, illness, low confidence, or limitations that shape what is possible day to day.

For some, resilience is getting out of bed, for others, movement may mean a walk to the kitchen or gentle stretches in a chair. Nourishment may be ensuring you eat something, or adding a small stabilising element to a meal.

There is no single standard to meet.

This is about what is possible for you, now, with kindness, so that your system is supported to keep carrying what matters.

The Stress Cup, revisited.

Life fills your “stress cup” with visible and invisible pressures.. work, health, caregiving, grief, health challenges, financial worries, micro-stresses.

Overflow isn’t weakness, it’s a signal your system is at its edge.

Overflow can look like irritability, decision fatigue, poor sleep, or feeling emotionally fragile. You cannot empty your cup entirely, but you can gently expand it.

Movement and nourishment are among the most practical ways to do this, increasing your capacity to handle what life brings without being constantly at the tipping point.

Movement: A Practical Reset.

Movement is not about fitness or aesthetics.

It is a quiet reset for your system, helping regulate hormones, stabilise energy and signal safety to your body.

Why It Matters.

Cortisol Regulation: Movement lowers baseline cortisol, helping you feel steadier under pressure (Childs & de Wit, 2014).

Brain Health: Regular movement increases BDNF, supporting neuroplasticity and cognitive clarity, so you can think clearly during demanding days.

BDNF or brain-derived neurotrophic factor, is a protein that plays a vital role in the survival, growth and maintenance of neurons, particularly in the brain. (Szuhany et al, 2015).

HRV & Vagal Tone: Movement improves heart rate variability, helping your system shift from stress activation to recovery, so you can move on after hard conversations rather than carrying tension all day (Stanley et al, 2013).

HPA Axis: Chronic stress dysregulates your stress system; movement helps recalibrate it, reducing reactivity.

Insulin Sensitivity: Movement improves insulin sensitivity, reducing energy crashes and brain fog (Hawley & Lessard, 2008).

Sleep Quality: Physical activity deepens restorative sleep, aiding recovery (Driver & Taylor, 2000).

“You cannot outthink a body that is depleted. Movement restores your system so your mind can work as it should.”

Adapting Movement as we Age.

As we move through life, our bodies change.

Injury, ageing and shifting priorities mean the ways we move, nourish and recover will also need to adapt.

This is not about giving up, slowing down unnecessarily, or resigning ourselves to decline. It is about acknowledging reality with honesty while continuing to care for our system.

There was a time I ran 10k every other day, pushing for speed and enjoying the clarity it gave me. That changed when I dislocated my knee, tore my PCL and ripped my meniscus apart.

12 months later after surgery and months of prehab and rehab, running was no longer my primary way to care for my system and trying to match my younger pace would load my body would be unwise now.

I don’t run anymore, but I still exercise and move, I have adapted.

What Movement as we Age could look like:

Replacing high-impact running with cycling, swimming, or brisk walking.

Focusing on strength training to maintain muscle and joint stability.

Incorporating mobility and flexibility practices to reduce injury risk.

Prioritising recovery and recognising the importance of rest.

Ageing does not mean we must surrender to the chair and slippers, but it does invite us to exercise and eat wisely, aligned with our current reality, so we can continue living actively and well.

“Adapting is not failing. It is wise stewardship of a system that has carried you this far and still has much to carry ahead.”

Awareness of your Daily Capacity for Movement.

Movement should align with your reality, not an ideal:

On high-capacity days: Longer walks, strength training, or swimming.

On medium-capacity days: 10-minute walks, gentle yoga, or light stretching.

On low-capacity days: Chair stretches, standing to breathe deeply, or a few steps outside for fresh air.

These are not trivial acts, they are signals of care for your system.

What matters is awareness, like the stress cup, we all have a daily movement capacity.

Find your awareness, fit your movement to your capacity on that day. Stay engaged with the process of movement integration. It can really help.

Case Study.

A senior leader, during a high-pressure merger period, began taking a 10-minute walk after morning meetings. It became a small anchor point, helping him return clearer, less reactive and more able to focus on what mattered.

Nourishment: Stability and Steadiness.

Nourishment is not about perfection or restriction.

It is about supporting your system to remain steady when demands are high.

Why It Matters.

Gut-Brain Axis: A healthy microbiome supports mood and cognitive stability (Cryan et al, 2019).

Hydration: Dehydration increases cortisol and reduces focus (Ganio et al, 2011).

Blood Sugar Stability: Prevents irritability and energy crashes (Benton & Nabb, 2003).

Omega-3s: Support brain health and resilience (Grosso et al, 2014).

Micronutrients: Magnesium, vitamin D and B vitamins help buffer stress (Haskell et al, 2008).

Circadian Alignment: Eating with daylight supports metabolism and sleep rhythms (Pot et al, 2016).

“What you eat and drink is not just fuel.. it shapes your system’s ability to handle stress and recover.”

What Nourishment Can look like.

Nourishment is layered and small shifts can support your system:

1/ Drinking water before your first coffee.

2/ Adding a source of protein to breakfast.

3/ Eating meals away from screens.

4/ Including vegetables with one meal.

5/ Avoiding skipping meals on busy days.

If you are managing health conditions or a complex relationship with food, your path will be different. Any action that supports stability is a step toward resilience.

Overcoming the “Not Today” barrier.

“I don’t have time.” “I’ll start when things calm down.”

“I can’t commit fully, so it’s not worth it.”

These are common, human thoughts, but the times when demands are high are when your system most needs care.

You do not need to overhaul everything.

A glass of water, a 5-minute stretch, or a walk around the block can be a beginning. Progress, not perfection, is what expands your capacity.

Why this is Core to Resilience.

Movement and nourishment help you adapt to challenges with clearer thinking.

They support recovery so you don’t remain in a reactive state and enable renewal, sustaining your ability to engage with what matters.

They do not remove stress, but they reduce unnecessary suffering, buffering you against overload while supporting your system to carry what is important.

A Gentle place to Begin.

You do not need to do everything at once.

Water before coffee.

A short walk during your day.

A pause to stretch.

A nourishing addition to a meal.

These are quiet, consistent actions that anchor your system, especially when the world feels demanding.

Building Biological Resilience.

Movement, nourishment and sleep form the biological layer of your resilience system. They are the groundwork upon which your emotional, relational and operational resilience rests.

This Biological Foundation allows you to:

Adapt when challenges arise.

Recover between demands.

Renew your energy to continue engaging with what matters.

Looking Ahead.

Next, we will explore the psychological domain of resilience, understanding how your thoughts, emotions and narratives shape your ability to remain steady under pressure.

For now, one small, consistent action is enough.

It is a quiet commitment to yourself and your system, a reminder that caring for your biology is not an indulgence but a practical foundation for carrying what matters.

A Closing Word.

Your biology is not something to conquer.

It is something to partner with, care for and honour.

In doing so, you create the capacity to live, lead and love in a demanding world without losing yourself along the way.